Posts by David Benjamin
Go-o-od night, Afghanista-a-a-an!
by David Benjamin “So the British chose plan B — the insane one; they decided to abandon Kabul and march out of the country over the Hindu Kush on foot in January. They left on the 6th… a long column of 4,500 active troops and about 12,000 wives, retainers, servants, camp followers, and whatnot… A…
Read MoreBobby Shaftoe goes viral
by David Benjamin “There are really two core principles at play here. There’s giving people a voice so that people can express their opinions. Then, there’s keeping the community safe, which I think is really important. We’re not gonna let people plan violence or attack each other or do bad things.” — Mark Zuckerberg MADISON,…
Read MoreThe Olivia Benson Constant
by David Benjamin “Women endure entire lifetimes of these indignities — in the form of catcalls, groping, assault, oppression. These things injure us. They sap our strength. Some of the cuts are so small they’re barely visible. Others are huge and gaping, leaving scars that never heal.” — Michelle Obama MADISON, Wis. — The worst…
Read MoreThe Sirens of High-Tech and the Second Jew
by David Benjamin “Who IS this guy? and why is he writing for EE Times?” — The “SemiSisters” MADISON, Wis. — Eight women extremely prominent in high technology management and marketing — all better educated than me — have composed a manifesto (https://www.3dincites.com/2021/07/smartphone-addiction-is-not-a-gender-specific-problem/) renouncing an essay published under my byline in the tech journal, EE…
Read MoreWhy a Brouilly? Why a no chicken?
by David Benjamin “Groucho: I say, here is a little peninsula, and here is a viaduct leading over to the mainland. “Chico: All right, why a duck? “Groucho: I’m not playing ‘Ask Me Another,’ I say that’s a viaduct. “Chico: All right! Why a duck?… Why a no chicken? “Groucho: Well, I don’t know why…
Read MoreBaron de Coubertin, rolling over in his grave
by David Benjamin PARIS — It’s time to mothball the Olympics. Don’t be shocked. This has been done before. The world went without the Games for 1,500 years before Baron de Coubertin inaugurated the modern Olympiad in Athens in 1896. Today, the impending XXXII Olympiad, Burlesque Show and Sashimi Banquet in Tokyo very likely has…
Read MoreRelaxing the grippe, gradually
by David Benjamin PARIS — As long as I’m here, I’m using this city as a barometer of America’s recovery from a long and lingering malaise. In the expurgation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, France is slightly behind the United States, while both countries— every country — remain vulnerable to a discouraging relapse. The difference favoring…
Read MoreFussless
by David Benjamin “We’ll always have Paris.” — Rick Blaine PARIS — Long ago, during a business junket to Tokyo with a management guru named Fishman, I was diagnosed with a case of “travel fuss.” A very frequent flyer, Fishman noted in me an air of uncertainty, anxiety and confusion. He cited my impatience with…
Read MoreGod, Covid and The Former Guy
by David Benjamin “Four more years, because God is the one who is in control of this.” — Kim Carter, anti-democracy protester Jacksonville, October 2020 God is bored. I caught up with Him at a speakeasy on a dark street in South Purgatory. The dive was crawling with venial sinners. The bartender was smoking a…
Read MoreWhat they don’t want us to learn
by David Benjamin “If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” — Monograph by Juan Ramon Jimenez, in Fahrenheit 451 MADISON, Wis. — The Manichean moms of America are up in arms again, raging at teachers to stop teaching stuff they’re not teaching. Like “socialism?” But let’s get around to that later. I…
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