Monthly Archives: March 2009

Rant in Aisle Two! (Part 1)

Posted on March 9, 2009 by paul

Signs of the times: passed by a shopping plaza yesterday, and in the same plaza saw a shuttered Linens-N-Things a couple of doors down a soon-to-be-closed Circuit City. Both were scarcely a mile from a Fortunoff, another chain  that’s soon destined … Continue reading →

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Simon Winchester: The Man Who Loved China

Posted on March 7, 2009 by paul

Reading Simon Winchester is a bit like listening to a well-traveled friend at a cocktail party who’s always just come back from somewhere, brimming with interesting stories about people you would otherwise never have heard of. His previous books, among … Continue reading →

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Iceland: Aluminum, ELF, and Elves

Posted on March 5, 2009 by paul

Paging Mr. Tolkien: I have to admit that before the total collapse of Iceland’s banking industry–and with it, very nearly, the collapse of the country itself–I thought that their principle export was Björk. How wrong I turned out to be. … Continue reading →

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Writing on Writing: Style It Takes

Posted on March 4, 2009 by paul

It’s National Grammar Day! Okay, there went the last vestige of my excitement. Not that there’s anything wrong with grammar, in and of itself. We need a few rules so that the words we set down on the screen, the … Continue reading →

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GOP Gunning for Pyrrhic Victory?

Posted on March 3, 2009 by paul

At any time, coming out of anyone’s mouth, it’d be outrageous, even unthinkable. Why, then, has the GOP’s desire for Barack Obama to fail–not at the ballot box, mind you, but as President and Commander in Chief–become not just more … Continue reading →

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Neil Gaiman: The Graveyard Book

Posted on March 2, 2009 by paul

I shouldn’t be surprised that Neil Gaiman’s latest offering, The Graveyard Book, is as good as it is. Many moons ago, when he and Terry Pratchett wrote Good Omens (which I’d also suggest you read), they captured the kids to … Continue reading →

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