American Idol: the Davids
Okay, so I watch “American Idol.” So sue me. I see it as a brief weekly escape from our drab, wretched lives, a la Michelle Obama. I see it as a continuing soap opera with music, although the sort of … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Arts
Photoshopping gone wild: ah, but you should see the pictures!
There’s an old Jewish joke that goes something like this: A Jewish grandmother walks down the street proudly pushing her new grandchild in a baby carriage [that’s how old this joke is; a carriage rather than the $1000 stroller that … Continue reading →
To Hillary: oh please go gentle
Hillary Clinton’s become persona non grata to Democratic leaders and the pundits sympathetic to them, who’d like nothing better than for her to go away and make nice to the new nominee, Obama. Why oh why won’t she just fall … Continue reading →
Memorial sculpture and its discontents: outsourcing Martin Luther King
Folks are not happy about this. Martin Luther King is about to earn his place on Washington DC’s Mall with a 28-foot high memorial statue that is likely to dwarf those of nearby Lincoln and Jefferson. But that’s not the … Continue reading →
More fun with jello molds: a 50s twofer
In my continuing quest to bring you the best of the jello molds, here’s a 50s twofer to help you while away those leisure hours spent without the cocktail parties and get-togethers of yesteryear: It combines two crazes whose decline … Continue reading →
A Shakespearean speech for Obama’s silly season
Did you ever notice how often Obama uses the word “silly” to describe questions he doesn’t want to answer and issues he doesn’t want to address? It’s an interesting ploy, a way to escape being pinned down while attempting to … Continue reading →
Robot dancing
There’s a rumor to the effect that the dancers in this video are all human. I have my doubts, though—especially about the third one, the guy in the orange shirt, whose protoplasm seems to be more gelatinous than most.
Continue reading →Obama serenades the folks of Pennsylvania: “Doin’ What Comes Naturally”
Obama’s mockery of Hillary as Annie Oakley reminds me that I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for Annie for a long time. One of my favorite childhood songs was “Doin What Comes Naturally” from “Annie Get Your Gun,” … Continue reading →
Jefferson’s library recreated: rare books offer a glimpse into a rarer mind
Founding father and renaissance man Thomas Jefferson amassed a huge collection of books that became the basis for one of our early Libraries of Congress. Unfortunately, much of the collection was destroyed in a mid-nineteenth century fire, but intrepid librarians … Continue reading →
Human plasticity: left/right front/back brain
Dichotomies such as left brain vs. right brain are understood to be interesting concepts, but too simplistic in describing what is an unbelievably complicated and still very mysterious organ: the brain. Of course, it’s the brain itself doing the studying, … Continue reading →
Where are the snowmen of yesteryear?
Old snowmen never die, they just melt away. …do not ask me in the whole week Where they are—neither in this whole year, Lest I bring you back to this refrain: Oh, where are the snows of yesteryear!
Continue reading →The liberal Obama and Humpty Dumpty: belief in the power of words
I’ve written previously about Barack Obama’s masterful use of words as a smokescreen. His lawyerly skills serve him well in this regard. But Peter Wehner has been on his case lately as opposing counsel. Obama has been spending time distancing … Continue reading →