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2026 IG NOBEL AWARDS—WITH A NEW HOME
I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN WAITING, AND JENNIFER OUELLETTE ANNOUNCES THE 2026 IG NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS, ars TECHNICA, September 3, 2026. She observes, “It’s that time of year again, when we learn which lucky...
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BENITO MUSSOLINI: BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
TRUMP’S AUDACIOUS BANNING OF REPORTERS WHO DISAGREE WITH HIS ACTIONS is yet another step in his striving for fascist rule. Ava Berger reports, “CNN, MS NOW, Politico Reporters Denied Access to White...
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TRUMP HAS GONE BEYOND THE PALE (AND NOT THE FIRST TIME)
NOT ONLY IS TRUMP A COMMON LIAR, AN OUTLANDISH EGOTIST, AND A RAGING FASCIST, he has gone quite beyond the pale in so many other ways. Recall the Term “Beyond the Pale.” In “Wrong Words,” November 26,...
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WONDERFUL FOLK LEGENDS
YEARS AND YEARS AGO, I MADE A (MINOR) LITERARY NAME FOR MYSELF: It was in elementary school and I got a good mark for writing a piece on folk hero John Henry. You recall John Henry? Wikipedia...
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FILM REVIEWS—ONE AFTER 90 YEARS
I WAS DELIGHTED TO SEE THE HISTORY EXTRA FEATURE “Ask the Experts: What’s the Most Inaccurate Historical Film?” What fun. Image by Kate Hazell from History Extra, July 2026. However, the flicks...
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F1 DRIVERS’ BRAINS—YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST (IN 2012 SORTA)
ERIC VANCE DESCRIBES “THE STRANGE BRAIN OF AN F1 DRIVER,” The New York Times, September 4, 2026: “They move too fast for the normal mind to keep up,” Vance reports, “but elite drivers have more...
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YOU BETCHA—A PATH TO INSIDER TRADING OR TO PENURY
I PREFACE THIS BY NOTING that I ignore lotteries, betting, and have no interest in participating in “prediction markets.” In fact, from what I’ve read, I fear their deleterious effect on society. Full...
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BACH STIFFED BY MARGRAVE
MY NEW BGF AND I GET TOGETHER WEEKDAYS AT 5 A.M. PACIFIC when she shares great tales of classical music. Colleen Wheelahan hosts SiriusXM “Symphony Hall” in its morning show, broadcast 3:00 a.m.–9:00...
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GLADLY NAMED GUILLAIN-BARRÉ
YOU GET MY GIST: Gladly (also a strabismus ursine) must I bear the onslaught of Guillain-Barré syndrome. This malady is described by Mayo Clinic as “a condition in which the body’s immune system...
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O Canada/Ô Canada—Quelle Merde De Trump! Part 2
YESTERDAY IN PART 1 WE BEGAN ANALYZING THE BREAKDOWN of Trump’s dealings with our best friend Canada. We continue today with more of the same as reported by The New York Times. Trump’s FULL-CAPS. “WE...
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O Canada/Ô Canada—Quelle Merde De Trump! Part 1
ONCE AGAIN, TRUMP’S INEPT DEAL-MAKING transforms him and his sycophants into an embarrassment in the world community. The Supreme Court has already ruled that his diplomacy-by-tariff exceeds statutory...
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WHAT ARE ALL THOSE PEOPLE DOING ON THE OPERA STAGE?
“CHORUS LINES” IS THE WELL-WROUGHT TITLE for Rupert Christiansen and Henrietta Bredin’s article in Opera With Opera News, September 2026. Here are tidbits gleaned from this informative piece. The...
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JOE MACKEN’S NYC
REBEKAH BRANDES REPORTS “Incredible Miniature Replica of New York City Took Truck Driver Over 20 Years To Build,” Nice News, August 8, 2026. Image by David Lurvey/Museum of the City of New York via...
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THE HERRING’S RED! PART 1
THIS ETYMOLOGICAL RESEARCH BEGAN with “The Critical Author Caper,” one of my listening adventures on SiriusXM “Radio Classics.” By completion, it warranted Parts 1 and 2 today and tomorrow. Tangent is...
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SEEKING RATIONALITY AMONG REPUBLICANS PART 2
YESTERDAY IN PART 1, WE DISCUSSED IRRATIONALITY of the Trump/Netanyahu war. Today, we focus on RFK Jr.’s measles epidemic and on Trump’s dangerous ignorance of Mother Nature. A Year and a Half Late, a...
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SEEKING RATIONALITY AMONG REPUBLICANS PART 1
I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT I HAVE SOME REPUBLICAN FRIENDS. However, here I collect tidbits that suggest their leaders haven’t acted rationally. Examples abound, but three in particular come to mind: the...
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BENNY BITS—AND SUPERB WRITERS
I’VE BEEN COLLECTING HUMOROUS BITS from The Jack Benny Program, as heard on SiriusXM “Radio Classics.” As noted by Wikipedia, “The show ran for over three decades, from 1932 to 1955 on radio, and from...
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THE WORLD’S LARGEST POP-UP BOOK
LUCEROS Y PENUMBRAS, STARS AND SHADOWS, is a product of Los Angeles artist and printmaker Daniel González, paper engineering by Matthew Reinhart, and full-scale engineering and fabrication by...
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AMERICA—AS SEEN AT A LONDON EXHIBIT
CHARLOTTE JANSEN OFFERS “PORTRAIT OF A CITY Review—Master Photographers Capture the U.S. Cityscape In All Its Grime, Grit and Glory,” The Guardian, July 28, 2026. She reviews an exhibit at the...
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MYRNA LOY—MORE THAN A SLEUTH’S WIFE
I’VE OFTEN ENJOYED MYRNA LOY portraying Nora Charles, wife of sleuth Nick Charles. And I recently encountered her in other roles in two media: Turner Classic Movies and SiriusXM “Radio Classics.” Here...
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