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Recent Posts
- “Song Sung Blue” Makes Kate Hudson Oscar Worthy
- On Randall K. Wilson’s “A Place Called Yellowstone”: Award-Winning History of Yellowstone National Park
- On Candice Millard’s “River of Doubt” and “River of the Gods”: Bugs, Snakes, and Disease Aplenty
- More Alone than “Alone”: On Adam Shoalts’s “Vanished Beyond the Map: The Mystery of Lost Explorer Hubert Darrell” (2025)
- Rachel McAdams film “Send Help” (2026) Makes Comic Gold Out of “Survivor” and “Alone” Audition Videos
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Author Archives: williamjcobb
Kent Haruf in the House and Thomas McGuane in the News
For the last two days I’ve had the good fortune of a visit from novelist Kent Haruf, who gave a reading on our campus last night. Kent’s a natural raconteur (I’ve been waiting years to use that word) and told … Continue reading
Posted in books, The West
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Review of Bruce Machart's "The Wake of Forgiveness"
Here’s my review of Bruce Machart’s debut novel, The Wake of Forgiveness, which appears today in the Dallas Morning News: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/books/stories/DN-bk_wake_1017gd.ART.State.Edition1.333f06a.html It’s a good novel, and I could have written much more about it, but there’s a short word count … Continue reading
Posted in books, The West
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On Timothy Egan's "The Big Burn" & the Obligatory Fall Foliage Photo
I recently finished Timothy Egan’s The Big Burn (2009) and rank it as one of the best nonfiction books I’ve read in the last few years. His analysis of the fight between conservative and progressive politics of the era, which … Continue reading
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Malcolm Gladwell on Facebook & Twitter, or Making the World Safe for Wall Street Brokers and Their Cellphones
Since I’ve taken several jabs at the Brave New World of Facebook, I feel obliged to post Malcolm Gladwell’s excellent critique of Facebook & Twitter activism in a recent New Yorker. He’s reasonable, level-headed, and not nearly as shrill as … Continue reading
Posted in books, Social Networking
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On Heather Sellers' "You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know," Ken Kesey, & Those Amazing Miners
First off, on this day of all happy days, how can you not be thrilled and chilled by the rescue of the Chilean miners. Like everybody else, I watched on TV and on websites. I was even made proud to … Continue reading
Posted in books, Weird Science
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Another Reason to Hate Facebook & Twitter
Frank Rich in today’s NY Times has a good summation of the role of “social networking” in the current Most Disgusting Midterm Campaign Season Ever: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/opinion/10rich.html?hp Friends (the real kind) tell me I really need to get with it, get … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Social Networking
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On Witches, Thugs, and Kooks: Or a Politician Near You, With an Apology (of sorts) to Jon Stewart
I noticed two good pieces on the (embarrassing) political choices we face in less than a month, Gail Collins in the NY Times, dissecting the weirdness in Connecticut: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/opinion/07collins.html?hp, plus another piece, which includes Jon Stewart on The Daily Show … Continue reading
Posted in Bad TV, Politics
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On Jon Stewart, Bob Woodward, & Rick Sanchez, et al: or Media Phonies Against Obama
So with yesterday’s news that CNN fired Rick Sanchez over his angry (actually, I heard the thing, and it was more so a Poor Pitiful Me game he was playing) rant against his own network and Jon Stewart, among others, … Continue reading
Posted in Bad TV, Politics
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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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