Upcoming Events:
Thursday, 11 June, noon - Book talk, An Apartment in Paris, Rockford Rotary Club, Rockford, Illinois
Wednesday, 8 July, noon - Book Talk, An Apartment in Paris, Mount Horeb Rotary Club, Mount Horeb, Wisconsin
Monday, 13 July, 11:15 am - Book Talk, An Apartment in Paris, Verona Community Center, 108 Paoli Street, Verona, Wisconsin
Tuesday, 14 July, 7 pm - A Dialog on Writing with Dave Wood, Whitehall Public Library, 18560 Scranton Street, Whitehall, Wisconsin.
The Weekly Screed
Useless stuff I’m glad I learned (mostly in high school) by David Benjamin “… And we, so sadly past the bonfire and celebration of our birth, Shall burn quietly, Passing, on a zephyr, into a new realm And blaze anew.” — David Benjamin, Robert M. LaFollette High school yearbook, 1967 MADISON, Wis. — Looking forward…
“… Many sides, many sides…” by David Benjamin “We are determined to take our country back. We are going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump. That’s what believed in. That’s why we voted for Donald Trump.” — David Duke, former Imperial Wizard, Ku Klux Klan MADISON, Wis. — Well hooray for David Duke. Duke…
Big Al, Big Kim and Little Don by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — It’s fashionable at the moment to discern an uncanny similarity between the “nut jobs” — one in New Jersey, the other in Pyongyang — who’ve been, for several days, pissing figuratively on one another’s shoes. Indeed, both Donald Trump and Kim Jong…
Our common wealth by David Benjamin “When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’” — John 4:7 PARIS — The history of great cities always involves water — how much water the city consumes, where it comes from, what happens if there isn’t enough, who controls…
Slobs abroad by David Benjamin “There ought to be a law prohibiting over three Americans going anywhere abroad together.” — Will Rogers PARIS — Tourists, tourists, tourists! You’re everywhere, and you’re underfoot. You bump into me, you bump into each other. What in God’s name are you eating? Why are you eating on the street? People…
On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a Commie by David Benjamin “I believe Putin will continue to re-build the Russian Empire. He has zero respect for Obama or the U.S.!” — Donald Trump, 21 March 2014 PARIS — The Republicans have become a party of Commie dupes and Russian apparatchiks. In response to this charge, you…
Death on the Queen Mary by David Benjamin SOMEWHERE IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC — Trust me. When I signed up for this trans-Atlantic crossing on the QM2 with my main squeeze, Hotlips, I wasn’t planning a busman’s holiday. All I wanted was to eat, drink, get up a five-day game of euchre and sack out…
It’s all about the weld by David Benjamin “What a newspaper needs in its news, in its headlines, and on its editorial page is terseness, humor, descriptive power, satire, originality, good literary style, clever condensation and accuracy, accuracy, accuracy.” — Joseph Pulitzer MADISON, Wis. — For one sweltering summer in Orlando, I was a cub steelworker.…
Brevity is the soul of politics by David Benjamin “Being president is like being a jackass in a hailstorm. There’s nothing to do but stand there and take it.” — Lyndon Johnson MADISON, Wis. — Herbert Hoover sealed his political fate when he said, “Prosperity is just around the corner.” His problem? Verbosity. In politics you…
Booksellers and booksmellers by David Benjamin “I know every book of mine by its scent, and I have but to put my nose between its pages to be reminded of all sorts of things.” — George Gissing MADISON, Wis. — I started smelling books — every serious reader does this — at the Tomah Public Library,…