Not cool, Michelangelo. Sculpting that schlong onto your statue of David? Not cool at all. Yeah, you got away with it for more than 520 years, probably chortling all the while. But now, boy, you’re in the Free State of Florida. In this bastion of liberty, parents adhere to a strict no-johnson policy when […]
Later, alligator
After 13 years, we’ve decided to quit Florida. I don’t expect to miss it much. I’ve realized I’m not a beach guy. I’m not a Jimmy Buffett guy. I hate theme parks and I hate I-95 and I’m not fond of the year-round bugs and humidity. I’ve never gotten used to the sodden air […]
A writer on top
of the short-story game
I’ve talked about George Saunders here before. Love his work. Having just finished his latest collection of short stories, “Liberation Day,” I don’t love it any less. Like most story collections, many of these have appeared earlier in various places. My favorite of the bunch, “A Mom of Bold Action,” first ran in the […]
‘The Passenger’
will please refrain
I’m always conflicted before starting a Cormac McCarthy book. Although he’s one of America’s best writers, his world view tends toward bleakness and nihilism – to an extent that can be off-putting even for a natural-born pessimist like myself. Let’s just say his books have never left me whistling the theme from “Andy Griffith.” […]
Floaters in the stream
Because everything else in the news is pissing me off, I’ll post these drive-by reviews of some shows I’ve been streaming lately: “Smile” (Amazon Prime). I love a good horror movie. The key word being “good.” “Smile” is not good. It is actually quite bad, but just short of bad enough to be enjoyed […]
Tallahassee tough guy
Ron DeSantis aspires to be Trump 2.0. To the extent that he’s another belligerent, overfed blowhard in an ill-fitting suit, he’s definitely got a shot. All he lacks now is widespread MAGA support: He’s still polling 30 points behind the former president among GOP voters. That’s because those voters, being stupid, have not yet […]
A is for ‘Artificial’
You’ve probably heard about the New York Times reporter who was creeped out by his conversation with Microsoft’s new chatbot. The reporter kept pressing questions to which there was no factual answer, and the chatbot eventually started returning responses that, if uttered by a person, would seem kind of ominous. That includes professing love […]
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