Whenever you doubt the capacity of baseball to embarrass itself at the worst possible time, remember nights like Monday. Only baseball could take its showcase event, the World Series, and turn it into a farce. ...more

October 28, 2008

Last week I was miffed at the elections office; this week I've crossed over into being just plain disgusted. ...more

October 11, 2008

For the last fortnight, the political conventions have been providing their usual fare: lots of stagecraft, non-stop schmooze-control, celebrity scrutiny, "defining-moment" speeches and over-analysis fodder for pundits and partisans. The ambience is equal parts pep rally, infomercial and Rotarian reunion. Time was when these conventions actually chose a presidential candidate. Back when smoke-filled back rooms were no mere metaphors. Now these gatherings rubber-stamp and coronate candidates. Which explains, in part, why some of Hillary's Harridans won't concede. The other part is that for those women who have outsourced their identities to Hillary Clinton, this election is no longer about the party and the country – it's about them. But enough, at least in this space, on that. ...more

September 3, 2008

Despite the bursting of the housing bubble, it's still possible to buy homes with no money down. In fact, it's possible to borrow up to 105 percent of the purchase price, leaving the buyer with more debt than the house is worth. ...more

June 10, 2008