Gastrodestination Portland
To the left is a meal I had in Portland, Oregon Sunday. It was not the best meal I had while my wife and I were there on a weekend jaunt. But it was the gayest. Behold the “Gay Bar,” a… Continue Reading
Local Politics
A Lemon Of An Idea In Alabama
If you are convicted of a misdemeanor in Baldwin County, Alabama (that’s on the east side of Mobile Bay, bordering Florida, with a county seat in the I’m-sure-it’s-lovely city of Bay Minette), the judges will give you a choice — serve… Continue Reading
End The Invocations
My city has adopted a policy by which its City Council devotes a few minutes after calling the meeting to order for the delivery of an invocation — an invocation which permits of sectarian invocations, such as “…and this we… Continue Reading
The Beast Is Dying Of Starvation — Now What?
Assemblywoman Diane Harkey (a Republican, representing southern Orange County) joins Democratic Attorney General and likely Gubernatorial nominee Jerry Brown in saying that the state is “bankrupt.” Which is about right — we’re missing a quarter of our anticipated state budget and… Continue Reading
Why I Hate The Culture Wars
The American culture wars strike me as astonishingly silly and yet deeply scary at the same time. It’s hard to say what recent volley is more bothersome to me. Could it be people who are getting The Diary Of Anne… Continue Reading
Narrow Victory For Secularism
Right here in the beautiful Antelope Valley, we were one vote away from another religiously explicit motto going up on a government building. RTFA, and you’ll see that indeed, some people of faith do indeed get it — the government… Continue Reading
Rally
Last night I went to meet up with a friend at the Barnes & Noble after work. Along the way, I drove past the busiest intersection in the area — the one where all the big-box stores are, the one… Continue Reading
Logo For Lancaster, or, My Tax Dollars At Work
The city of Lancaster, California (the boundaries of which just barely enclose Soffit House) just got itself a new logo, and a new slogan, after a year’s worth of marketing research and a $90,000 commission to a local graphic design… Continue Reading
How Much Does That Traffic Light Cost?
In Palmdale, California, it seems that upgrading one intersection from a four-way stop to a four-way traffic light costs taxpayers $815,000. (Now is the appropriate time to let out a long, low whistle.)
Speaking of Lack of Critical Thought
There must be a word for the phenomenon of a word, phrase, or expression losing all meaning. Some people, for instance, use the “F” word so much that it loses all emotional impact, and is just sort of a meaningless… Continue Reading