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A zippier title for this post would be State Secrets & Shit Lists, but I’ll refrain. The way the authoritarians in our midst are calling for Julian Assange’s assassination, I can’t help thinking of Orwell’s 1984, where the citizens of Oceania turned to their viewscreens once a day for the Two Minutes Hate directed against […]
My Nook e-reader came with a copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Although prudishly Edwardian, it’s still a great read, full of fascinating vampire lore. I thought I knew all that stuff from movies I’d watched as a kid, but after reading the original, I realize the movies got a lot of it wrong. Since reading […]
Remember my earlier post about following the money involved in catching, holding, processing, and deporting illegal immigrants in Arizona? And how much of that money finds its way to the private prison industry and associated private contractors? I started following the money in May. Rachel Maddow started following it in August, quickly picking up on […]
NPR, the only radio station I can stand listening to for more than five minutes in a row, is in full horse race mode as mid-term elections near, obsessing over poll numbers, and — what a surprise! — breathlessly advancing the mainstream media meme that Republican and Tea Party candidates are going to win big. […]
I didn’t get around to watching Jon Stewart’s September 16th Daily Show until last night. By then I’d already seen some blog reaction to the “Rally to Restore Sanity” announcement, so I knew what was coming. Even so, I was shocked. A “million moderate march”? I literally squirmed in embarrassment, all the more so as […]
What’s in Paul’s grab bag? Unconnected thoughts and observations too short to rate blog posts of their own, but which might amount to something when aggregated together: Damen und Herren I always wanted to write a lengthy post on restroom signage, complete with illustrations. Well, what do you know? Someone saved me the trouble! A […]
. . . and other things. I’ve been on my hands and knees in the back yard, pulling weeds. I’m reluctant to spray because the dog spends a lot of time out there. When it comes to the front yard, where the dog is not allowed, it’s going to be chemical warfare all the way. […]
Certain words and phrases indicate a person’s inability or unwillingness to engage in honest conversion. I call them eye-rollers. When you hear them, you know you’ve hit a brick wall: whether it’s stupidity or willful close-mindedness, the person who utters them is not listening. Roll your eyes and find someone else to talk to. Ground […]