Category Archives: Politics and Culture

Extraordinary Times: Rainbows Over the White House & Reckoning with America’s Original Sin

Politics and Culture, , ,

This isn’t a “news” blog, and there’s nothing I have to say about the three humongous events that happened in the United States on Friday that hasn’t been said better already by others. But I can’t ignore them either, and having just listened to Obama’s Eulogy in Charleston (as it will be recorded in history books) I have to at least write something, another one of my imaginary letters trying to explain America to the rest of the world.

There’s a part of me so cynical, I couldn’t help seeing the irony that Ted Olson, the lawyer who helped win Gore v Bush, was the man who helped win marriage for millions. Months after his wife went down in a plane on 911, when the August 6th “Bin Laden determined to strike in the US” memo was leaked, did he think, “This is what I have wrought.” Was taking on the cause of marriage a penance? Continue reading Extraordinary Times: Rainbows Over the White House & Reckoning with America’s Original Sin →

All Aboard! Republican Clown Car Just Got More Crowded!

Politics and Culture, , , , ,

It’s official, the Donald has entered the race for the GOP presidential nomination. At this point is there anyone left who isn’t running?

We have lots of familiar names vying to get  lucrative FOX News contracts save the country. But does anyone seriously think that Ben Carson, Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, Ted Cruz and company have a chance? The only grown-up candidate, Jeb Bush, would not only have to convince the general electorate that he really is the smart one, but he’d need to make the case to the majority of voters in the densely populated electoral-vote-rich states that he’d be better at the job than Hillary. Not to mention finessing the balancing act that got Romney into so much trouble – running to the right in the primaries and then trying to pivot around so quickly your head falls off. Continue reading All Aboard! Republican Clown Car Just Got More Crowded! →

The Unexpected Ascendence of the Text Message

Politics and Culture, writing/blogging/publishing related

Watch an old movie from the 1920s and you’ll see the telephone was already fully integrated into people’s lives, but it was not yet in everyone’s home. Often there would be a coin operated phone in the corridor or a communal one in the parlor of a boarding house.

But by the end of World War II, certainly any aspiring middle class home had at least one telephone line. We had ideas about phone usage. Women loved to gossip on the phone. Teenagers were positively addicted to it. Remember this from Bye-Bye Birdie:

(To get to that video and read the rest of this possibly life-altering post, please head over to VM’s Blood Diva blog.

That Katy Perry Grammy Dress AND A Certain Novel…

Idiots at the Opera, Politics and Culture, writing/blogging/publishing related, , , ,

I didn’t watch the Grammy’s and mostly what I heard about was Kanye West’s latest “tell us what you really think even if nobody asked” rant.  Then today, trolling the internet for references to La Traviata as I am wont to do, I found out about Katy Perry’s Verdi inspired dress by Valentino.

The opera/classical music world as well as the fashion world seemed to notice. Most people probably just thought — nice dress, but I thought, “Hmmm 170 years after her death, Marie Duplessis continues to be a fashion-trendsetter.”  Why don’t you read more about that here?

What the Hell — It’s Thanksgiving

Event, Politics and Culture

What the hell. It’s Thanksgiving, so here are a couple of recipes. I don’t really follow recipes so I’m not going to tell you how much of each of thing exactly. It’s all to taste. I totally believe in tasting when you are cooking. I realize that if at this late date you are looking here, you are probably desperate and not much of a cook and need more help. Sorry. Here are three healthy, delicious things you can make. They all happen to be vegan (except one has honey but you could substitute maple syrup I guess) AND two out of three are gluten free. (The third could be gluten free with substitution.) So there you go: Continue reading What the Hell — It’s Thanksgiving →