Once upon a time, in Washington DC, I was invited to join a weekly poker game. The first week, I found myself in a cash game with no limit on bets or raises. I rarely got to see the cards of the successful gambler that night, because the outcome of more hands was determined by […]
If you spend any time watching Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s press briefings, sooner or later you’ll hear him do his bit on “knowns and unknowns.” Mr. Rumsfeld divides threats to the U.S. into three categories: “knowns,” something like the size of the Iraqi air force; “known unknowns,” something like the Iraqi biological weapons arsenal – […]
Remember Play-Doh? It’s been several decades since I was intimate with Play-Doh, but every so often I’m near a small person who pops the lid off a can and the aroma sends me back to Mrs. Sibs’s kindergarten class. For nearly 50 years, children have been modeling, mashing, squishing, sculpting and let’s not forget eating, […]
One of the enduring American fantasies is that of the Hollywood discovery. The daydreamer imagines him or herself going about the daily routine when an agitated talent agent swoops in from nowhere screaming, “That face! That face! I’ve got to have you for Scorsese’s next picture!” Or maybe it’s the record company rep, similarly agitated, […]
Return with us once again to those distant days of 2000, when the Republican presidential ticket – AKA “Bigtime” – stumped across the country, promising voters that, if elected, candidates George Bush and Dick Cheney would use the skills they’d acquired as businessmen to run the country. Chalk one up for promises kept. Since 1980, […]
The Government, in its unending quest for homeland security, has begun a program encouraging one in 24 Americans to snitch on his or her neighbors. The TIPS program – that’s short for Terrorism Information and Prevention System – is recruiting letter carriers and meter readers to snoop under your porch and in your basement. Some […]
Unfinished Business
I’ve been spending my free time listening to Bruce Springsteen’s new CD, the one about the aftermath of September 11th. I can’t exactly say I’m enjoying it, but I appreciate it. The words and music are a reminder of the depth of our personal and national wounds and how fresh they still are. It’s hard […]