Predicting Iran
Iran is unpredictable. I have no idea what will happen there. But I do know that tyrannies stay in power through a number of mechanisms. One is complete mind control, but only North Korea seems to be able to do … Continue reading →
neo
Finally, Steve Bannon gets some respect from the press?
Why? Because he said something they want to hear: that the meeting between Kushner et. al. and some Russians was “treasonous.” Bannon, of course, has reason (or thinks he has reason) to hate Kushner. You may or may not recall … Continue reading →
How to write attention-getting headlines about the weather
CNN seems to have it down: “Winter ‘bomb cyclone’ threatens East Coast, bringing temps colder than Mars.” In the following excerpt, I’ve highlighted the most fear-mongering words: A massive “bombogenesis” — an area of rapidly declining low pressure — will … Continue reading →
Peter Martins quits
This story may not mean much to you, but it does to me: in the midst of allegations of abuse, Peter Martins has retired from the directorship of the New York City Ballet, although he denies any wrongdoing. Here’s more … Continue reading →
Change and history: the Times gets a new publisher
NY Times publisher Arthur Ochs (“Pinch”) Sulzberger Jr. (66) has retired, to be replaced by his son A.G. Sulzberger (37) as of January first. The change was announced last month. A.G. represents the fifth generation of the family to run … Continue reading →
2018 predictions
First of all, Happy New Year once again! You may have noticed I don’t tend to make a whole lot of predictions. Every now and then, though, I offer one up. For example (and of course, here I’m remembering the … Continue reading →
Happy New Year!
It’s Sunday. I usually take the day off on Sundays, although if there’s something big going on—or if the spirit happens to move me—I post anyway. Today the spirit moves me to comment on New Year’s Eve, one of my … Continue reading →
The gift that keeps on giving: puppies and kittens
[NOTE: I meant to put this up right before Christmas, but it slipped my mind.] A while back I spent several smiling hours on YouTube watching the reactions of people receiving a puppy or kitten as a gift. The thing … Continue reading →
Talking about “Cat Person”
You may have heard there’s been a lot of internet buzz about a recent New Yorker short story called “Cat Person,” especially among young people. It’s about a 20-year-old college student who meets an “older man” (he turns out to … Continue reading →
I wonder…
…when I see articles like this one written by Charles P. Pierce and published in Esquire, entitled “Trump’s New York Times Interview Is a Portrait of a Man in Cognitive Decline,” just how it might feel to be on the … Continue reading →
Iran: the police and protestors
There have been large anti-government protests in Iran for several days—and, unlike in this country, the “resistance” in Iran runs the real risk of being shot for its pains. Until today, that hadn’t happened in the current round of protests, … Continue reading →
Faith, hope, the tax bill, and charity
There have been a great many claims that the new tax bill passed by the GOP will have a chilling effect on charitable giving because it reduces the incentive represented by a tax deduction by increasing the standard deduction. In … Continue reading →