Upcoming Events:
Saturday, 13 December, 6 pm
Book Talk, “Unexpected Variations on the Theme of Christmas,” Garden Wall Bookshop (formerly Kismet Books) 101 N. Main St., Verona, Wis.
Friday, 16 January, 6 pm
Book Talk, Signing and Sale, An Apartment in Paris, Benjamin's Mess, The Gathering Place, 715 Campus St., Milton, Wis.
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The Weekly Screed
by David Benjamin “Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.” —Proverbs 17:28 PARIS.—Lately in airport lounges, I’m feeling a little snakebit, or—more accurately—phone-battered. On my way here, in the “Admiral’s Club,” I found a comfortable chair, with a nearby table and only one neighbor. I had…
by David Benjamin “We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink.” — Epicurus MADISON, Wis.—Based on a whim and a need for frequent flyer miles, Hotlips booked us recently on a trip to Santa Fe. I was somewhat dubious of our destination, a town that…
by David Benjamin “American manufacturers have cut more than 80,000 jobs in the past year.” — Ben Casselman and Ana Swanson, “In 2025, Trade Deficit in Goods Reached Record High,” New York Times, 19 Feb. MADISON, Wis.—Whenever I head east toward Chicago on I-90, I pass a familiar, almost nostalgic landmark, the now mothballed Chrysler…
by David Benjamin “Another day, another round of pedophiles, violent thugs, and human traffickers removed from American communities. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE is targeting and removing the WORST OF THE WORST criminal illegal aliens terrorizing American families.” ―Tricia McLaughlin MADISON, Wis.—Despite a decorous embargo by the establishment media, you might have noticed…
by David Benjamin “Color is just not real enough … Perhaps it is for television, where your audience is sitting in a room with the lights on. But in a dark theater, confronted by that huge screen, I feel that it’s just not convincing.” ―Carol Reed MADISON, Wis.—On the eighteenth anniversary of D-Day, in the…
by David Benjamin “Hey, sunshine I haven’t seen you in a long time Why don’t you show your face and bend my mind?” ―Simon & Garfunkel, “Cloudy” MADISON, Wis.—While I was half-listening to a CD in my car, a snatch of lyrics brought her back to me in a rush. Technically, I guess, she was…
by David Benjamin “John Henry said to his cap’n, ‘Oh, a man ain’t nothin but a man, And before I let that steam drill beat me down, I’ll die with this hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord, I’ll die with this hammer in my hand’ …” ―Josh White, “The Story of John Henry” MADISON, Wis.—During…
by David Benjamin LAS VEGAS—At a giant annual trade show whose emphasis is on the all-new and “innovative,” the vibe at the House of Journalists this year was refreshingly old-school. This residential subset of an immense media presence at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was launched five years ago by Scott Fosgard, a veteran of…
by David Benjamin “‘No grownups allowed’ was, after all, the principle that defined every kid’s kidhood. You took orders from grownups. You ate the food they fed you (unless it was liver or Brussels sprouts). You went to bed when they said. You went to school because they said. You got stuff from them—clothes, dimes,…
by David Benjamin “That’s the difference between crime and business. For business you gotta have capital. Sometimes I think it’s the only difference.” ― Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye MADISON, Wis.—It was 1968, the bloodiest year in what came to be loosely termed the counterculture. I had hitchhiked to Chicago on a lovelorn mission that…