Category Archives: art and humor

Earthquake forces us to “fight back” against Nature

This past week Ted Rall's Sleeper Agent made fun of those who would blame environmentalists for the deadly earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  You might be asking yourself: Who would do such a thing/ And even a man had such an impulse, how could it possibly be done? How could you blame environmentalists, who reflexively recoilContinue reading “Earthquake forces us to “fight back” against Nature”

The risks of profit dependence: McKibben and Toles

In the Guardian on Friday, Bill McKibben published an essay:  …Because the one thing we've never really imagined is going to the supermarket and finding it empty. What the events reveal is the thinness of the margin on which modernity lives. There's not a country in the world more modern and civilised than Japan; itsContinue reading “The risks of profit dependence: McKibben and Toles”

When Tennessee met Christopher (Isherwood, that is)

We need a break from all this disaster, don't we? Well, I do. To clear our minds, here's a note about the encounter of a couple of famous writers, who maybe should have gotten along, but didn't.   In the l940's, while working for M-G-M on a Lana Turner picture that never happened, young TennesseeContinue reading “When Tennessee met Christopher (Isherwood, that is)”

How to understand the unemployment numbers

A slight fall in the number of new jobless claims has thrilled Wall Street. This is great news, and as I wrote in a long economic story a couple of weeks ago, there is reason to think a recovery is on the way.  But for perspective, lets look at the unemployment numbers geographically, courtesy ofContinue reading “How to understand the unemployment numbers”

The usefulness of intelligence, according to John Wayne

“Life is tough, but it’s tougher if you’re stupid.”  A quote from John Wayne, allegedly. Which came up in a fascinating conversation about True Grit, the spectacular movie, the much-admired book, and a whole lot more, between the great Larry McMurtry and his writing partner Diana Ossana, in (of all places) the New York ReviewContinue reading “The usefulness of intelligence, according to John Wayne”

Why humor matters in a speech: 2011 SOTU edition

NPR, one of the biggest news outlets in the nation, asked 4000 listeners to respond to the 2011 State of the Union address. Here's what they got back, in word cloud version:  The discussion: "Why is "salmon" so big? As The Two-Way explains, NPR's Facebook followers were referring to one of the night's humorous momentsContinue reading “Why humor matters in a speech: 2011 SOTU edition”