Society
Land of the aggrieved, home of the whiny
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2015 The Weekly Screed (#732) Land of the aggrieved, home of the whiny by David Benjamin “I am the most fabulous whiner. I do whine, because I want to win.” — Donald Trump MADISON, Wis. — Excuse me for a moment while I compare Donald Trump, red-state narcissist, to the Rev. Martin…
Read MoreGood fences?
FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2015 The Weekly Screed (#730) “Good fences?” by David Benjamin “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall…” — Robert Frost MADISON, Wis. — The only fence I ever loved was here in Madison, erected around an immense construction site for what became the Elvehjem Art Center. Known modestly as the University…
Read MoreKnow thy caliber, know thyself
MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2015 The Weekly Screed (#725) Know thy caliber, know thyself by David Benjamin PARIS — In the wake of the vicious killings at the Emanuel AME Church, Americans can take some solace in the embrace of psychology — by the National Rifle Association and the Caucasian Caucus of the Republican Party —…
Read MoreThe ministrations of fear
THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015 The Weekly Screed (#718) The ministrations of fear by David Benjamin “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance…” — Franklin Delano Roosevelt, First…
Read MoreA snatch of trade-show jazz
SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015 The Weekly Screed (#711) A snatch of trade-show jazz by David Benjamin BARCELONA — If it’s March, it must be the Mobile World Congress (MWC). January was Vegas and CES. Been to IFA, NAB, CATV, DVB (in Dublin, with whiskey tastings and dog races — loved that), Electronica, CeBit (in Hanover,…
Read MoreDiary of a wetback skip tracer
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#700) Diary of a wetback skip tracer by David Benjamin “ICE deported almost 393,000 people from the U.S. in 2010. At $12,500 per person the cost to remove them was almost $5 billion.” — Associated Press This is the city. Los Angeles. I work here. I’m a dick.…
Read MoreWith friends like these…
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#699) With friends like these… by David Benjamin “… the Islamic State, or ISIS, is homegrown; its aim is not to strike far away, but to spread and impose its vision of Islamic society right here and right now…” — Thomas L. Friedman in Dubai MADISON, Wis. —…
Read MoreThanks, Butch. It’s real white of you
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 The Weekly Screed (#692) Thanks, Butch. It’s real white of you by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — I’ve been a bleeding heart since second grade. That was when, as I peered between the lines of dogmatic drivel in the Baltimore Catechism, it dawned on me that Jesus was the original Christian.…
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 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…
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