[Bumped up.] I couldn’t help but notice the amount of boomer-directed venom expressed in the comments section of yesterday’s thread. I’ve noticed it many times before. Actually, I’ve noticed it almost every time I write about—well, about my generation. And … Continue reading →
Well, call me ignorant, but until the other day I hadn’t realized that Otis Redding wrote Aretha Franklin’s anthem “Respect.” And he sang it, too. Differently… …than she did: Aretha’s version was a sister act, although I don’t know whether … Continue reading →
I know, I know. You look down on “American Idol,” think it’s trash, yada yada yada. Well, sometimes I watch it for fun, along with other fluff du jour, despite the fact that I’m not ordinarily all that keen on … Continue reading →
[Hat tip: commenter “Artfldgr”] The news of Margaret Thatcher’s death today eclipsed this news for me. But to those of a certain age, Annette (we were on a first-name basis) was a formative figure in our childhood. I never was … Continue reading →
…to be an April Fools joke, or an Onion article. But I think I’ll take a raincheck on it anyway. I kinda like the disparate elements, although I rarely let myself indulge in those particular vices. But the combo? Gag … Continue reading →
Here are some samples from the list of Harvard Commencement Day speakers over approximately the last century and a half. I’ve left out ones you’re unlikely to have heard of, which mostly occur in the early years anyway, and selected … Continue reading →
I love these stories when they have happy endings: “I had him in my arms and still screaming over and over. Then I ran outside. I saw two boys playing across the street, and I yelled, ‘Go ask your parents … Continue reading →
The other day I was looking for some information about a certain passenger on one of the 9/11 flights that crashed. To find it, I Googled something like “passenger lists 9/11 flights,” thinking that would do the trick, and up … Continue reading →
…for all these long years, that his obituary would feature the fact that he was the designer of the Edsel. My guess is that, at 96, he’d made his peace with that: Roy Brown Jr., a car designer for Ford … Continue reading →
I first heard her sing when I was in college. I had some friends who’d been to Europe and had brought back a few of her records. I didn’t much care for her music and promptly forgot about her, until … Continue reading →
The email spammers know what they’re doing. The other day I got a spam email with the subject: “GET PAID TO WATCH PORN!”, thus deftly combining the two most successful spammer devices on the internet in one succinct and fell … Continue reading →
Iceland finally lets a girl use her own name. The amount of cultural control in these countries is very very foreign to us: A 15-year-old Icelandic girl has been granted the right to legally use the name given to her … Continue reading →