I must say I didn’t immediately get what today’s Google graphic was meant to refer to: I had to cheat by going to “View image info.” Why, it’s the 112th birthday of Jorge Luis Borges! Although he’s a tremendous favorite … Continue reading →
…just too mean, too ornery, and too Texan to be elected? Boy, do the chattering classes ever hate this guy! If he is elected, the furor against him will make BDS look like a love affair. Perry is everything the … Continue reading →
The other day I was talking with friend, comparing the present feeling of unrest to the turmoil of the late 60s. We agreed that both times were tumultuous, but she thought things were worse now. I said I wasn’t sure; … Continue reading →
…and hope for the best. The latest suggestion is that nothing much that you can do matters—although of course it’s best not to off yourself prematurely if you want to reach three figures. One thing that might help would be … Continue reading →
I can’t say I knew much about Amy Winehouse until her death, although I’d vaguely heard of her. But from what I’ve read since, it appears she exemplified a type of addict who is extraordinarily difficult to help—defiant and resistant … Continue reading →
So, was J.D. Salinger to blame for the murder of John Lennon? It’s an absurd question, on the face of it: of course he wasn’t. But as Mark David Chapman, Lennon’s killer, stood waiting to fire the fatal bullets, he … Continue reading →
Of all the hard-to-believe scenarios involved in the DSK case (and that includes all of them), this one reported by the NY Post might just be the most implausible so far: Before she ever walked into Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s dazzling suite … Continue reading →
I’ve been revisiting the memoir Self-Consciousness by John Updike, which I first read when it was published in 1989. Updike is best known for his novels, but I consider them his weakest genre. I much prefer the short stories and … Continue reading →
The story “The Man Without a Country” used to be standard reading matter for seventh graders. In fact, it was the first “real” book—as opposed to those tedious Dick and Jane readers—that I ever was assigned to read in school. … Continue reading →
Today the WSJ‘s Bari Weiss tackles playwright David Mamet’s political conversion from left to right . It’s an old story to readers of this blog, not just because such political conversions are a theme here, but because I’ve written before … Continue reading →
[NOTE: This is a repeat of a post from February of 2007. At the time I first wrote it, I didn’t know how to upload YouTube videos here. Since then, I’ve certainly mastered that skill. So I’m now able to … Continue reading →
The lottery. “The Lottery.” “The Babylon Lottery.”
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