Author: Oliver Tuanis

  • Rake Appeal { Road

    The point of driving a Toyota Prius isn’t really the driving. If you care about driving as something other than mere transportation, don’t get a Prius. A Prius is a hybrid—not only of gasoline and electric—but also of boredom and pedantry. On the other hand, if what you care about is getting from one place…

  • Political play by play

    I was doing the announcing for my daughter’s soccer game last night when this came into the pressbox over the AP wire. AP: September 30, 2004, 20:40 EDT In the big Kerry-Bush debate, at half time it’s all knotted up at 2-2. Bush started the scoring with a stubborn dash into enemy territory, carrying the…

  • Playing Footie

    John Cosgrove grew up playing football in the small Ulster village of Enniskillen, just north of the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. It was odd, he said, playing pickup soccer in the intensely nationalistic region. “There we were—kids pretending to be players from Manchester United or Arsenal. Kids of IRA men, yet…

  • Bullet Points

    Confused about the new conceal-and-carry law? Here’s all you need to know, in one convenient location. How do I get the permit? • Take a “gun safety” course from a recognized gun safety instructor. The law specifically recognizes the National Rifle Association as a provider of such instruction (in case you weren’t clear on who…

  • The Road Rake

    In many states there is a law, or at least a strong suggestion, that you ought to stay the hell out of the way of people who can actually drive. To wit, if you are not passing someone, don’t drive in the left lane of the freeway; if you are coming to the end of…