The Art of Making a Deal In the classic German legend, Faust, a scholar dissatisfied with his life, becomes depressed and asks the Devil for further knowledge. He asks for magic powers that will indulge him all the pleasure and knowledge of the world. In response, the Devil’s representative, Mephistopheles, appears. He makes a bargain with Faust: Mephistopheles will […]
A Bulletproof Story Goes Amok
Other than That, Mrs. Lincoln, How Was the Play? Maybe no one ever read Rolling Stone magazine for truth and facts. Closer to the truth might be, who reads it at all anymore? The old canard is that Jann Wenner, a “media visionary,” started Rolling Stone at his kitchen table in 1967. It is now valued at […]
Will the UAW Get What It Wants?
A High Stakes Gamble Negotiations with United Auto Workers and automakers have been ongoing since mid-July. The current contract, covering roughly 150,000 workers, ended 14 September. A prolonged strike against one or all three companies is expected to significantly thump the supply chain and the economy, warns Forbes magazine. The transition to electric vehicles (EVs), […]
Cultural Appropriation vs Influence, Inspiration, Homage
A Little Music Jay Nordlinger, in an article in New Criterion, quotes William Fedkenheuer. Fedkenheuer is a classical violinist, fiddler, teacher, and consultant for individuals, groups, and organizations. Referred to as a “badass,” he uses his unique style to empower musicians. Inspired to Impact Music Education Mr. Nordlinger quotes Mr. Fedkenheuer at length, before expanding on […]
A High-Speed Collision with Reality
A Government Road Trip: Even Less Fun Than It Sounds. James Freeman in the WSJ explains Americans’ increasing distress over public charging stations. Becoming worse are EVs’ glitchy, inoperable equipment at the stations. The WSJ’s Jennifer Hiller reports: … the U.S. government plans to launch a $100 million effort to try to tackle the reliability […]
Mirabile Dictu
Let’s have a little football, as Jay Nordlinger would put it: This year’s opening day, the Detroit Lions played the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City. Jay Nordlinger in NRO accuses the Lions of being “one of the worst franchises in professional sports.” before correcting himself, that is, “in the history of professional sports.” Jay […]
Force Members to Weigh the Evidence
Quid Pro Quo There is more than the smells from decaying summer foliage in the autumn air. President Joe Biden’s role in Hunter’s influence peddling seems to be taking over September’s sad remembrances. William McGurn, in the WSJ, asks what happens next? An impeachment inquiry or a Hunter Biden indictment from a grand jury impaneled […]
Clueless at the World Economic Forum (WEF)
No Idea about Net Zero On our way to Net Zero by 2050 … How do we know this? Cause everyone says so. And it’s not just “everyone.” Also committed are really, really smart people, like “essentially all of the colleges and universities,” as well as “elite institutions of every kind and sort,” Francis Menton […]
Back to School, with Apologies
Academic and Medical Malpractice Teaching middle-schoolers and deciding which books to allow in classrooms are low on Jason Riley’s serious goals list. Far more consequential than a Black history curriculum, he writes in the WSJ, is the inability of middle schoolers to read or do math at grade level. In Florida, where GOP governor and […]
A “Community Conversation” with NYC Eric Mayor Adams
Chaos in Manhattan From Mayor Adams: We turned this city around in 20 months. Gov. Abbott Forces the Issue And then what happened? Started with a madman down in Texas, decided he wanted to bus people up to New York City—110,000 migrants. . . . And let me tell you something, New Yorkers, never in my life have […]