It seems to be the time of year for Lists of Ten. The beautiful Alexandra of the beautiful blog All Things Beautiful has challenged bloggers to name the Ten Worst Americans of the past 230 years. I might be able … Continue reading →
Reading the news of Richard Pryor’s death yesterday, I have to say that it surprised me—not that he died, but that he’d still been alive. He had been so sadly debilitated in recent years that it seemed remarkable that he’d … Continue reading →
It isn’t often that a dream comes true, especially at the ripe old age of 77. But that’s what’s happening right now for Ramsey Clark: he’s going to be on Saddam’s defense team. Here’s Clark himself, stating why he wants … Continue reading →
In response to my post about Gandhi’s pacifism, a number of people (Ed Driscoll publicly, others in private e-mails) have called my attention to Richard Grenier’s essay on Gandhi that appeared in a 1983 issue of Commentary. Driscoll calls it … Continue reading →
While researching this post on the phrase “speaking truth to power,” I discovered that it originated among Quakers, and I promised that I’d write something soon about Quaker pacifism. I had planned that this post would be that “something.” But … Continue reading →
When I studied history in grade school and high school, it was my least favorite subject. Dry and dull, a parade of disjointed dates and battles, all the juice had been squeezed out of it–which is a shame, because it … Continue reading →
A reader recently alerted me to an astounding article by Martha Gellhorn which appeared in the Atlantic Monthly in October of 1961, forty-four years ago. Gellhorn was quite a story in herself. Beautiful, brilliant, brave, she was the third wife … Continue reading →
Whenever I begin to wonder whether it’s time to hang up my New Yorker subscription, they publish something that’s so good I realize we may just be wedded for life, like some squabbling couple who can’t live together but can’t … Continue reading →
I’ve mentioned quite a few times that I’m a long-time reader of the New Yorker. That’s “long-time” as in long-time—my estimate is close to forty years or so. I still get the magazine delivered to my home, and I still … Continue reading →
A lot of people think George Orwell is special. I’m one of them. I first read Orwell’s books Animal Farm and 1984 when I was about twelve years old. The latter was good for many nightmares–I don’t recommend giving the … Continue reading →
Now, for the source of the Itzhak Feffer story. It was Robeson’s son, Paul Robeson, Jr. I could not locate the original account, but the story itself can be found at a number of websites. My guess is that it … Continue reading →
In attempt to begin to answer the questions posed at the end of Part I, I did a bit of research. Here, for background, is some general biographical material on Robeson, showing what a trailblazer he was, the sort of … Continue reading →