“The great advantage of having a reputation for being stupid: people are less suspicious of you.”— Richard Curtis These words come out of the mouth of Tom, the richer-than-rich, loyal and slightly daft friend in… Read More
Beirut is the band in which Zach Condon expresses his ideas, or gets a few things out of his system. Like, say, divorce. Perth is a song released on Beirut’s album No No No in… Read More
“Curious things, habits. People themselves never knew they had them.”— Agatha Christie Composed for the short story Witness for the Prosecution (later a play, and later adapted several times for the screen), this insight from… Read More
I have written plenty of obituaries over my time, and by that I mean news stories about public figures whose lives were remarkable. I also wrote or edited many articles involving death. There’s a language… Read More
“It is very well known that you learn more from failure—when things are not working well… It is very important not to focus on success—it’s so rare. If you want instant gratification, don’t be a… Read More
Here’s a quick look at some podcasts that might be worthy of your ears. I’m really looking forward to reading the new novel from St. John’s writer Sharon Bala. Good Guys evidently takes a swipe… Read More
“Bureaucracy defends the status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status.”– Laurence J. Peter Born in Vancouver, Peter found fame in the United States, and became well enough known that… Read More
Amy Poehler must surely have been excited to have had Carol Burnett on her podcast Good Hang. In an episode that was released early this month, the comedy legend sat down for an expansive conversation… Read More
“Fortunately, there is more to life than death. There is for one thing, fiction. A thousand thousand characters to be sent marching out into the world to divert time from its forward gallop to the… Read More
Ranking Roger would have been 63 this weekend. Roger Charlson was born in Birmingham on Feb. 21, 1963, and was still a teenager when his band — the Beat, or the English Beat, as we… Read More
I wonder if there are many shared smiles between John Risley and Brendan Paddick these days, as the two of them deal with separate court actions — one in which they are pitted against each… Read More
“No nation can be really great unless it is great in peace, in industry, integrity, honesty. Skilled intelligence in civic affairs and industrial enterprises alike; the special ability of the artist, the man of letters,… Read More
Something delightful happened this week. Labi Siffre, the British singer-songwriter whose work is perhaps better known than his name, released a new single. It’s a prelude of what will be his first album of new… Read More
Kristi Noem has been under intense scrutiny and political attack this winter (including from her own side), but the person out of a job is not the controversial Homeland Security (DHS) secretary, but the spokesperson… Read More
“When you’re on Earth, if you go to the top of a mountain, the stars look much brighter than they do at sea level. And because the space shuttle is above Earth’s atmosphere, it’s like… Read More