Paul’s Book Reviews

“I told Agustus the broad outline of my miracle: diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer when I was thirteen. (I didn’t tell him that the diagnosis came three months after I got my first period. Like: Congratulations! You’re a woman. Now die.) It was, we were told, incurable.” — The Fault in Our Stars, John […]

Air-Minded: Phantom Evolution (Updated)

Did you think, as I did, that the TFX/F-111 was Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara’s only joint-service aircraft project? No, there were two others: the F-4 Phantom II and the A-7 Corsair II, US Navy fighters more or less forced upon, but eventually enthusiastically adopted by, the US Air Force. I volunteer as a walking tour […]

You Can’t Read That! Banned Book Review Lookback: Montana 1948

You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring banned book reviews and news roundups. YCRT! News Wisconsin man banned from libraries. All libraries, that is. On the earth. “Carter was out in the open, not trying to conceal his act.” I wish I could report that his act involved a banned book, but alas, it did […]

Wednesday Bag o’ Camel Nose

Now that NRA and other Second Amendment fetishists are openly carrying or wearing concealed weapons in states where it is allowed, public intimidation of people and groups they disagree with is becoming more common. Last week, men with assault rifles showed up at a mothers’ gun safety rally in Indianapolis, clearly intending to silence and […]

Peggin’ It

I’m planning a 10-day, 2,500-mile motorcycle trip in early May and have been concerned about my new knee’s ability to withstand the punishment. My friend Ed suggested replacing the highway pegs on my Goldwing with different ones … of which he just happened to have a spare pair laying around. And here they are: Yes, […]

Thursday Bag o’ Sea Change

Last night, Rachel Maddow played an audio tape from yesterday’s Supreme Court hearings on the Defense of Marriage Act. On the tape, Chief Justice Roberts and an attorney advocating for marriage equality argued over the reason behind the “sea change” in the American public’s attitude toward same-sex marriage. Roberts thought the increasing social acceptance of same-sex […]

Air-Minded: Rotorhead Photoblogging

Fascination and fear: that sums up my relationship with helicopters. The thought of being able to take off and land vertically, and to hover at will, is entrancing: if I had the money I’d learn to fly one. And then an inner voice speaks up: “What about all those moving parts? One bolt snaps and […]