Posts by David Benjamin
A cozy evening in the urban shell
THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#688) A cozy evening in the urban shell by David Benjamin “Paris is devine. I mean Dorothy and I got to Paris yesterday, and it really is devine. Because the French are devine.” — Anita Loos, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes PARIS — This city is a little like operating…
Read MoreCollateral damage in the war against Amazon
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#687) Collateral damage in the war against Amazon by David Benjamin “Thank you for thinking of us and reaching out for a book event. Unfortunately we will have to decline as it is our company policy not to schedule events for any Amazon/CreateSpace titles. If, at some point…
Read MoreThe unbearable irrelevance of reading
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#686) The unbearable irrelevance of reading by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — Nobody reads. This is a shattering admission for a writer to make, and as of the moment, it’s a slight overstatement. Think of those two words as a mixture of prophecy and surrender — with a…
Read MoreMy rights are bigger than your rights
MONDAY, JULY 28, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#685) My rights are bigger than your rights by David Benjamin “In recent decisions, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court has made clear its view that corporations are people, with all the attendant rights. They are entitled to free speech… They are entitled to religious beliefs… Up…
Read MoreThe semantic conundrum of the war in Ukraine
MONDAY, JULY 21, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#684) The semantic conundrum of the war in Ukraine by David Benjamin “I haven’t got a brain… only straw.” — Scarecrow, The Wizard of Oz MADISON, Wis. — War is always more about semantics than ideas. This principle applies bleakly to the mess in eastern Ukraine, where an…
Read MoreOink
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#683) Oink by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — Thanks to the Supreme Court’s recent anti-contraception decision, in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, which enshrines in American Constitutional law the novel notion that corporations are not only persons but they’re also, well… holy, we finally have a literary parallel for…
Read MoreBig Bill Benjamin — not to be mistaken for Ward Cleaver
TUESDAY, JULY 1, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#682) Big Bill Benjamin — not to be mistaken for Ward Cleaver by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — My father was largely absent from my life for more than 20 years — during which, presumably, my character was being (mal)formed. As I commiserated at Dad’s funeral among my…
Read MoreWhat about Bob?
THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#680) What about Bob? by David Benjamin “Grosscup here.” “Hello… I’m calling for a Mr. G. Grayling Grosscup, chief executive officer of… let’s see… Gilt Edge Investment Strategies.” “Speaking.” “Oh! Well, hi there. My name is Rosalie Higby — with H.R., at Amalgamated Tanaka USA. Mr. Grosscup, as…
Read MoreThe Bergdahl paradox
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#679) The Bergdahl paradox by David Benjamin “There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be…
Read MoreGreed on Grub Street
THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#678) Greed on Grub Street by David Benjamin “No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money.” — Samuel Johnson MADISON, Wis. — The other day, optimistically, I clicked my way over to Vox, Ezra Klein’s spiffy new online news site. But, as soon as I got…
Read More