America's Most Critical Journal since 1999
When the 18th Amendment to the American Constitution, prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages, became law, what happened? A colossal epidemic of violence, corruption and crime. At least 10 thousand people died, most by gunshot, some by drinking concoctio... More »
First, check the back of your closet or a bureau drawer for something bought or given to you before 2015; the graduation wristwatch that merely tells time; shoes; a jacket, shirt or sweater that never matched anything. You should look contemporary but not 2018... More »
“All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.” So wrote Robert Fulghum, in his best-selling book of the same title. Among the things he learned there were: share everything, play fair, clean up your own mess, say you’re sorry when you hurt somebo... More »
If the President of the United States continues lying, Alec Baldwin made that Access Hollywood tape twelve years before he played Trump on SNL. Baldwin had a vision of the future and knew Trump would be elected in 2016. In rehearsal, the lines were entirely ... More »
By Elaine Kendall 25 December 2017 The first slight waves of holiday guilt begin before Halloween, usually causing only a passing frisson or two of regret. The early ripples are the lavish mega-catalogues; beginning with those from places where you may have bo... More »
The president is revising the dictionary of the English language! Though he’s a man with three adjectives, two pronouns and few verbs, he’s made considerable headway in a daunting project. Usually, he simply reverses the meaning of a word, a phrase, or an ... More »
By Dan Geddes Thank god for the Deep State! If I thought Trump were really in charge, I wouldn’t sleep well at night. I have to say that with Trump as President I have new found appreciation for what is now called the Deep State, or what has been called the ... More »
TV commercials were always somewhat annoying, but never terrifying. They showed attractive young people at parties, drinking beer, gulping soft drinks, and singing the catchy ditties that separated one brand from another. The party-goers were obviously having ... More »
The toll booths still stand forlornly at every parking lot entrance, with no one inside. The students and retirees who handed out your ticket when you arrived and received your payment when you left are either flipping hamburgers or working as Walmart greeters... More »
By Carol Poster 5 June 2017 Your social media feed is filled with people reporting Fitbit steps. While the whole Fitbit fad may seem silly to other people, as a gamer, you get it. Fitbit is a casual wrist or watch game, like the classic Space Invaders game for... More »
Not only is he very instinctual, but “my instinct turns out to be right”. The president said so himself, in the memorable Time magazine interview with Michael Scherer; the one including “I’m president, you’re not”. Very could be the key word in Tru... More »
Eddie Fisher, Joan Rivers, Tommy Lasorda, Marlo Thomas and others remember the master of the insult, Don Rickles. Insulted uncle David L. Wolper, television producer …in high school…I worked summers as a waiter at Birchwoods Hotel in the Cat... More »