Leonard Cohen, circa 1988: And then there’s Sunday’s election in Berlin in which the Left Party got a plurality of the votes. The party’s campaign modeled itself after that of New York’s Mayor Mamdani. Fancy that [emphasis mine]: In Sunday’s … Continue reading →
Beloved country music star, composer, and actress Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80. She lost her husband of 60 years in March of 2025. Her nephew stated: “My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful … Continue reading →
Former Senator Kyrsten Sinema is currently embroiled in a rather odd – and somewhat archaic – lawsuit. It turns out that Sinema (who was considered the first “out” bisexual senator) had an affair with her bodyguard Matthew Ammel, who was … Continue reading →
Most of you have probably seen the movie “Yankee Doodle Dandy” starring James Cagney as George M. Cohan. I watched it on TV many times as a child, and loved it. A while back I read that Cagney’s stiff-legged dancing … Continue reading →
Singer Bonnie Tyler died at 75 on July 8. She had one of the most distinctive and instantly recognizable voices in pop music, with a rasp (the result of a vocal cord operation) that had the hint of desperation that … Continue reading →
I had major Wifi connectivity problems today and had to finish and publish the previous post on my cellphone. That’s a far-from-ideal situation and quite frustrating. But all seems well now. Usually the connection here is pretty strong and pretty … Continue reading →
This happened [my emphasis]: A mountain lion forced residents of Santa Monica and their tiny pets indoors as officials scoured the area for the apex predator. The Santa Monica Police Department descended on the residential area of 14th and Montana … Continue reading →
I just learned that tomorrow is the 573rd anniversary of the fall of Constantinople. The Byzantine Empire was no more, and the great city was now in the hands of the Ottoman Empire, as a result of military conquest after … Continue reading →
… rule the – what? Certainly not the waves: “Currently the Royal Navy has 63 commissioned ships. But of this number only 25 are really fighting ships. That is submarines, aircraft carriers, destroyers and frigates. The balance are support patrol … Continue reading →
It’s a mess: A recent cleanup of LA’s horrific MacArthur Park — complete with cameras, city hall bigwigs and an Instagram victory lap — is already looking like a social media publicity stunt just one week after completion. … Councilwoman … Continue reading →
Don’t exactly know why I watched it; first time in years. I suppose I did it out of curiosity, mainly to see if the abominable One Battle After Another would really win tons of awards. Which it did – although … Continue reading →
Since Neil Sedaka died recently, I’ve done a few strolls down memory lane listening to some of his songs. Of course I know many – especially “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do.” But “Solitaire” is a song I only knew … Continue reading →