Fred Phelps and the rest of his sick, twisted family, calling themselves the Westboro Baptist Church, are excerable and revolting stains upon our body politic. I wish they would go away. But the result in this case today could not… Continue Reading
From the most interesting conversation I had today: what is the ability to engage in good conversation? My friend and I identified quick wit, understanding and comprehension of your interlocutor’s statements, and the ability to truly argue. True argument we… Continue Reading
Apparently, some folks in Iran thinks that the newly-announced logo for the 2012 Olympics in London spells out the word “Zion” and therefore Mohammad Aliabadi, the head of Iran’s Olympic program, has hinted that Iran will boycott the Olympics. I… Continue Reading
Marc Shaiman, Leonard Bernstein, Julie Harris, James Whitmore*, James Earl Jones, Lily Tomlin, John Kander and Fred Ebb, all have a very particular thing in common. It’s really not a very bad thing to have, although I’m willing to bet… Continue Reading
I’ve been very busy. I’ve managed three blog posts out of about twenty ideas I’ve had. Watch for trivia next Monday.
Have just finished a series of lectures on CD concerning Macchiavelli’s writings, which places particular emphasis on the Discourses on Livy. Towards the end of Machhiavelli’s third discourse, he praises the Roman Republic for periodically renewing its institutions. Sometimes that… Continue Reading
Last night, I attended a debate sponsored by the American Jewish University (formerly the University of Judaism or more colloquially, “Jew U”) ostensibly on the question “Is There An Afterlife?”; I style it a “debate” although it was more of… Continue Reading
What do these men have in common? John Adams, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Albert Gallatin, Martin Van Buren, George Bancroft, James Buchanan, George Dallas, Robert T. Lincoln, Frank Kellogg, Charles Dawes, Andrew Mellon, Joseph Kennedy, and W. Averell Harriman,… Continue Reading
Currently on the shelf: Pineapple-mint tequila Strawberry tequila Blackberry rum Cantaloupe-cucumber vodka Raspberry-blueberry vodka Currently in the fridge, cold-infusing: Watermelon tequila Serrano and chipotle tequila Apple-cranberry gin Mango-coconut-pineapple tequila Originally we did a lot of vodkas to capture as much… Continue Reading
So it turns out that fewer people are getting married, and Las Vegas is feeling the pinch. Now, 92,000 weddings a year in Las Vegas sounds like a lot but that is down. And bear in mind that historically, this… Continue Reading