Philip K. Dick and me
Oh, I was a strange, strange child. And not the least of my strangenesses was that I loved the stories of Philip K. Dick. That was odd in several ways. First of all, it was odd because I was a … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Arts
Helen Smith: on men saying “no thanks” to marriage
I confess I haven’t yet read Helen Smith’s book Men on Strike: Why Men Are Boycotting Marriage, Fatherhood, and the American Dream – and Why It Matters, but it sounds fascinating. I’m quite familiar with Helen Smith’s work in general … Continue reading →
Dueling Carmens
Compare and contrast. And enjoy. Both of these dancers are Russian, and both are excellent. The first is Svetlana Zakharova, and although the clip doesn’t have a date it looks relatively recent (the dancer only turned 34 a few days … Continue reading →
Zombie emails the NSA with a polite request
Funny stuff here: Dear NSA, …If you have any pull with the American Psychiatric Association, could you please recommend to them that the psychological state formerly known as “paranoia” should be no longer defined as a mental illness? Asylums all … Continue reading →
People are deciding…
…to read the classics: … George Orwell’s “1984” is enjoying a surge in popularity, landing at No. 4 on Amazon’s list of “Movers and Shakers.” Sales of Orwell’s classic have risen an astonishing 5,771% as of Tuesday morning, with a … Continue reading →
Happy birthday, Nineteen Eighty-Four
Today is the 64th anniversary of the publication of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, and with all the news that’s been occurring in the last few weeks (up to and including today), somehow it seems apropos. We are not (yet) in the … Continue reading →
RIP Jean Stapleton
Jean Stapleton, best known for playing the role of the lovable Edith Bunker on “All in the Family,” has died at 90. She and Carroll O’Connor as Archie made the show. Stapleton managed to walk a fine line that conveyed … Continue reading →
Seriously strange
[NOTE: I wrote this post last night and had it set up in such a way that it would automatically be published in the morning. I don’t do that often, but every now and then I do. It turns out … Continue reading →
A song for Memorial Day
I’ve posted this song before, but I think it bears repeating, especially on Memorial Day weekend. It’s Tim McGraw’s extraordinarily moving song “If You’re Reading This:” If you’re readin’ this My momma’s sittin’ there Looks like I only got a … Continue reading →
Kudos, Jon Stewart
For this: The Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook I’ve seen quite a few clips of Stewart lately that show some good sense and some moxie. I’ve always thought he … Continue reading →
Liberty at the market
As a blogger, I tend to immerse myself in the news. Lately there’s been so very much of it, and so much to think about, that I find myself neglecting some of the other parts of my life. But yesterday … Continue reading →
Manzarek: the key keyboardist
Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of The Doors, has died at 74. I can’t say I ordinarily notice keyboardists, except in a very general way. But Manzarek was different. I didn’t know his name until a few years ago, … Continue reading →