Humanizing The Vacuum

Kate Harding on the Roman Polanski case. Whoopi Goldberg acting like a total ass (“It’s not `rape-rape’”).

Happy birthday, Bryan Ferry.

This Sunday’s New York Times Magazine story: coming out in middle school. An excerpt: Though most adolescents who come out do so in high school, sex researchers and counselors say that middle-school students are increasingly coming out to friends or family or to an adult in school. Just how they’re…

Newscasters can’t handle more than one disability at once, I guess.

We all have blind spots, and one of my worst was Merle Haggard, to whom I only really listened in August. I took a chance and spent the $3 on a used copy of 2000’s If I Could Only Fly. It didn’t take — most of the songs felt tentative,…

Astrology’s a load of codswallop, but after a discussion a few days ago, and a referral to this site, I found that the description of me is largely true (about 70%, say).

This isn’t something I say often — it’s often not relevant — but he seemed like a genuinely decent, warm guy, astounded by his level of fame and able to make fun of himself for it, flattered by how much his fan base adored him (you forgive him for the…