How Popular Is That? First, Yogi Berra gave us the restaurant that was so popular, it was actually unpopular: ‘no one goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.” Now, NY Times travel writer Bill Pennington gives us the converse. According to Pennington, Maine ski mountain Sugarloaf is “popular because it’s not that popular.” Makes sense to...Read More
“Exotic” Minnesota “I was debating whether to go to the Turkish-Syrian border this week or to visit my old high school in Minnesota. I decided to make the exotic foreign trip and go to Minnesota.” –Tom Friedman, “Minnesota Mirror“; The New York Times (10/31/2012) You may not agree with everything New York Times columnist (and...Read More
“In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” –Andy Warhol (1968) Warhol’s line about people also to applies to (some) houses. Like this Lowry Hill cottage (above) on Minneapolis’ Kenwood Parkway, showcased in “What You Get For . . . ” in the current Real Estate section of The New York Times. The five...Read More
“Except for That, Mrs. Lincoln Ms. Dargis . . .” * After all the sugar-coated reviews that bear no resemblance to the actual movie, you gotta love this take on Tyler Perry’s newest effort, “Alex Cross,” courtesy of The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis: “A grim, dispiritingly stupid waste of time, energy, money and talent. In order to sucker anyone...Read More
Define, “Enervate” (Ahem, Ahem) “Mr. Obama’s goal, it seems, was to indicate his continued willingness to serve in a job he believes he can do better than the other guy, but that doesn’t really seem to enervate or enliven him. That’s a problem, and not only for the duration of the campaign.” –Matt Bai, “Obama’s...Read More
Auctioning Off a Public Resource — to Everyone’s Detriment “It is unconscionable that candidates for public office have to buy access to the airwaves — which the public itself owns — to talk to the public.” –Newton Minow, “A Glimmer in the Vast Wasteland“; The New York Times (10/3/2012) No, I won’t be endorsing a...Read More
