A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun Ok, it’s national poetry month, and I’m going to post a poem every day– Sometimes in addition to another post, sometimes just by itself. Enjoy. The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall … Read more
Corky Miller. Corky Mother-Humping Miller. Get serious. That name, I don’t think I need to tell you, just isn’t going to get it done. Corky Miller is the name of the grizzled chuckwagon cook in a western round-up. Corky Miller is the fat, beleaguered first baseman on a little league team in an After School … Read more
It’s about George Bush. Here’s his comment today when told of the death of Schiavo. “I urge all those who honor Terri Schiavo to continue to work to build a culture of life, where all Americans are welcomed and valued and protected,” the president said, “especially those who live at the mercy of others. “The … Read more
Our dear old friend Ana Marie Cox , aka Wonkette, has certainly had a hard time staying out of the limelight these past twelve months. As James Woolcott points out today, there are good reasons to worry for the welfare of the funny, smart, cute little pill in D.C.—a town where, we have to admit, … Read more
It would truly be folly if, as has been rumored, the Twins end up keeping four catchers on their roster (two real catchers, and two imposters) and cutting Michael Restovich loose. I still have a hard time believing that’s going to happen. It’s all a result of a bizarre set of circumstances, of course, what … Read more
To dine, drink champagne, make a racket, and deliver speeches about national consciousness, the conscience of the people, freedom, and such things, while slaves in tail coats are running round your tables, veritable serfs, and your coachmen wait outside in the street, in the bitter cold –that is lying to the Holy Ghost. —Chekhov, Diary, … Read more
Last week, a landmark case was settled between freelance writers and some of the nation’s largest publishers. It was a long-running, complex case, but it basically came down to this: Freelance writers believed that electronic archives of their work—from articles on the web, to paid-access databases like Lexis-Nexis—amounted to republishing their work, without any additional … Read more
To anyone who has ever built a business, the logic of Bill Bradley’s op-ed piece in today’s NY Times is second nature. Build a strong base, add creative theorists, and hire great strategic sales people. From a strong organization, strong leaders will emerge. And such an organization will continue to grow and prosper. I’ve always … Read more
…Baseball owners, writers, fans and lots of others found themselves beset with questions for which nobody has any real answers. Was attendance keeping pace with the population growth? Were ball parks really outmoded? Was the game declining in popularity? Were ball players getting too commercial? Was the game too old fashioned for an audience getting … Read more
What is the one invention you couldn’t possibly live without? Do you subscribe to the theory that if the shoehorn were to become obsolete we would see the end of the true-fitting slip-on? When was the last time you listened to Nirvana’s “Nevermind”? In your dreams are you most commonly flying, swimming, or naked on … Read more