CBS—THE BEST, THE LAMENTABLE, THE MIDDLING PART 1
I’VE KNOWN COLUMBIA BROADCASTING SYSTEM, now a division of Paramount Global, at its best, its lamentable, and—first hand—its middling. Let’s briefly recount the best and middling of these and then … Continue reading
BOROWITZ WISDOM
I BELIEVE ANDY BOROWITZ IS the preeminent political satirist of our time. As I noted in “The Best of Lines,” he has “an amazing way of condensing his satirical news … Continue reading
HURRAH FOR THE ACLU! HURRAH FOR CLASS ACTION!
LET’S APPLAUD THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION! Never has its activism been more critical. Zach Montague and Pat Grossmith’s article “Judge Blocks Trump’s Citizenship Order in Class-Action Challenge,” The New … Continue reading
SONO TUTTI BUGIARDI PART 2
YESTERDAY IN PART 1, WE TRACED TRUMP MENDACITY, from the seemingly inconsequential (“architectural envy”) to the profound (his worldwide dissolving Voice of America truth). Today, we start with his biggest … Continue reading
SONO TUTTI BUGIARDI PART 1
I MAY WELL BE MISQUOTING (after all, it’s almost 50 years ago), but my editorial mentor Larry Givens at the Society of Automotive Engineers cited his father believing “Sono tutti … Continue reading
WE’RE ALL CHARLIE BROWN, SORTA
CHRIS CARRA IS SPOT-ON WHEN HE DESCRIBES “How the Beloved ‘Peanuts’ Found Its Way to Define the Modern Comic Strip,” Smithsonian, July August 2025: Carra writes, “With poignant wisdom and … Continue reading
TRUMP’S SCIENCE AND FeS2
IRON PYRITE, FeS2, OF COURSE, IS “FOOL’S GOLD.” And a recent editorial in the American Association for the Advancement of Science Science magazine describes the phoniness of Trump’s Executive Order … Continue reading
SEE THAT AGAIN
KATRINA MILLER WRITES IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, June 26, 2025, “The Best Illusion of the Year contest offers researchers, and participants, an opportunity to explore the gaps and limits … Continue reading
CARS OF THE STARS REDUX AGAIN
THE 1934 FLICK THE GAY DIVORCEE DESERVES an award among car enthusiasts: Not only does it feature three of the era’s classic automobiles, but one of them was actually owned … Continue reading
WHAT IS CLASSICAL MUSIC?
COMPOSER/CONDUCTOR MATTHEW AUCOIN ASKS “Do You Actually Know What Classical Music Is? Does Anyone?,” The Atlantic, April 15, 2025. This captures my eye because I include classical among my musical … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 