A Conscious Ignorance
I have grown weary of paying heed to a heedless world. Weary of daily examining the endless tragedy, corruption, greed, degradation, misery, and injustice that passes for news these days. Weary of watching and listening while others simply turn a blind eye and a deaf ear. Weary of caring more for humankind than it cares [...]
Fun de Mental (x 10)
How are you feeling today? Tense? Tentative? Tender? I ask because of the uniqueness of the date. It’s 10/10/10. The tenth day of the tenth month of the tenth year of the century. Isn’t that intenth? Twice today, unless you’re on military time, it will be 10:10 on 10/10/10. Outside of the Playboy Mansion, where [...]
On The Menu
Yesterday, while unwinding from work, I found myself plopped on the couch watching a rerun of Family Guy. The episode was a takeoff of the 1982 film, “Poltergeist,” and was entitled “Petergeist.” (For you non-viewers of this subversively—and sometimes inappropriately—funny animated comedy, Peter is the family patriarch.) In one scene, upon finding themselves homeless and [...]
Sad News
Autumn has arrived. The air is cooler, the leaves are turning, and the baseball regular season has concluded. Sadly for many New Englanders, the Boston Red Sox failed to make the playoffs. In the grand scheme of things, it is a minor disappointment, one that will weigh the heart only briefly. Other news is considerably [...]
Faithfully Ignorant
It’s not often I am presented with the opportunity to tout my atheism and gloat. After all, we of little faith generally do not win any popularity contests. Or elections, for that matter. But we did come out ahead in a recent Pew Research Center survey on religious knowledge: Basic Religion Test Stumps Many Americans [...]
Battered Nation
He was passionate and charming, a God-fearing man sustained by the strength of his convictions and the force of his personality. He did not hesitate to speak his mind and did so bluntly and plainly. He conveyed power, self-assurance, and a rugged masculinity. When she was with him, he made her feel protected and watched [...]
The Arbiters of “Over”
Baseball legend Yogi Berra once famously remarked, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.” But when is something over? Really over? Is it when the fat lady sings? Why should she decide? Who made her the arbiter of “over”? What if she declares it over prematurely, because she’s grown bored and is jonesing for a big [...]
Readings for These Unreal Times
In the event you seek something other than distraction this weekend, here are some suggested readings for your edification: • Synthetic Novelty Is Not Reality – In Salon, writer David Sirota reflects on “the hullabaloo surrounding Florida pastor Terry Jones and his much-hyped plans to burn the Quran” and concludes that “we have just witnessed [...]
Rally to Restore Sanity
Finally, an event I can get behind, a tonic for the polarized politics and pugnacious punditry that pollutes the public discourse: The Rally to Restore Sanity. The event was announced yesterday by Jon Stewart of The Daily Show and is scheduled to be held in Washington, DC on October 30. Not to be outdone, Stephen [...]
The 46-Pound Toupee
How can America hold its head up? That 46-pound toupee inelegantly perched on its crown must make it hard. What the hell am I talking about? This past Sunday, Frank Rich tossed out a line in his New York Times column that gave me pause. He noted that “the top 1 percent of American earners [...]
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