Paging Dr. Kübler-Ross
Burt Likko compares the bizarre subversion-of-democracy fantasies of Trump supporters with the actual law, and is unimpressed.
Category: ICYMI
Filler ‘er Up and Take a Little Off the Top
I realize this must sound like I’m reading the script of American Graffiti, but this truly was my life as an adolescent.
Winter is Here
Game of Thrones IS the quintessential program for 2020. No toilet paper at all. Only the burning rage of a million irritated a-holes
O (Fake) Christmas Tree
Instead of dragging out all the tired Christmas clichés and 2020 jokes, I’ll just share a little story about a lesson learned and the spirit of Christmas.
Re-reading (And Not Reading) James Joyce
I know every single one of you is wondering whether and in what ways I appreciate James Joyce’s work. So…In praise of (and in fear of) James Joyce’s oeuvre.
Democrats: Imagine Winning Urban, Suburban, and Rural voters
Why don’t Democrats win rurally anymore, and how can they start winning again? It’s really simple.
Worlds Are Colliding!!!
Enjoy the “Christmas Star”. The ancients thought such conjunctions were portent. Let’s hope this one portends a better 2021.
Mandalorian II: The Mandalorianing (Spoilers)
Eventually, The Mandalorian may get to a bigger conflict and heavier stakes, but it’s taking its time, earning those increased stakes.
One Is the Loneliest Number
If there is not a one atop the denominator, there is no longer a declaration of The Faith; instead, adherents are reduced to arguing probabilities.
Economics Lesson IV: The Pre-Order
Sometimes, economics is cold and hard, all moral objections notwithstanding.
Saints, Sinners, and the Limits of Public Policy
The importance of public policy compared to the multitude of other factors is that it is the thing that we have the most control over.
How Do You Know Where to Go?
It doesn’t have to be perfect or tour-quality. You like beaches? Castles? Mountains? Just pick a place and go.
Stop Ruining Christmas
Because part of becoming a modern adult is learning to hate everything that might have made you happy as a kid.
Legend Has It: The Passing of Chuck Yeager
In eulogizing Chuck Yeager, a broken telephone pole in West Virginia seems an unlikely place to start. But it is the perfect place to start.
Sclerotic Institutions and The Comfort of a Demographic Death
Enduring institutional death is a difficulty of another magnitude and rising again is all but impossible. But some can die healthy deaths.
The Crazy, Convoluted, and Memorable Stages of The I Love Me Wall
I have seen many talking in front of I Love Me Walls: polished wood paneling and shelves festooned with flags, pictures, trophies, & plaques.
What Does God Need With a Political Starship?
Faith and politics are not strangers in America, but this is coming at it a tad high. Did we as a people learn nothing from Star Trek V?
Men of Virtue: Or, Why Is It So Hard To Write A Good Guy?
Superman, Gary Cooper, Straw Man Fallacy, and Hollywood’s 50-some-odd years of embracing the anti-hero to a ridiculous extreme.
Holiday Memories and A ( Not So) Brave New World
Holiday memories force me to face my own mortality and reflect on my perspective of coming of age in a previous century.
I Left My Heart in Arecibo
It hurts to say Arecibo “was.” Not simply because it isn’t the largest telescope anymore, but because it is no more.
