“‘It suddenly struck me the other day,’ continued Bernard, ‘that it might be possible to be an adult all the time.’” (Aldous Huxley, 94) In 1963 when I was an undergraduate at a midwestern university, a famous poet (at that time such a thing still existed) was spending a year on campus as Poet in […]
Oh Brave New World That Has Such Cornholes in It Read More »
If you come into any restaurant in a sour mood, or if you only have just enough money in your pockets to get the daily special, then do all of us in the restaurant industry a big favor and go home. Don’t be a rude guest. When guests walk through front doors being held open
Don’t Be a Rude Guest Read More »
“The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life.” –Jean Giraudoux If you have a thriving garden, there’s an orgy in your backyard. Flowers are the sex organs of most plants* and their perfume may be what first brings the revelers. Many flowers—from trees, shrubs, annuals
The Orgy in Your Backyard Read More »
My friend, colleague, and fellow native Alabamian, Gary Walker, wrote an excellent USR essay reflecting on being a writer who just happens to be from the South. Despite others’ expectations that he write about red dirt, hunting, fishing, football, the land, and the people, Gary confessed that he doesn’t really feel motivated to write about
Follow the Red Dirt Road: Some Thoughts on Being a Southern Writer Read More »
Why should anyone be bothered with a fifteen-year-old analysis of an undistinguished right-wing hack’s ephemeral newspaper column? Simple answer: virtually the same column, written by a different right-wing hack, showed up a few days ago in the Colorado Springs Gazette. The good professor Walter Williams, Olin (see below) Distinguished Professor of Economics and recipient of
Same Old Song, Same Old Dance (2020) Read More »
This is the true story of diamond engagement rings. It is a story of fortuitous timing and brilliant marketing. It is not a tale of romance, but of finance. Once upon a time, women were property and marriage was a business transaction. In an era when female virginity had financial value because it ensured a
Ringing True: Why Diamond Engagement Rings Are Extravagant Junk Read More »