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More evidence that humor doesn’t sell…

4 March 2005

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In honor of World Book Day (who knew?), Amazon.com has released a list of its 2004 bestsellers, broken out by country. Guess what was #1 in the U.S.? That’s right, America: A Guide to Democracy Inaction. Publishers, get your excuses ready!

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Tuesday blog-em-up

7 December 2004

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Jon Schwarz is said to tear The New Yorker a new one in this post. But constructively, always constructively, and with great love. Matt Taibbi’s column in the New York Press this week pinpoints EXACTLY what’s wrong with the Democratic Party (via This Modern World, which also has a nice post here).

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A pet peeve generates a predictable screed

9 September 2004

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There’s is nothing–NOTHING–I hate more than authors who defend business-as-usual in the American publishing industry. The way books are published is illogical, inefficient, sloppy, arrogant, and massively tilted towards the middlemen (and I include the publisher in that group) at the expense of the person or people who actually create the intellectual property for sale. [...]

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A couple of tidbits from the NY Observer…

30 April 2004

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Ron Rosenbaum writes an interesting column about newspapers and management-consulting bullshit. And Robert Sam Anson gives John Kerry some excellent advice.

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I love the UK!

19 April 2004

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I do, I really do. Regular readers of this blog know of my used book addiction; according to The Independent, all of the United Kingdom also shares this problem. My feelings about the US, however, remain mixed. Those of you interested in tracking political news, especially the situation in Iraq, are heartily encouraged to investigate [...]

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News of the day…

17 December 2003

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Apparently cartoonist Aaron MacGruder struck a nerve at the recent birthday celebration for The Nation. The Boondocks creator said that the American left-wing should “be mean” if necessary, doing whatever it takes to win power. He even–horrors!–castigated Gore for losing in 2000. “Noble failure is not good enough,” he said. He’s right. Let’s get rid [...]

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You all might as well know…

30 October 2003

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…that I have a soft spot for Hugh Hefner. First of all, he ran his college humor magazine (at the University of Illinois, called I believe The Shaft–but maybe that’s just too perfect). Second, in the 50s and 60s, he was a real champion of comedy and cartooning–and he remains a proponent of jazz. All [...]

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FOX Vs. Franken Thrown Out of Court…

23 August 2003

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FOX’s suit versus Al Franken’s new book got exactly the treatment it deserved today. One hopes that it was expensive enough a lesson in First Amendment law that FOX will stop filing frivolous lawsuits against obviously satirical products.

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Same old skin?

30 June 2003

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As some of you may know, Playboy is trying to appeal to a younger audience. So, over the last few months, they’ve switched editors, moved to New York, and rejiggered the editorial content. The first issue of this new breed is coming out soon–the Chicago Tribune took a look at an advance copy and gave [...]

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What are your favorite magazines?

12 June 2003

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The Chicago Tribune asked its writers this question, and here’s the list they came up with. There are plenty of old warhorses, but the list is worth reading for the surprises. I can vouch for #1, Cook’s Illustrated–or, rather, Kate can. And I was glad to see the British music magazines Q and Mojo get [...]

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