Upcoming Events:
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
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#662) Judge not, lest ye be screwed by the Russian judge by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — The first Olympics in my recollection were the 1960 Winter Games in Squaw Valley. The memories, in grainy black and white, consist almost entirely of endless, redundant ski jumping (on tiny…
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#661) Why is this man bellyaching? by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — Bill Schoonover is alive and cancerous, and living in Oak Harbor, Washington. I know about Bill because Judy, my Republican friend in Fort Myers, is hooked into the Right-Wing Chain Letter Network. Judy thoughtfully shared with…
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#660) Sky lantern by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — When I look back, my friendship with Paul Keeffe seemed to spring up almost instantaneously. On first sight, there was a glint of mischief in his eyes that told me he was One of Us. He was a new…
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#659) George Jetson might have been more convincing… by David Benjamin “The future of mobility will be done by electronics and — for sure — fun to drive!” – Rupert Stadler, Chairman, Audi Aktiengesellschaft MADISON, Wis. — Every year, one of the corporate Power Point extravaganzas at the…
FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#658) Our gay president, and how he got that way by David Benjamin “If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.” – Adolf Hitler MADISON, Wis. — In a documentary film that few will ever see — The Unknown Known…
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2013 The Weekly Screed (#657) The importance of not being visibly earnest by David Benjamin “Hipsters seeking Sel Rrose restaurant last month were startled to see…” The New York Times, 9 Dec. ‘13 MADISON, Wis. — My first encounter with the term “hipster” in its new — pejorative — formulation was in…
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2013 The Weekly Screed (#656) Saving Captain Miller by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — In the film, Saving Private Ryan, when Tom Hanks’ character, Capt. Miller, reveals his civilian job — “I’m a schoolteacher” — it comes as a chastening surprise to his rebellious squad, and to the audience. Although it should…
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2013 The Weekly Screed: Christmas Bonus The Night before Christ…Mouse? by David Benjamin … with apologies to Clement Moore and all those who are sick and tired of silly parodies (To be read aloud, with gusto, between renditions of “Jingle Bells” and “Santa Baby”) ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through…
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2013 The Weekly Screed (#655) Hairbreadth Harry and the great Christmas escape by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — I’ve always loved Christmas… after a fashion. From the first time I could figure it out (after getting past the big Santa Claus deception), I grew more and more fond of Christmas as an…
TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2013 The Weekly Screed (#642) Alice returns to Dairyland by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — Earlier this month, I cajoled Alice out of New Jersey and back to Madison, where we celebrated her 50th anniversary as a teacher in the town where her career began. The occasion marked Alice’s reunion with several…