Posts by David Benjamin
The cumulative reporter
by David Benjamin “ … Like many policy declarations by Mr. Trump, it is hard to divine his true beliefs, and impossible to assure he will not change position again. He is nothing if not mercurial. His foreign policy views, former aides say, are more often driven by pique and a sense that he has…
Read MoreThe mechanical scrivener
by David Benjamin “ … These [rules governing literary art] require that the author shall: 12. Say what he is proposing to say, not merely come near it. 13. Use the right word, not its second cousin. 14. Eschew surplusage. 15. Not omit necessary details. 16. Avoid slovenliness of form. 17. Use good grammar. 18.……
Read MoreIt’s a pie and punch world
by David Benjamin “Conductor, when you receive a fare,/ Punch in the presence of the passenjare!/ A blue trip slip for an eight-cent fare,/ A buff trip slip for a six-cent fare,/ A pink trip slip for a three-cent fare,/ Punch in the presence of the passenjare! … “ — Mark Twain, “Punch, Brothers, Punch”…
Read MoreSermon on the Mount, 2.0
by David Benjamin “Now and for all eternity, he will stand at his Savior’s side wearing the glorious crown of the martyr.” — Erika Kirk Shortly after the death of Pope Francis, the president posted a photoshopped picture of himself wearing a golden papal mitre and posing as Pope Donald I. This was only fitting…
Read MoreA lifetime of introductions
by David Benjamin “Call any vegetable. Call it by name, and the chances are good that a vegetable will respond to you.” —Frank Zappa MADISON, Wis.—I studied to become a teacher. I got a degree and everything. I racked up a whole semester of classroom experience at Edgerton (Wis.) High School. There, I stared into……
Read MoreMy big sister’s radio
by David Benjamin “If you don’t like rock ’n’ roll./ Think what you’ve been missin’./ But if you like to bop and stroll,/ Come on down and listen./ Let’s all start to have a ball./ Everybody rock ’n’ roll!/ Oh, baby, rock … ” —Danny and the Juniors MADISON, Wis.—With the possible exception of the…
Read MoreThe illiterate lion of literary literacy
by David Benjamin “It became necessary for me to choose whether, using only the existing means, agencies, and processes which Congress had provided, I should let the Government fall at once into ruin or whether, availing myself of the broader powers conferred by the Constitution in cases of insurrection, I would make an effort to…
Read MoreOn becoming
by David Benjamin “You are absolutely a beginner—every day. You have no right to assume that you’ll be able to write because you could write yesterday.” ―Hilary Mantel MADISON, Wis.—When I was in high school, circulating my adolescent prose and scripting ironic skits for pep rallies, my most haunting aspiration was to be able to……
Read MoreThe pen is scarier than the laptop
by David Benjamin “… With computers, students can type as fast as I speak and strive for verbatim transcripts, but there is almost no mental processing of the class’s content. Conversely, virtually no one can hand write 125 words per minute for 90 minutes. Thus, handwritten notes require simultaneous mental processing to determine the important…
Read MoreDown on your heels, up on your toes
by David Benjamin “We’ve always thought knowledge was naught. We should be taught to dance! Right here in Tait, we’re up-to-date. We teach a great new dance! Don’t think that I brag. I speak of the drag!” —June Allyson MADISON, Wis.—Hollywood musicals, particularly the classics, croon to me a Siren’s song but, after the finale,…
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