Hillary Clinton (and Ron Paul)

First of all, I like Hillary Clinton. I do not like her as much now as I did half a year ago, but underneath the me-first attitude is a politician whose principles I generally agree with and respect.
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Canditatorial Candor

Hillary Clinton is beginning to seem like Hubert “The Happy Warrior” Humphrey to me. The prospect of Hillary running against John McCain feels to me a bit like choosing between Humphrey and Nixon.
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Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton

 A friend emailed me this question recently: 

What do you think of Barack and Hillary?

I never thought I’d feel sorry for Hillary. But I do. I like Barack. But I’m kind of amused by the prevailing optimism about him.
  
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Out of the Bamboonies — part three

New little pointy-headed shoots of bamboo are peeking up in new places both in and outside of our raised bed. Being a weekend gardener/warrior (spawn of Schwarzenegger and Martha Stewart?), I rip out what I can on a Sunday, then am gone for the work week, and come back the next weekend to raise pick [...]

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Bamboozled - part one

I am going to write to you about bamboo, and what is entailed in its removal. This is part of why I’ve been so delinquent recently. Or remiss, at least — time spent with pick and shovel more often leading to collapse in the easychair than tapping a keyboard.
But first, some happy news on the [...]

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Ikea Tugs Rug out from Under the Danes

A friend, who knows that a passel of my great-grandparents emigrated from Sweden, sent me this news story claiming a novel form of prejudice.
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Emergency Preparedness

If the world were to begin shaking and tumbling and the streets of the Financial District filled with shards of broken glass falling from the office highrises, I would take some comfort, were I to survive and be trapped high in a building, in knowing there was a first aid kit with high-quality anesthetic near [...]

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Price, the Princess, and the Pea

I know a lot of people who like wine. I like it, too — but sometimes shake my head at the prices involved in enjoying vino.
So I was amused recently to read this story, on how the price people pay for wine affects their perception of its value.
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Charity, Beginning at Home

I want to give some money away.
I do not want to give my money to people who will use it to send me more solicitations for money.
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The Sleighing of Christmas, Continued

How many people still eat a Christmas goose? A figgy pudding? I’m not even sure what a sugar plum fairy is, outside of little ballerinas in the Nutcracker. Are real plums involved?
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