Have you ever read Shirley Jackson’s famous short story “The Lottery,” written in 1948? If you haven’t, SPOILER alert: the plot involves a tradition in a seemingly-normal town in which a person is chosen by lot to be stoned to … Continue reading →
Commenter “huxley” observes, first quoting commenter “Irish Otter49” in a discussion of the man who committed suicide after being insulted in an anti-racism training mandated by his employer: “So he took his own life because he couldn’t deal with harsh … Continue reading →
David McCallum was one of my favorite actors when I was young. I only saw him in two things, but I loved him in both. I’m not sure I could explain why, either. I found his blond looks exotic and … Continue reading →
I’ve said many times that I don’t much care for political oratory. In my lifetime, I don’t recall any political speech that interested me at the time, although in retrospect I would rate some of Reagan’s as quite good. But … Continue reading →
I find that I like to be able to see singers when they sing. That means I prefer watching live performances of my favorites. I wonder why. Maybe I like to see the physical effort. Also, the emotion on the … Continue reading →
I’ve always been very fond of the 1967 hit “The Letter” by the Box Tops. I had a long-distance boyfriend at the time, about to be drafted and sent to Vietnam, and the song had particular resonance. But it was … Continue reading →
Sign me up – not: Tourists are flocking to the Big Apple to check out its exploding rat population — and tour guides are tailoring excursions to introduce them to the city’s most beady-eyed natives. Kenny Bollwerk maps out late-night … Continue reading →
On the song “Fooled Around and Fell In Love,” which I highlighted in this post, I couldn’t help but notice the strong gospel flavor of lead singer Mickey Thomas’ rendition. There’s no question that’s one of the elements that made … Continue reading →
[NOTE: Today I was going to write about the usual political brouhaha, depressing though it is. But I found myself dragging my heels – not only because the news isn’t pleasant, but also because I had to deal with some … Continue reading →
In an earlier post today, commenter “PA Cat” writes this: Today marks the 84th anniversary of the German invasion of Poland that is usually considered the beginning of WWII. I went back to look at a poem by W.H. Auden … Continue reading →
Biden wrote over five thousand emails under his various aliases, and the National Archives is stonewalling about releasing them: In its filing, SLF’s [Southeastern Legal Foundation] legal team made clear that it was requesting documents that NARA already admitted holding: … Continue reading →
Some singers who have clear and ringing voices, especially in the upper register, find that as they age they just can’t sing that way anymore. But some can (by the way, Elvin Bishop wrote the song and is playing the … Continue reading →