to live and die in dixie
Our movie gets its VIP showing on Friday in Grand Rapids. We'll be there.
what passes for education
Universities allow themselves to be bought. And they're buying the empty rhetoric of greed from the devotees of the inarticulate and malignant Ayn Rand. (thanks to Mollie in Austin)
florida's war on education
Republican Senate, Republican House, Republican Governor, Republican-Appointed Trustess, Republican President of FIU = University-level Voke-Ed. Wonderful essay by Elizabeth Bird that spells it all out without mentioning the obvious. (Football teams will, of course, always get funding. Liberal Arts, not so much.)
good christians at work
Bush signs off on torture. Read the memo. They all knew! They wish you didn't.
laugh till you cry
The 50 greatest comedy sketches of all time. From Ernie Kovacs to Monty Python. You'll need to take a day off to watch them. (via BoingBoing)
wedding bell blues
Today's short story waiting to be written. Newlyweds tasered, busted, spend honeymoon in the slammer.
chimp won't listen to reason
"The chimpanzee started flailing its arms. The officer shouted at least twice that he was going to shoot," the report said. (thanks to Joe in Cheese)
nabokov and trilling
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldpj_5JNFoA] Discuss Lolita.
nabokov and trilling, part 2
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-wcB4RPasE]
but before I go . . .
One more reason not to shop at Wal-Mart.
gone fishin'
Off to New Orleans. Be back online Monday or Tuesday.
throwing merton in the woods
Another short story from the prolific Merle Drown.
how to talk to a beatnik
You're going to dig it, man.
some assmebly required
PW review of my friend (and FIU/MFA) Lynne's first book:
Some Assembly Required Lynn Kiele Bonasia. Touchstone, $14 paper (336p) ISBN 978-1-4165-5059-4After her relationship sours, Rose Nowak heads to the small town of Nauset on Cape Cod in this enjoyable debut novel. She quickly finds her place in the community and lands a job as a reporter for the local independent weekly. Among the new people Rose meets is Noel, a 22-year-old autistic savant whose talent for painting inspires Rose to write a story that gets picked up by USA Today. When boozy Simon Beadle reads about his nephew in a Florida hospital while recovering from a maritime accident, he becomes determined to get sober, return to Nauset and build a relationship with Noel. As the town prepares for its tricentennial, Rose and Simon grow close and the truth about several town secrets are exposed. Bonasia's portrait of a waterfront community's triumphs and squabbles is as endearing as it is convincing. (July)
good country people
Today's short story waiting to be written involves a prosthetic leg and a homecoming queen gone wild.
february 2
A new short-short from Merle Drown.
mccains' top ten temper meltdows
Sen. Pete Dominici: “I Didn’t Want This Guy Anywhere Near A Trigger.” (thanks to John in Dania Beach and to our friends in the College Conservative movement.)
oddest book titles of the year
If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start with Your Legs and other hits.