rakemag Hey, Toto, I bet we can fool those Kansas rubes with a story about scarecrows and wizards. Auntie Em will never suspect we were just out behind the barn smoking a fatty. It seems the Kansas Board of Education voted today to make Intelligent Design part of the curriculum in Kansas biology classes. Thank God, … Read more
What Iowa looked like before genetically engineered corn I’ve been hanging out lately with a young economist who’s been making a study of the history of economic thought. The conversation is a bit one sided, because, while I’ve heard of economic philosophers such as Keynes, Mill, Smith, et al., he’s actually read them. Sunday night, … Read more
As soon as I get done kissing you, I’m going to scare some Minnesotans You read it in the Strib first. Katherine Kersten tells us today, “A proposal to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman in Minnesota’s Constitution is one of the biggest issues our state will face in the … Read more
H.L. Mencken once said “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.” That quote was recalled to me today by a good friend. We were talking about something else at the time, but I couldn’t help thinking this might be a good time … Read more
Would somebody please give this guy head so we can impeach him? We weren’t cheered too much by Miers withdrawal from the Supreme Court nomination. It’s not as if Bush needed anything else to emphasize how truly out of his depth he is. I was always convinced the decision to nominate her in the first … Read more
Say it ain’t so, Joe. The Sox beat me to it. Next time I’m in Vegas, I’m putting $100 on the Cubs to win the 2006 Series. It’s their turn.
I have to finish this so I can make the hubby a nice dinner Probing every day for a new low in journalism, the Strib doesn’t let us down today. One of my female colleagues brought this to my attention. Right before she vowed to call and cancel her subscription. I never look at the … Read more
Lucky at cards, unlucky at war This story yesterday from the NY Times depicts a new low in how we treat our soldiers. Actually, it’s not a new low, since it has been going on for many years. We’re running casinos on military bases. So, we’re not only asking our men and women in uniform … Read more
Apparently, every Icelander who isn’t a musician is a filmmaker or actor, judging by this mini-festival of Icelandic films. Iceland’s filmmaking culture is still young (this year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the “spring of Icelandic filmmaking”), and its younger filmmakers are less interested in traditional storytelling, and more interested in work that reflects their … Read more
Here’s a marriage made in heaven: The very imaginative yet relentlessly unpretentious Frank Theatre company produces a new farce by Sam Shepard. Written on the eve of the 2004 election, the play has been described by Shepard as “a takeoff on Republican fascism.” This story interrupts the quiet lives of two Wisconsin dairy farmers, holdouts … Read more