Category Archives: humor

Rejoice, fellow pagans

Posted on December 22, 2011 by oddmanout215

The winter solstice is here, marking for me the crossroads of dread and hope. Dread because it’s the shortest day of the year, when you can’t walk down the street without being reminded of consumerism’s holy of holies, Christmas Day. … Continue reading →

Posted in humor | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The personal liberties lie

Posted on December 19, 2011 by oddmanout215

Columnist George Will is rarely at a loss for words, but he could only respond with cliches yesterday when Barney Frank asked him to square his alleged libertarian leanings with his authoritarian views on personal liberties. Another guest on the … Continue reading →

Posted in humor, mainstream media, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Christmas blessing

Posted on December 17, 2011 by oddmanout215

So I’m biking to pick up medicine in South Philly a few nights ago, and I find myself behind a slow-moving flatbed truck, tall and wide and crammed with Christmas trees, and spewing vile fumes. And there are cars parked … Continue reading →

Posted in humor, livable cities, movies, Philadelphia | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Onion exclusive: Tom Joad goes to Mars

Posted on December 14, 2011 by oddmanout215

I sometimes kid the Onion for taking a lame approach to political satire — for shooting at battleships with a BB gun. However, its social satire is often right on the money: RUMSON, NJ—After more than a year of writing … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, humor, pop music | Tagged | 1 Comment

Coddled senator: No minimum wage hike

Posted on December 14, 2011 by oddmanout215

“Behind every great fortune lies a great crime,” is the Anglicized version of a Balzac aphorism. I would add that behind most Republicans in Congress is a great unearned fortune and a defective sense of irony. Here’s an example from … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, humor, Politics, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Newt to Mitt: It takes one to know one

Posted on December 12, 2011 by oddmanout215

Does it take a thief to know a thief? If so, it’s no accident that the two most ruthlessly dishonest people vying for the Republican presidential nomination are accusing each other of corruption: 2012 GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich has … Continue reading →

Posted in campaign finance reform, humor, liar, mainstream media, Mitt Romney, Politics, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

‘The Piano Has Been Drinking,’ not me

Posted on December 12, 2011 by oddmanout215

Tom Waits performs, then jokes with Martin Mull and Fred Willard on Fernwood Tonight. The mock-talk show ran for a few months in 1977, and was re-formatted and telecast as America 2-Night for a few months in 1978. I had … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, humor, pop music | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Happy Xmas — or is it Groundhog Day?

Posted on December 11, 2011 by oddmanout215

I run past Dan’s store on Passyunk Avenue, I see his Christmas trees for sale at curbside, breathe the scent of pine and hear “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” skipping from the speakers above his storefront. Each time … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction, humor, Philadelphia, pop music | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Frank’s Wild Years’

Posted on December 3, 2011 by oddmanout215

Well Frank settled down in the Valley and hung his wild years on a nail that he drove through his wife’s forehead… … he sold used office furniture out there on San Fernando Road and assumed a $30,000 loan at … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, humor, pop music | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Bloomberg, the mayor who would be Caesar

Posted on December 1, 2011 by oddmanout215

Every time this guy opens his mouth, he proves he’s not only an arrogant plutocrat but also a dangerous creep: New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg said the New York Police Department was like his own personal military force during … Continue reading →

Posted in humor, mainstream media, Occupy Wall Street, Politics, weasel | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment