Ben Gazzara, R.I.P.
Sean MurphyStill reeling from the sad news about Don Cornelius, it's painful to acknowledge the loss of another irreplaceable master, Ben Gazarra. Some good tributes out there. (Here's one.) What can…
Don Cornelius, Cont’d…
I only have one more thing to add to yesterday's tribute. WATCH THE VIDEOS CONTAINED IN THIS LINK. Let's run it down: A young, beautiful Michael Jackson? Check. A younger,…
Don Cornelius: Rest in Peace, Love and Soul
This hurts. A genuine American icon has left the planet. (NYT obit here.) People born during or after the '80s might know Don Cornelius mostly from name-checks in interviews, songs…
2/1/12
2/1/12. 2112. Get it? Since none of us will be around a century from now to celebrate the official day all planets of the solar federation may rest easily with the…
The Problem with the Homeless Problem*
Who was he? I think the same question each time I see him (every day: the same man in the same spot, holding the same sign that tells everyone who…
Please Talk About Me When I’m Gone*
L’amour de l’art fait perdre l’amour vrai. I did not say that. Although that is the sort of thing I might say, since I am the sort who feels obliged…
Whispered Words*
How long will it take? I did not ask, because I wanted to make every second count. It would be over quickly enough; it was already happening entirely too soon.…
Pythagoras*
I can’t speak to anyone else’s experience, but my grief has made me, against all previous likelihood, into a half-assed mathematician. Numbers were never my bag, and I’ve got the…
Strictly Business (Class): The Dreaded Day Trip*
A.M.: Departure Early, at the airport. Look around: some of the pretty people, many of the mediocre, and the rest of us, all sizes and shapes: men trying to look…
The Terror Card, Torture and You or, The Evil of Banality (6/09)
Anyone who happened to miss this piece by Lakhdar Boumediene, entitled My Guantánamo Nightmare should check it out, here. Here is a taste of the sickening, yet predictable torment this…