When I first read Joyce Carol Oates’ now notorious tweet “All we hear of ISIS is puritanical & punitive; is there nothing celebratory & joyous? Or is query naive?”, I could only conclude that Joycie had been sipping too deeply of the elderberry wine, and decided to pass along. Ralph Douthat, however, took up the…
Thank you, General Petraeus!
I’m definitely not a fan of Gen. David Petreaus, who arguably should be a convicted felon rather than a self-confessed misdemeanorist, but he definitely merits a thumbs up from all thirteen of us in the “Let’s stay out of the damn Middle East” crowd, when he said publicly that sending U.S. troops to clean up…
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here “Soot may be dirty, but it’s real, you know what I’m saying? Solar power ain’t shit. Ain’t no solar power when the sun don’t shine. That’s what I’m saying.” “You know what gets me? Kids don’t read Tootle no more. That’s what gets me. Because that’s where it all started.” “Yeah I’d…
Dave Samuels—“Bemsha Swing”
The Dave Samuels Trio, featuring Mark Walker on drums and Oscar Stagnaro on bass, performing a tune jointly composed by Thelonious Monk and drummer Denzil Best. Recorded at the 2009 Berklee Percussion Festival. Posted by Gustavo Agatiello
Jurassic Parks: Stevie and the Dinosaurs, Part 6
(NOTE: Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park series is one of the best franchises on film, particularly if you like dinosaurs. For the past month I’ve been running a strikingly unbalanced review of the four films, because I’m a big fan of parts 1 & 3, while distinctly unenthusiastic over parts 2 & 4. Today’s chapter begins…
EDITOR’S NOTE: Alan Vanneman regrets to admit that he has nothing intelligent or informed to say about the ISIS crisis. Instead, he will write about nail salons.
You read Sarah Maslin Nir’s two-part exposé of New York nail salons the New York Times. You read the “How I got the story” interview with Nir in the Times. You read the rebuttal by nail salon owner and former New York Times reporter Richard Bernstein. You read the NYT rebuttal to Bernstein’s rebuttal. And…
Hisae Nakajima—“Straight, No Chaser”
Two in a row? Hey, she’s pouring, I’m buying. Posted by Hisae Nakajima Also check out her (mostly Japanese) website
Republican thought processes: Tragedy in France = New reason to hate Obama!
And a new reason to hate Muslims, as Republican politicos, including all the “presidential” ones—struggle to outdo one another in their hatred for Syrian refugees—except for, you know, the Christian ones—as well as our president. If they keep it up, they’re going to make Hillary Clinton look classy. UPDATE Dunno about Hillary, but Bernie Sanders…
Hey, John Brennan! The attacks happened in France, not the U.S.!
Leave it to CIA director John Brennan to use terrorist attacks in France to prove that the U.S. Constitution, with its fussy concerns about general warrants, cruel and unusual punishments, and ex post facto laws—which all seem so 18th century these days—needs to be tossed out the window. “In the past several years, because of…
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here “Because without proper maintenance you can kiss that extended warranty coverage goodbye, douchebag.” “Where I come from, your toaster says as much about you as your car, if not more.” “I’m the kind of guy who likes to see what he looks like in the morning.” “It is so clean I could…