Back in the last century, a densely-populated island called Manhattan housed numerous curious enclaves. On a single block, every store might sell political memorabilia. Seeking Grover Cleveland victory banners, or “Eleanor, Start Packing: The Willkies…
Posts published in “Essays”
Q: If you're going to make a parachute jump, you should be at least how high? A: Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it. * * * Q: True or false: a…
Voters don’t insist that presidential hair be life-like. It needn’t boast colors found in nature, but is expected to behave obediently, even opposing gale-force winds. Here in California, the archetype — the iconic coiffure —…
One of the worst things about today’s ultramodern systems of communication is hiding in plain sight: They waste our time. Sure, gizmos like computers and cellphones and pagers can be real time-savers. But what’s less…
Tell your friends you’re going on vacation and they smile. Mention that it’s a family vacation and that smile may falter for a moment. Tell them you’ve booked a trip to New York City and…
I'm an atheist. There, I've said it. You want to make something of it? I know a guy who's a bit of a bible-thumper. He's accused me of being "militant" about my nonbelief. I disagree.…
Monday, 3:14pm — A friend calls to say that he is fed up with the stupidity and crassness of wage slaves happily voting to keep their wallets empty and their dreams stillborn. He invites me…
Rest assured, nothing is going to be done about this, but the news is still worth some cogitation. The new figures are out, and they show that almost 44 million people are without health insurance.…
I took the prescription sleeping pills before take-off but slept only in the thinnest intervals, perhaps one hour out of eight. This was to prove of some difficulty on my first day in Berlin, since…