POLITICAL CARTOONS—MY FAVS OF 2025
THERE’S AN ADMIRABLE HERITAGE of political cartooning in our country, stretching back at least 150 years to the Father of the American Cartoon, Thomas Nast (1840–1902). “Is this a republican … Continue reading
OUR 친애하는 지도자: TO BE RIDICULED OR PITIED—OR BOTH?
ACCORDING TO GOOGLE TRANSLATE, THE KOREAN IN TODAY’S TITLE IS CHIN-AEHANEUN JIDOJA, “Dear Leader,” an honorific I’ve not yet heard applied to Donald J. Trump. However, recent occurrences bring it … Continue reading
LYNN PECKTAL’S DESIGNING AND PAINTING FOR THE THEATRE, PART 1
IF YOU’VE EVER DREAMT—AS I DID—OF A CAREER in theater set design, then Lynn Pecktal’s books would have been your required must-reads: Designing and Painting for the Theatre, 1975; Costume … Continue reading
CELEBRATING SADYE MARKS/MARY LIVINGSTONE
I DELIGHT IN THE HUMOROUS WRITING for The Jack Benny Show, as broadcast these days on SiriusXM “Radio Classics.” Favorite quips come from Jack’s interactions with Mary Livingstone, in real … Continue reading
TRUMP ON HISTORY—160 YEARS AGO, 5 YEARS AGO, AND JANUARY 7, 2026.
TRUMP HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN TO PREVARICATE. To lie and go on is bad enough, but to attempt rewriting history is another matter entirely—and markedly contemptible. Image by Flavio Pessoa … Continue reading
CELEBRATING AYRTON SENNA, LEGO, AND GRANDSON CARTER
CARTER RECENTLY SHARED NEAT PICS, the topic of which suggest the efficacy of DNA. He along with his mom, Daughter Beth, are hooked on Formula 1 (along with Daughter Suz … Continue reading
ON ABSOLUTE CORRUPTION PART 2
LET’S CONTINUE OUR DISCUSSION of Lord Acton’s adage “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Part 1 dealt with Trump; here in Part 2 we focus on Pete … Continue reading
ON ABSOLUTE CORRUPTION PART 1
IN 1887 JOHN DALBERG-ACTON, 1ST BARON ACTON, wrote “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” These days, lamentable, Lord Acton’s adage comes to mind increasingly often. John Emerich … Continue reading
AS SHAKESPEARE WOULD SAY….
IN A MUCH-NEEDED ATTEMPT to raise discourse out of the low-IQ/LARGE CAPS level of Truth Social, here are tidbits gleaned from Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, MBEBooks, and Goodreads. (See also “Bereft … Continue reading
CELEBRATING A TALENTED ARTIST RECYCLING BODY PARTS
“THE ORIGINAL BARBIE GAVE SIDE-EYE,” Daughter Suz explained to me. “But Malibu Barbie’s eyes looked absolutely blissed out,” Suz recounts, “and that’s why she continues to appeal to me.” A … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 