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Monthly Archives: September 2010
Timothy Egan in the NY Times on Legalizing Marijuana, or "California Dreamin'"
After my post yesterday of the CNN editorial about the failed War on Drugs, I have to call out Timothy Egan’s excellent op-ed in this morning’s NY Times, under the witty headline “Reefer Gladness.” He even knows the person who’s … Continue reading
Posted in books, Politics, The West
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On HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" & the Current (New! Improved!) Prohibition
It’s two weeks into the first season of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and I’m hooked: Being a sucker for Steve Buscemi, gangster movies/shows, and a long-time fan of The Sopranos, it’s no surprise that I like Empire, considering it’s done by … Continue reading
Posted in Good TV, Politics
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Review of Joseph Skibell's new novel, "A Curable Romantic"
Here’s a url to my review of Joseph Skibell’s new novel, A Curable Romantic, which appears in today’s Dallas Morning News. It’s a quick review of a rather long (nearly 600 pages in the galley edition), complicated novel. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/books/stories/DN-bk_romantic_0926gd.ART.State.Bulldog.3343f4f.html If … Continue reading
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Sneak Peak at Susan Orlean's new book
So in the shameless-namedropping category I have to dish that this last week I was in the company of Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief (1998) and many others, not to mention being a terrific writer for The New Yorker, … Continue reading
Posted in books/film
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"Woman Fends Off Attacking Bear With Zucchini"
I love bear stories. Especially the kind where a plucky gal manages to fend one off with a large garden vegetable. Thanks to Natalie for sharing this one: http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_aaae89f6-c741-11df-9ea6-001cc4c002e0.html We have frequent bear encounters at our Colorado home, and I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in The West
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On Timothy Egan's "The Big Burn," the Boulder Fires, & the Fires to Come
“It felt as if the town was under artillery fire, the mile-high walls of the Bitterroots shooting flaming branches onto the squat of houses in the narrow valley below. Between flareups and blowups, the hot wind delivered a continuous stream of sparks and detritus. . . . Earlier in the day, ashes had fallen like soft snow through the haze. At the edge of town, where visibility was better, people looked up and saw thunderheads of smoke, flat-bottomed and ragged-topped, reaching far into the sky” (3). Continue reading
Posted in books, The West
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On "Freedom" and Facebook Hoopla . . . I'm Just Saying
I’m just saying: Let’s drop Franzen’s novel Freedom—currently being crammed down our collective throats by mediaworld frenzy—and all the annoying Facebook (& Mark Zuckerberg) overhype into a Time Capsule, bury it, then look again in ten years. Predictions, anyone? I … Continue reading
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On the Idiocy of the Tea Party Express
Other people (and politico bloggers, I’m sure) have written more about this than I, but the sheer idiocy of the Tea Party movement is making me embarrassed for our country. (That and The Bad Girls Club, but that’s another story.) … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
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British Grandma Goes to Bed With Headache, Wakes Up Speaking French
This story, fresh from the U.K.’s Daily Mail, appeals to my sense of humor, so I have to share: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1311835/Gran-Kay-Russell-goes-bed-migraine-wakes-French-accent.html
Posted in Weird Science
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My Kindle Arrives! (Big Deal.) Now What?
So I’ve been swamped lately with too much reading, including reviewing Joseph Skibell’s 593-page novel titled A Curable Romantic (“It’s okay, but I really wish it were longer . . . .”), & really don’t even have time to think … Continue reading
Posted in books, writing
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