Category: Bits and Pieces

It’s been a surprising day.  I went up a belt at martial arts, so I’m now an advanced beginner, working towards becoming a beginning intermediate.  I also got a very interesting job offer.  I periodically get job offers from my clients, but I don’t often consider them interesting.  This one,

A reminder of human cruelty, of resilience, of hope and of faith.  It is a wonderful story as we go from New Year to Yom Kippur.

Four of the funniest minutes you’ll see on the internet: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hSnEMV58F8[/youtube]

I think Bill Clinton is mad at his fellow Democrats right now: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2RZ0sUcVcE[/youtube]

As the post title says, real (read:  paying) work is making its demands on my time.  I’ll catch up with the news in a little while.  Just grateful that the market seems to be holding stable (and what does that tell us about the bailout panic?).

One of the things special needs children remind us is that their parents are also special people, who either have innately or who develop extraordinary reserves of love, patience and humanity: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPTdqjFLqSw[/youtube] Also, here’s a video of Paul Smith, that typewriter artist I told you about earlier (and, BTW, the

Gosh alone knows why, but I’ve never linked here to Haveil Havalim, a weekly blog carnival of posts from all over by, about and of interest to Jews.  It’s a fantastic read, and it reflects badly on me that I’ve never let y’all know about it.  So, in the “better

As of now, it looks as if An American Carol will not be opening soon in a theater near me.  That may change, of course, but it looks disheartening for making plans for next weekend.

New gods, new hymns (from Glenn Beck): [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvxiG56M-eU[/youtube] Hat tip:  Old War Dogs

With all this talk of Depression, I thought I’d revisit one of the great moments in movie history, Busby Berkeley’s 1933 homage to the Forgotten Man (from Gold Diggers of 1933): [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37-ocetYDdU&feature=related[/youtube]

Several times during the debate, McCain said of Iraq (and Afghanistan) that we have to win this time, so that we won’t have to do it again.  His refrain reminded me of another refrain, one Irving Berlin wrote for his famous military show during WWII, a time when Americans had

I haven’t yet mentally processed the debate, but I will pass on to you my kids’ comments: Of Jim Lehrer, my son asked “Why are his lips such a funny color?” Of Barack Obama, my daughter said, “He has ears like an elf.” And of John McCain, my daughter, flush

This morning, Mr. Bookworm told me that the connection between Franklin Raines and Barack Obama couldn’t possibly be true.  Why?  Because if it was true, he said, there would have been a big headline story on it in the New York Times.  He can’t seem to wrap his mind around