I’ve already said that I wasn’t going to watch Ken Burns’ documentary on Vietnam, and why. But of course lots of other people have watched it. Here’s a report from Powerline’s Scott Johnson: Watching the Ken Burns/Lynn Novick documentary history … Continue reading →
It began with a seemingly-innocuous gift: To celebrate “National Read a Book Day,” the first lady [Melania Trump] had sent out a collection of 10 Dr. Seuss books to one school in each state across the nation. The titles included: … Continue reading →
Almost two weeks ago Jerry Brown came up with this lovely gibe: “You should check out the derivation of ”˜Trump-ite’ and ”˜troglodyte,’ because they both refer to people who dwell in deep, dark caves.” And I say Brown’s supporters are … Continue reading →
Angelica Hale was nine years old when she first appeared on this season’s “America’s Got Talent” and wowed the audience. She turned ten before it was over and sang the following song in the finals of the show. Angelica sings … Continue reading →
Why? Because I enjoy it. First up—somewhere, a raven and a flamingo are missing their feathers: I just don’t understand the need to publicly bare so very much of one’s breasts, but it’s rampant: What’s up with the matching Ace … Continue reading →
Although the program is thirteen years old, I only recently discovered the TV show “The First 48,” a documentary series that follows crimes (usually homicides) in various US cities by filming police as they put a case together piece by … Continue reading →
Molly Worthen has written an article in the the NY Times recommending the memorization of poetry: Since ancient times, humans have memorized and recited poetry. Before the invention of writing, the only way to possess a poem was to memorize … Continue reading →
Nope, I wasn’t at Woodstock—one of the only members of my generation who wasn’t, to hear most them tell it. And I don’t romanticize the 60s and look back on them nostalgically, although many people my age do. I think … Continue reading →
…continues in the most unlikely of places. I say “unlikely” because one would think a Catholic school to be the last bastion for the defense of its Catholic statues. But then again, this particular Catholic school is in San Anselmo … Continue reading →
…says Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi’s faux pas immediately reminded me of this:
Continue reading →Today is one of those days I look at the news and sigh. I don’t want to see lists of the most recent statements by people who think Trump is unstable. I don’t want to hear how the president is … Continue reading →
And it’s the overuse of the word “whine.” I’ve noticed that whine is employed a great deal in political discourse, both on this blog and elsewhere. It’s ordinarily used to describe—and trivialize—a complaint by people with whom you don’t agree. … Continue reading →