ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES

Called lanttulaatikko in Finnish.  It's a traditional Christmas side dish, served together with similar casseroles or loaf-shaped dishe...

1.  Autocrats and would-be autocrats apparently require unusual haircuts.  Picture from here . 2.  While Trump takes the front of...

Ageism is a weird -ism in American politics.  It frequently goes unnoticed, even among the cultural left, and especially when it targets th...

This cat is sitting on the terrace with his human.  Not loose in the environment, in other words.  Supposedly the first breakfast outside ...

These mini-posts are an attempt to look at depressing phenomena (political corruption, environmental pollution) from a slightly more positi...

This is a fun story about a proposed bill which is unlikely to pass, even in Oklahoma: Oklahoma state legislator Rep. Justin Humphrey (...

I watched Trump's speech declaring a state of national emergency.  Now I am very tired, even though the emergency he is declaring is n...

The following two stories are intended for the pleasure (?) of those who like to spice their political meals with mythology, fantasy and lit...

The rumor-mill tells us that Senator Amy Klobuchar is a mean, mean boss .  A bitch, in fact.  I remember reading the same about Hillary Cli...

The actual state of the union in the US is dire if by "union" we mean a general, if vague, belief in the existence of an implici...

Such bliss!  What a rush, When the hardy sage meets the sweet butternut squash. A bad pome in praise of food.  I feel like writ...

Two recent items about women's rights possibly going backward made me think of the process I go through when grieving after the death ...

I am publishing fewer post on this blog.  The reasons are many and complicated (including does a falling tree in the woods make a sound if ...

The New York Times has posted a piece on the possible impact of Trump Care [ sic ] on how many people have health insurance: The numbe...

Here is an example of a "when the shoe is on the other foot" story (1).  I use the term in roughly the same sense as I use the t...

The poet Mary Oliver died on Thursday at the age of eighty-three.  The New York Times obituary addresses her poetry, her popularity amon...

Tammy Bruce, a guest on Fox & Friends, a right-wing political television show, gave such a brilliant example of everything that can go...

1.  I believe that Trump sees his government shutdown as a game of chicken .  The big problem for a narcissistic man is that he is playing...

The attempts to Hillarize* Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are wonderful to watch.  The right-wing apparatus tries everything they can think of, ...

Did you know that likability is a tremendously important characteristic in American politics?  Politicians shouldn't run if they are n...