Category Archives: art and humor

Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz: The Pope

Via man around town Krist Novoselic, formerly of Nirvana, the new Popemobile:  And yes, that's Pope Benedict XVI with his new Mercedes (and its chief exec).   (For those curious about Paul McCartney filling in for Kurt Cobain at a Nirvana reunion for the Sandy benefit fund-raiser, here it is, via Slate. It's not Nirvana,Continue reading “Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz: The Pope”

Why can’t we think practically about sleep?

Researchers want to know:  One finding that might be surprising, given how much time we spend in our beds: Men and women don’t seem to give any consideration to sleep patterns when choosing a mate.  Random thought: Why do we say "sleep like a baby?"    Sleep like a dog is more like it…

Knitters gone wild: “Guerilla grannies” surprise Ojai

Thanksgiving is the heaviest on food of all our national holidays, and perhaps the lightest emotionally — coincidence? Not sure, but for the Ojai Valley News, here's a fun story that I think fits the occasion, about the latest in organic chic — yarn bombs. Other descriptors: Yarn bombers. Guerilla knitting. Yarnstorming properties. Guerilla granies, Here's anContinue reading “Knitters gone wild: “Guerilla grannies” surprise Ojai”

The only ones who know spring is coming: Jack Gilbert

The poet Jack Gilbert died this week, after a long illness (which usually means cancer, but in his case meant Alzheimer's…a story well told in the Los Angeles Times).  Gilbert was brilliantly eulogized in Andrew Sullivan's irreplaceable blog, and in passing Sullivan mentioned the name of his poetry editor Alice Quinn, formerly of The NewContinue reading “The only ones who know spring is coming: Jack Gilbert”

The little girl and the Beasts of the Southern Wild

Without doubt the movie this year that most effectively dramatized the precariousness of life on the environmental edge in these United States, including sea level rise, was Beasts of the Southern Wild.  Below is a central image from that powerful film, and an explanation of a story told in glimpses. You can't take your eyes ofContinue reading “The little girl and the Beasts of the Southern Wild”

The great and the small: Mary Ruefle

From a spectacular essay in Poetry by Mary Ruefle:  I remember John Moore, another teacher, who did the damnedest thing. We were studying Yeats, and at the beginning of one class Mr. Moore asked us if we would like to see a picture of Yeats. We nodded, and he held up a photograph of YeatsContinue reading “The great and the small: Mary Ruefle”

The one-liners of election night 2012 (mostly comedy)

Seems like we've been hearing a lot of pissing and moaning about the horribleness of the election season; well, now that it's over and the President and a lot of other decent people have carried the day, may I confess that I've rather enjoyed it?  Here are just some of the lines of election nightContinue reading “The one-liners of election night 2012 (mostly comedy)”

Nation suddenly realizes global warming is just going to be a thing that happens from now on

NEW YORK—Following Hurricane Sandy’s destructive tear through the Northeast this week, the nation’s 300 million citizens looked upon the trail of devastation and fully realized, for the first time, that this is just going to be something that happens from now on. From The Onion, of course. My fav part is the concluding quote:  “RightContinue reading “Nation suddenly realizes global warming is just going to be a thing that happens from now on”