To Lose One Art Might Be Considered Misfortune

I should know better than to read jeremiads about the decline of reading, or the decline of The Book, but for some reason I picked up LA Times critic David L. Ulin's The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time (Seattle: Sasquatch Press, 2010). Looking again at the Rain Taxi review of the book featured at Powells Books' site, I can't remember why I thought it would be worth

To Lose One Art Might Be Considered Misfortune

I should know better than to read jeremiads about the decline of reading, or the decline of The Book, but for some reason I picked up LA Times critic David L. Ulin's The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time (Seattle: Sasquatch Press, 2010). Looking again at the Rain Taxi review of the book featured at Powells Books' site, I can't remember why I thought it would be worth

A Match Made in Heaven

This entertaining image from two years ago has been making the rounds; I found it at, or rather via, the Sideshow. The tie-in for Crooks and Liars was a study which found that Hummer owners get almost five times as many traffic tickets as average drivers.

I saw some speculation that the picture had been Photoshopped, but evidently it's legitimate. Even more interesting is the story behind it, as I found when I tracked it down.

Police said Sabrina Trotter, 44, the driver of an Indianapolis Public Schools bus, stopped on the road to take a cell phone call from her mother. Police said the driver of a Hummer, John Northrop, 54, was going northbound and was tuning his radio when he plowed into the back of the bus.

Northrop suffered minor injuries. Police ticketed Trotter for an improper stop.

No children were on the bus at the time, apparently.

A Match Made in Heaven

This entertaining image from two years ago has been making the rounds; I found it at, or rather via, the Sideshow. The tie-in for Crooks and Liars was a study which found that Hummer owners get almost five times as many traffic tickets as average drivers.I saw some speculation that the picture had been Photoshopped, but evidently it's legitimate. Even more interesting is the story behind it, as

A Match Made in Heaven

This entertaining image from two years ago has been making the rounds; I found it at, or rather via, the Sideshow. The tie-in for Crooks and Liars was a study which found that Hummer owners get almost five times as many traffic tickets as average drivers.I saw some speculation that the picture had been Photoshopped, but evidently it's legitimate. Even more interesting is the story behind it, as

Becalmed Among The Great Unwashed

You know, I don’t think I’m going to finish reading Susan Jacoby’s The Age of American Unreason. I imagine Jacoby feels better for having written it, vented her bile, and talked to the press about it. But I don’t feel better for having read the first eighty pages, so I’m gonna vent my bile right here.As I expected, The Age of American Unreason is an extended and not very skillful game of “Ain’t

Becalmed Among The Great Unwashed

You know, I don’t think I’m going to finish reading Susan Jacoby’s The Age of American Unreason. I imagine Jacoby feels better for having written it, vented her bile, and talked to the press about it. But I don’t feel better for having read the first eighty pages, so I’m gonna vent my bile right here.As I expected, The Age of American Unreason is an extended and not very skillful game of “Ain’t