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: People of interest
Snowden’s story: how much veracity is there in “Verax”?
Let me get one thing completely cleared up at the outset of this post: the NSA data-collection story is important. Vitally important. The program exists, and we need to know more about how it works, and whether it is (or … Continue reading →
I wonder…
…about this: [Glenn Greenwald] also wrote he had been “working with” Snowden since February… That’s part of a lengthy article about a feud between Greenwald and WaPo writer Barton Gellman about who spoke to Snowden when and about what. I’m … Continue reading →
Jeffrey Toobin: Snowden is no hero…
…and no whistleblower either. I can’t say I’ve agreed a whole lot with Jeffrey Toobin (or anything political in the New Yorker) in recent years. But for the most part I agree with Toobin about Snowden. In fact, what Toobin … Continue reading →
Daniel Ellsberg on Edward Snowden: leaks then and now
Not surprisingly, Daniel Ellsberg thinks Edward Snowden’s a great hero. I’ve written at length about Ellsberg before: a historical look here, and especially this one about his more recent activities (including, interestingly enough, a group he formed a few years … Continue reading →
Another Obama half-brother
I’d heard about some of Obama’s half-siblings, but not much about this guy Mark Okoth Obama Ndesandjo, who really does resemble Obama physically and even vocally, although his affect is different. Even his body language and movement is somewhat similar … Continue reading →
An encounter I would like to have overheard
For various reasons not worth going into I was researching the life of colorful British logician A. J. Ayer (1910-1989) and came across this rather odd anecdote, which I pass on to you without further comment: [Ayer] taught or lectured … Continue reading →
This candidate…
…is a graduate of Harvard Law School. Has one black parent and one white one. Is from Illinois, and worked for a Chicago law firm. Sound like someone you know? No, it’s not Obama. Here are more clues: can sing … 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 →
Sowell vs. Piven
Here’s a little gem I came across the other day. First, though, if you’re not familiar with Thomas Sowell, please hie yourself to YouTube, do a search for his name, and start watching. You’ll find scads of clips of Sowell … Continue reading →
Not really Gore Vidal
So, was it Gore Vidal who coined the bon mot: “It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail”? Yesterday there was a discussion of that burning question on this thread, and I became curious. It just didn’t quite sound … Continue reading →
Separated at birth
I can’t take credit for this one. Hat tip: Dennis Miller. Speaking of which, here’s an amusing column by Rich Lowry. The only problem is that the satire is too close to the truth.
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