Author Archives: oddmanout215

Long dead, forever young (new Kerouac notes)


My first thought was oh no, not another article about Jack Kerouac. This one is in the New Yorker and is by Joyce Johnson, who has written well on many subjects, including Kerouac, her romantic partner in the late 1950s … Continue reading

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Scott Pelley goes down fighting for ’60 Minutes’


My ill-mannered neighbor Swamp Rabbit staggered into my shack today and looked over my shoulder as I typed. “Uh-oh, more crap about that lapdog who wrecked ’60 Minutes.’ Why don’t you gripe about something closer to home? How about them … Continue reading

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Trump’s ‘yes man’ at CBS News is a woman


Yes men, by definition, are denizens of government and the corporate world who bow to authority, no questions asked, in order to get ahead. Not surprisingly, as the fight for gender parity in the workplace intensifies, we’re seeing more and … Continue reading

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‘Enshittification’ — a potential hit single?


“That’s a pretty vulgar word, Odd Man. I’ll bet they ain’t using it at the Wharton business school.” “Don’t be so sure, Swamp Rabbit. Everything’s vulgar now, including Wharton.” The word is “enshittification,” coined by the super-prolific tech writer/novelist Cory … Continue reading

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Trump’s flunkies — ‘willfully ignorant’ or just stupid?


I was telling my neighbor Swamp Rabbit that Doug Burgum, the Secretary of the Interior, says solar farms aren’t a good alternative to gas and coal because “when the sun goes down, they produce zero electricity.” Swamp Rabbit’s bloodshot eyes … Continue reading

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Can’t live with aliens, can’t live without ’em


The Trump administration just released formerly classified files related to UFO sightings, and my neighbor Swamp Rabbit couldn’t be happier. He’s hoping the new information will confirm the existence of extraterrestrials he claims have landed in Bog Water Homes, the … Continue reading

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Sipping mint julips in Republican heaven


A fellow whose son was on the Camden, NJ, police force told me years ago that white officers routinely referred to Blacks as “Democrats,” a euphemism that lumped together two groups they thought of as aliens, at best. My guess … Continue reading

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Don’t think. Just keep buying.


Fans of Russian novels will appreciate the analogy Harold Meyerson used to explain why the online publication he works for, The American Prospect, has stopped running those annoying programmatic ads that interrupt the flow of website content: Let’s say you’re … Continue reading

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Will Earth Day survive the current dark age?


“Earth Day ain’t what it used to be,” Swamp Rabbit said. “A lot of peeps don’t celebrate it. For all they care, it might as well be Penguin Awareness Day.” I told him to stop exaggerating. Most thinking people are … Continue reading

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Pope Leo vs. JD Vance (the Faustian bargainer)


Earlier this week I asked my neighbor Swamp Rabbit to name his choice for the most odious Donald Trump underling. He started mimicking Vice President JD Vance: “Who should I attack today, sir? The childless cat ladies are still up … Continue reading

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