Syd Barrett, R.I.P.
Now that it is complete, the life of Roger “Syd” Barrett can stand as rebuttal to the punk- rock cliche that “it’s better to bum …
Category: Reflections
Reefer Madness, Redux
Karl Marx, building on Hegel, noted that history repeats itself first as tragedy, and then as farce. Had he foreseen the War Against Pot, perhaps …
Earl Woods, R.I.P.
According to a 1997 biography, “Tiger” (written byJohn Strege, a sportswriter at my paper), Tiger Woods fell in love with golf at the ripe old …
It’s a Fair Cop
It is always wise to be cautious in commenting on a trial that one has not attended from start to finish. But from everything I …
Perpetual Refrain
The “Real Scotsman” fallacy is based on an old joke where MacGregor says to MacTavish, “Every Scotsman loves haggis.” MacTavish replies, ” I can’t stand …
Running the Numbers
The other night was a rarity: I actually learned something from TV. The History Channel was recounting a lottery scandal of some years back in …
Where the Wild Things are Secretly Reintroduced
Before they got religiously green, the Western Europeans killed almost all their wolves and bears. What’s left of their wildlife is pretty timid. In America, …
Freedom Finger
I see in the Wall Street Journal, May 2, that the silvery skyscraper planned for the site of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York …
John McCain is Not a Person
Some things in the news are just too funny to go unnoticed. There is a silly dust-up over in Greenwich Village at the New School …
The Trouble with Command Economies
On June 26, Iran, the world’s fourth-largest producer of oil, announced that it will have to start rationing gas.