I don’t like John Yoo. Yoo served in President Bush’s Office of Legal Counsel during the early years of his administration. Yoo was known to have penned two memos outlining the legal basis for detainee confinement at Guantanamo Bay and for coercive interrogation tactics — torture, let’s just say it — that led to prisonContinue reading “On John Yoo and the Legality of Torture”
On Being a Cubs Fan
I have never seen the Chicago Cubs in person. Oh, I’ve watched them many times on television. But to sit in the stands at a stadium somewhere and watch the Northside Nine take the field? Never. The Cubs are coming to Washington at the end of the month, for a three game series against theContinue reading “On Being a Cubs Fan”
On March’s Greatest Hits
I haven’t done a search phrase round-up in a while. Let’s take a look at the top 20 of March. 🙂 20. “Jason Gronberg.” A friend of mine. He passed away in November. One of my favorite memories of Jason. 19. “Napoleon.” One of my favorite sparring partners in Age of Empires III. Except forContinue reading “On March’s Greatest Hits”
On the Two-Week Round-Up
I think a biweekly recap makes more sense than a weekly recap. At least, until I change my mind again. 😆 Let’s step back two weeks, to the day before St. Patrick’s Day. There, I mused on The Return of the King, which I watched the night previous. Specifically, I talked about the original endingContinue reading “On the Two-Week Round-Up”
On Rutlemania
Oh, if only I lived in New York City. I could, tonight, catch the final night of Rutlemania, a tribute concert to the Rutles. The Rutles! The only band that Mick Jagger truly feared! The Rutles! The band who played Che Stadium! The Rutles! The band that expanded their minds… with tea! The Rutles! RonContinue reading “On Rutlemania”
On Warrior Nuns
I picked up a comic this week. The cover was intriguing — a nun, in her habit, with a big-ass sword, and a demon or somesuch behind her. A nun. With a sword. There seems to be a whole genre of comics based around the concept of warrior nuns. There’s Antarctic Press’ Warrior Nun Areala.Continue reading “On Warrior Nuns”
On the Magical Editing Pen
I have a magical editing pen. It is red. It uses gel ink. It writes smoother than any pen I have ever known. It fits my hand like no other pen I have ever owned. It is magical. Gel ink is so beautiful. It’s vibrant. It’s heavy. It looks like absolutely nothing else. It’s aContinue reading “On the Magical Editing Pen”
On Barnes & Noble and Borders
I heard at work today that Barnes & Noble has made an offer to buy Borders. There may be some anti-trust investigations, but it’s a formality. Much as when GameStop — itself a division of Barnes & Noble — bought EB Games three years ago. The real issue is probably online sales. I’m sure partContinue reading “On Barnes & Noble and Borders”
On Shakespearean Dreams
My dream began in a school auditorium. Seats were the hard wooden pull-down type. Nothing special. The auditorium was packed. My former boss was there. So, too, was Arrested Development star Jason Bateman. The speaker took the stage. The audience stood. We began to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. “I pledge allegiance to the flag…”Continue reading “On Shakespearean Dreams”
On Tolkien Reading Day
As per the Tolkien Society, March 25th is celebrated as Tolkien Reading Day. Like Bloomsday is devoted to Joyce, Tolkien Reading Day is a day when fans of Tolkien gather informally and read from The Lord of the Rings or other Tolkien writings. Why today? Why March 25th? Per the chronology in The Lord ofContinue reading “On Tolkien Reading Day”