The thing about holidays is, they’re utterly insidious. Evil? Maybe. I certainly wouldn’t be so quick to rule out the idea. Holidays instill a sense of complacency, a lukewarm, mind-numbing sense that everything’s gonna be okay. Not only official holidays (e.g., Christmas) but also the flimsier holidays, the ones who get their names on some […]
So an SUV’s out of your range… What about a BUV?
Let’s see, you’ve got your SUV, and then you’ve got your BUV… The BUV, or “basic utility vehicle,” is low-tech, inexpensive… and rugged enough to handle run-down roads in developing countries. … Ideally, BUVs should have 95 per cent fewer parts than typical cars, weigh no more than 227 kilograms, and sell for less than […]
Posted by Ben on April 22, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/so-an-suvs-out-of-your-range-what-about-a-buv/
Freeway
(1996) directed by Matthew Bright – starring Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland, Wolfgang Bodison, Dan Hedaya, Brooke Shields, and Amanda Plummer
Synopsis: Think ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ meets ‘Pulp Fiction’ meets ‘The Green Mile’ meets Law&Order. Reese plays the symbolic Little Red Riding Hood (her name is Vanessa, but she wears red—close enough, I guess), who flees home to make the journey to her Grandma’s place in Northern California.
Posted by Ben on April 22, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/freeway/
Naturbuhne am Atlantik (a translation)
This is basically a rough-and-tumble translation of the Stern article, “Naturbühne am Atlantik,†originally found here. Fine beaches, steep ravines, clear seas and luxuriant forests besides: Nature has it all figured out in Maine. The U.S. state in the northeast lures both the active traveler and the retiring tourist. For two weeks the “Friendship V†[…]
Posted by Ben on April 21, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/naturbuhne-am-atlantik-a-translation/
I won’t even try to come up with a clever title
Batman and Robin are apparently alive and well, fighting crime and doing good in the streets of… er… Whitley.
Posted by Ben on April 21, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/i-wont-even-try-to-come-up-with-a-clever-title/
Eat Your Asbestos, It’s Good For You
No, really! Well, okay, not really. According to Government data, 43,000 people have been killed by asbestos since 1973. That’s people whose death certificates acknowledge mesothelioma or asbestosis as the cause of death, i.e., definite asbestos deaths, not vague and nonfactual speculation. (Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by asbestos; asbestosis is a disease brought on […]
Posted by Ben on April 21, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/eat-your-asbestos-its-good-for-you/
While visions of burgers danced in their heads
It’s maybe—potentially—a little ironic that the man who helped rejuvenate profits at McDonald’s by introducing a healthier menu has just died of a heart attack.
Posted by Ben on April 20, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/while-visions-of-burgers-danced-in-their-heads/
Remember Sunday?
Hey! Guess what? That thing I was going to write about on Sunday—you know, that neat-o feature where a bunch of people write one story, etc. etc.—has resurfaced. Go vote for your favorite sentence. (I’m partial toward “Hello anteater, welcome to the internet,” but I think one of the other sentences would probably fit better…)
Posted by Ben on April 20, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/remember-sunday/
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
Wouldn’t it be nice to earn $3.5 trillion (and pay $0 in taxes while doing so)? Or to have lunch at the Eagle, where there’s a £25,000 fee for joining and where the police can’t even get in? Just thought I’d ask. (via Christian Science Monitor: “How to earn $3.5 trillion and pay zero taxes” […]
Posted by Ben on April 20, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-famous/
Things to Mull
Comics and Politics: The New Yorker has (well, one of its writers has) an interesting and long article about Aaron McGruder, the guy who created Boondocks. It’s a long, long article, but it may be worth reading solely for the part where, as a special guest at the Nation’s (the lefty newsweekly) birthday party, McGruder […]
Posted by Ben on April 19, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/things-to-mull/