Category Archives: history

Long dead, forever young (new Kerouac notes)

Posted on June 7, 2026 by oddmanout215

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

Posted on June 1, 2026 by oddmanout215

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?

Posted on May 22, 2026 by oddmanout215

“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?

Posted on May 17, 2026 by oddmanout215

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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Sipping mint julips in Republican heaven

Posted on May 3, 2026 by oddmanout215

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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Will Earth Day survive the current dark age?

Posted on April 25, 2026 by oddmanout215

“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)

Posted on April 18, 2026 by oddmanout215

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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No kings, no dictators, no violence

Posted on March 29, 2026 by oddmanout215

My neighbor Swamp Rabbit was reminding me that I’d promised to take part in a No Kings rally, like millions of other people who are fed up with Donald Trump’s ongoing effort to end democracy in America. “Go away,” I … Continue reading →

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Trump’s new low: paying to cancel wind farms

Posted on March 26, 2026 by oddmanout215

My boozy neighbor Swamp Rabbit and I were playing in the same key for a change. We agreed that the world has come a long way since the 2015 Paris Agreement. A long way down, that is. We sat on … Continue reading →

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Arguing about ‘One Battle After Another’

Posted on March 20, 2026 by oddmanout215

My juicehead neighbor Swamp Rabbit and I were debating the merits of the Academy Award-winning One Battle After Another. “It’s what they call a tour de force,” I said. “A satire, a black comedy, a political statement, an action movie, … Continue reading →

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