Archive for the ‘Life’ Category
Spiked’s cultural highs and lows of 2017
Spiked writers gave their nominations for the best and the worst of this year’s art and culture. My high: The Vietnam War, by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. My low: The petition to remove Thérèse Dreaming at the Met. You can read all of the nominations here.
Ignore the “moral statisticians”, enjoy life (and Thanksgiving)!
On the occasion of Thanksgiving, when Americans indulge in lots of food and drink while gathering with family and friends, it is worth noting that celebrations like this are great rejoinders to the killjoy health nannies out there. In 1893 Mark Twain wrote a brilliant essay called “The Moral Statisticians”, in which he does not mince his […]
Fortunate Son
A great anti-war song, one with balls. A great song period. This is the original version from Creedence Clearwater Revival, performed live on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1969.
Gary V: Finger Lakes wines due respect
I first wrote about Gary Vaynerchuk here. In this segment of his internet show, Gary bigs up Finger Lakes wines, which he says deserves more respect. I’m a big fan of these wines, and I highly recommend the Hermann J. Wiemer Riesling, which is a longstanding favorite. Wine Spectator rated the 2009 Wiemer Dry Riesling the […]
Starting to get in the Christmas spirit…
Bruce and the E-Street Band (London, 2007).
People would rather see celebrities “dead” than donate to AIDS charity
The “Digital Death” campaign from AIDS charity “Keep a Child Alive” has got to be one of the most sanctimonious celebrity campaigns ever. It is also turning out to be one of the biggest flops ever. Various celebrities, from Kim Kardashian (famous for… being Kim Kardashian) to Swizz Beatz (huh? or am I just out […]
Happy Thanksgiving!
Enjoy your feasting! (And to my non-American friends: why don’t you indulge too?)
Take the A train
One of my favorites. Duke and his orchestra, from Reveille with Beverly, a 1943 movie.
Finger Lakes riesling
I spent a long weekend in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. I’m a big fan of Finger Lakes riesling, and this story in the New York Post caught my eye. The Post notes that the French wine magazine La Vigne has named the Finger Lakes the “new riesling kingdom”. Earlier this spring, New […]
Chicago’s art and architecture
Chicago has wonderful architecture, public sculpture and art. The photo above shows “Cloud Gate” by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor. Below is a picture of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, designed by Frank Gehry and home to the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Both “Cloud Gate” and the Pritzker are located in Millenium Park, which is […]