It's a (mostly) friends-only LiveJournal, duh. But rather than the rantings of a spoiled middle-middle/upper-middle class teen, it's the rantings of a spoiled middle-aged middle-middle/upper-middle class American man with Social Democratic leanings, and no political party he trusts (can you blame him? Without descending to sophistries and ( Read more... )

I'm sure I've written another blog post with that title, but I don't want to be bothered with finding it now. I am fatigued, and I am disgusted, and I may not post for a while. That doesn't mean I have given up blogging writing; I write but am not and have no interest in being a writer. Fish in the morning, hunt in the afternoon, criticize in ( Read more... )

...a student at of the University of Washington:

I note with puzzlement that three of my daffiest and wackiest detractors-Kirby Olson, Dr. Jacques Albert, and “et alia”-all did their graduate work in literary study at the University of Washington. Something in the water out there?

Michael Bérubé, “Till We Meet Again.”

Not only that, but I have ( Read more... )

Another year, and another ensemble whose heart really isn't into playing Christmas music. This year, it's a brass quartet of trumpet, french horn, and two trombones with moral support from a marimba, tympani, and harp. They try to play “Saint Louis,” (they American tune for “O Little Town of Bethlehem”), but run out of steam just as they get ( Read more... )

First:

update comments
set comment_content = substring (comment_content,
instr (comment_content, '
') + 5)
where comment_content like '%
%';

update comments
set comment_content = replace (comment_content, '"', '"')
where comment_content like '%href="%';

But then:

#!/usr/bin/perl -w ( Read more... )

...is back on line after prolonged technical problems. Pointing your browser at http://ufobreakfast.com should redirect to http://ufobreakfast.wordpress.com/, where all UFOB's bloggy goodness of yore is available once again, and new goodness will soon appear. I'm proud to say I did some of ( Read more... )

From a blogger who writes on philanthropic issues, whose name and URL will remain justly veiled: Lucy Bernholz, alleged leading intellectual in philanthropy:

( A veil, but only a flimsy one--go on, you know you want to click here... )

( Read more... )

Trying to think through the current political situation in America is a bit like trying to swim through a flood of molasses: you'll probably be sucked under and drowned before you make any headway. Something terrible has happened, and you can't even run with it, much less try to change it or hold it back; best to wait for it to pass, and take ( Read more... )

-OK, now we need to talk about the, hrm, project for R-, and especially one of the, hrm, sorry, requirements that the branch slipped into the contract ( Read more... )