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American Culture

We Ran Her Off the Road

You can’t have a dope business without dopers.” — Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, No Country for Old Men, Cormac McCarthy Copyright 2008 Ben S. Pollock Proposed laws about paparazzi are worse-than-useless. There are already laws on stalking, creating a public nuisance and any number of other categories that would apply and hold up in court […]

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American Culture

Eat Cancer in Our Lifetime

Copyright 2008 Ben S. Pollock One of the outcomes of a Democratic presidential victory come November likely will be national health care sooner not later. And one of the outcomes of national health care will be a sudden and welcome drop in pretentious fundraisers. Nearly nine years ago I wrote an offensive column. I apologized […]

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American Culture

Cotton Candy Club

Driving home from work early Sunday morning, the radio was playing “It Ain’t Necessarily So” from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. The tenor’s voice was to-the-back-of-the-hall soaring, precise in enunciation and emoted with the sass the song demands but rarely gets. This was public radio’s Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson, who said it was Cab Calloway. […]

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American Culture

Old Is the New New

I wish the Toyota Prius wasn’t so ugly. I wish it wasn’t so expensive, either. Some cars are ugly-fun, like the old Beetle and the new Beetle. The PT Cruiser has the charm of a friendly bull terrier. Yet in another year or two I’ll be forced to buy a Prius; my car will have […]

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American Culture

Teddy, the Greatest Kennedy

Copyright 2007 Ben S. Pollock When I clicked on C-SPAN2 midday Tuesday I did not know Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., was giving a speech important enough to make the national news. He was criticizing George II’s veto of a big domestic spending bill. Big Ted, Old Ted, swatting at the Republican in the White […]

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American Culture

Ozarks Media Moments

Yokel teevee is very proud of itself to have wireless capabilities and satellites and compooters and dishes. It forgets the ability to broadcast live, and to broadcast live away from the studio, reaches to the days of the Hindenberg. It’s called a “remote feed.” This morning all the channels have treated us to the landing […]