Culture

Here in the States, another Thanksgiving has come and gone. That means a lot of turkey hangovers out there–not to mention the inevitable leftovers from the holiday feast. Fortunately, in my house, that includes a number of fine beers that somehow didn’t get consumed during the free-for-all around the dinner table! Of course, me shuffling them to the back of the fridge might have had something to do with it… 😀

In addition to all the familiy traditions and revelry, one ...

Last week, I received word from my agent Kimberley Cameron that her business partner and friend of many years, Dorris Halsey, had suddenly passed away. Dorris had been something of a legend in literary circles and in the Hollywood community for some time–an agent who had represented the likes of Aldous Huxley, Henry Miller and Upton Sinclair, and was famous in her own right for her style and panache.

Since my main contact has been with Kimberley, I didn’t ...

As we’re approaching the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it seems as if all the media outlets over here in the States are gearing up for full saturation mode. That’s only natural, given the human penchant to observe the passage of time in rounded numbers–and necessary, in my humble view. As a student of history, I’m all too aware of another human penchant to not learn from its lessons, which is why we keep making the ...

It’s a given that lots of things seem like a good idea after you’ve had a few. That’s why most of your better tattoo parlors won’t ink you up when you’re three sheets to the wind, and how folks end up at Denny’s munching pancackes at three in the morning. There is another hidden danger, though, and you don’t even need your car keys land yourself in trouble.

That’s right. I’m talking about iTunes.

I found out the hard ...