Actor and world celebrity, twice husband of Liz Taylor, Richard Burton was also a prolific diarist. His diaries were published this past fall, and I recently got the book out of the library. It makes for interesting intermittent (or intermittently … Continue reading →
In my mental image of poet Emily Dickinson, dog ownership was never part of the picture. I imagined her dressed all in flowing white, flitting about the upstairs rooms of her family’s spacious Amherst home, sitting down to write amazing … Continue reading →
In yesterday’s comments about Obama’s nomination of John Kerry as Secretary of State, Geoffrey Britain referred to Kerry as a “loathsome type.” That reminded me that it was that very quality of John Kerry’s that helped drive me to become … Continue reading →
Former federal judge Robert Bork has died today of heart disease. His name was made into a verb, “to bork,” as in this: Following Bork’s nomination to the [Supreme] Court [by Reagan in 1987], Sen. Ted Kennedy took to the … Continue reading →
Okay, I’ll get this Hillary Clinton thing over with. I don’t usually go out on a limb with predictions this way, but I believe she will run in 2016, and that she has an excellent chance of winning. Here’s why … Continue reading →
Many of you probably remember FredHjr very well. But for those of you who weren’t around this blog in his heyday, you should know that he was one of the most brilliant and prolific commenters here. Tragically, he died in … Continue reading →
He says it’s because he cheated on his wife. But he was due to testify on Benghazi in six days, and now he won’t, at least not immediately (apparently they could still subpoena him later). This smells exceedingly fishy. I … Continue reading →
So, what do you think about this? Was Lance Armstrong guilty, despite having passed a gazillion doping tests at the time? Is the testimony of former teammates under the following circumstances convincing enough?: Former Armstrong team mates at his U.S. … Continue reading →
I came across a video that was touted as amazing, featuring a 75-year-old man who still teaches ballet. My first thought was, “That’s not the least bit amazing.” Quite a few of the ballet teachers of my youth reached that … Continue reading →
An interesting bit of trivia: While at Eton, Eric Blair (future pen name, George Orwell) “was briefly taught French by Aldous Huxley.” England’s a small place, isn’t it? That wasn’t Orwell and Huxley’s only exchange. Huxley wrote to Orwell on … Continue reading →
I was searching for something or other, and I happened across an article on a different subject that caught my eye—this 1996 article by Jonathan Chait (he of BDS pride) about his fallen buddy Stephen Glass, the serial liar whose … Continue reading →
Although I didn’t plan to watch the Democratic Convention, I ended up overhearing a large portion of Bill Clinton’s speech last night. I was at the home of some Democrats; the TV was on in the background, and of course … Continue reading →