Category Archives: fiction

Throwing truth to the lions

Posted on February 26, 2013 by oddmanout215

There’s no such thing as the simple truth. The goodness of the good guys is always exaggerated by the media. History is written by the victors. From Laura’s Miller’s review of The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a … Continue reading →

Posted in fiction, history, humor, mainstream media, movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

William Faulkner does Super Bowl XLVII

Posted on February 4, 2013 by oddmanout215

[The Sound and the Fury and the outage:] Through the drapes, between the Jell-O football trays, I could see them hitting. They were up on the picture wall, coming to where the ball was and I was looking in the … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction, humor, mainstream media, weasel | 2 Comments

Who’s scarier, Freddie Krueger or Philip Roth?

Posted on October 24, 2012 by oddmanout215

Reassessing an odd work of fiction, because I need a break from the mainstream media’s “facts”: Novels and movies about ghosts and ghoulies are supposed to be scary but rarely are. If you want to enjoy a Halloween story that … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Chris Hayes, heroes, and ‘Catch 22’

Posted on May 31, 2012 by oddmanout215

Erik Kain at Mother Jones, defending MSNBC host Chris Hayes who, on Memorial Day weekend, was bombarded with insults after criticizing those who overuse the word “hero”: In transforming our soldiers or police automatically into “heroes” we ignore the atrocities … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction, history, Iraq war, mainstream media | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

The dog days of spring

Posted on April 16, 2012 by oddmanout215

It feels almost like August in April, and so what if glaciers are melting and the sea level rising and scientists predicting vast coastal areas will be underwater within a century? Jon’s Water Ice, which is usually shuttered until after … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, economic collapse, fiction, history, Iraq war | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Easter weekend supermarket dream

Posted on April 6, 2012 by oddmanout215

Perhaps the relevant truth… is that we all find ourselves in temporal currents and that unless you’re paying attention you’ll discover, often too late, that a undertow of weeks or of years has pulled you deep into trouble. – Joseph … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, fiction, humor | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Greenspan’s legacy is Ayn Rand’s

Posted on March 1, 2012 by oddmanout215

A new book by Gary Weiss details Ayn Rand’s profound influence on generations of right-wing ideologues. Her most prominent contemporary acolyte might be the smug U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, whose goals include abolishing Medicare and Social Security. However, I’m guessing … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, fiction, Great Recession, The New Depression | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Poe at the billionaires’ bash

Posted on February 1, 2012 by oddmanout215

Bill Moyers and William Winship commenting on the arrogance of “imperial swells” who throw grand parties to congratulate themselves on their great wealth: This one occurred here in Manhattan at the annual black-tie dinner and induction ceremony for Kappa Beta … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, fiction, Goldman Sachs, history, humor, New York Times, Occupy Wall Street, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A life-affirming little theft

Posted on January 27, 2012 by oddmanout215

Call Jennifer Egan’s A Visit From the Goon Squad a collection of interrelated short stories. Or call it a novel, if you like. The book has won several prestigious awards, so Egan might not care what you call it. She … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

A masterpiece, exclusively for you

Posted on January 24, 2012 by oddmanout215

I like Betsy Lerner’s blog, about the craft and business of writing. Here’s her response to someone who asked how long a writer should wait for a response from an agent to whom the writer has offered an “exclusive submission”: … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction, humor | Tagged , , | 1 Comment