Luke Mazur
Most Recently: Understanding the Difference Between Being Unemployed and Being Unemployable
Understanding the Difference Between Being Unemployed and Being Unemployable
The People
These days we the people are emoting. And it’s not just Sarah Palin trumpeting around, and Carl Paladino mad as hell. Even people to the left of Attila the Hun are pissed. Jon Stewart’s rallying and calling the President timid. Tom Friedman is sad we’re not number one anymore. Mike Bloomberg is so fired up that he’s endorsed Meg Whitman to become governor of California. READ MORE
Pop Quiz: Did Carl Paladino Say This?
Buffalo is buzzing over native son Carl Paladino, Republican candidate for governor of the State of New York. Given Buffalo's losing streak generally, Carl probably does not have a great shot at the statehouse come November. But recent polls do indicate that in today's Republican primary, Carl is virtually tied with Rick Lazio. You may remember Rick as the guy who wagged his finger at First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton on her march to the Foggy Bottom. READ MORE
Elements of Stale: How I Have Missed George W. Bush
I had some questions for George W. Bush, but the ex-president is more elusive than Kanye West. I just couldn't figure out how to get a hold of him. What follows is my fake conversation with the son of the forty-first President of the United States of America. Which is to say, he actually said these things once. Just not to me. READ MORE
Six Area Codes In Which At Least One Collection Agency Is Located
6. 847 (Illinois, including Cook County) READ MORE
The Brian Hansen Poolhouse
Summer is creeping ever closer. In fact, here it comes! But first, a look back. READ MORE
Elements of Stale: Having Had Been Buffaloed
A friend emailed me last week. The subject line read: "Have you seen this?" The body of the email was without text-just a pasted in Wikipedia entry for "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo." READ MORE
Elements of Stale, with Luke Mazur: Leaving the Green Lane Country Club
Maybe some of that $15 million Columbia University just received for a center devoted to digital journalism can be used to figure out why there are, as of now, two Jersey Shore posts here on this website, over the course of just two days. The same grant can pay someone to parse how Avatar, Katie Roiphe's favorite authors and pop sociology intersect with any of this. Until then, let me do my part. READ MORE
Elements of Stale, with Luke Mazur: Sister, You're A Poet
So last Sunday I read an op-ed in the Times, where some dude argues in favor of Catholic priests saying Mass, while facing the direction opposite of the congregation. Now, this op-ed was most wacky to me not because of anything inherently awkward about facing away from the people you're talking to. (But, yes.) Or because Kenneth J. Wolfe assumes that there is very much of a congregation these days not to face. (Ha, I think.) But because I remember learning back in high school that the Catholic Church had already reversed this practice once before. READ MORE
Elements of Stale, with Luke Mazur: The Text
So in high school we were forced to buy this English language handbook called Warriner's. The book was bright red like an biohazard needle drop box, but that has nothing to do with the fact that the faculty revered it. Some teachers, particularly the much older ones, referenced it regularly. The Jesuits, who could be iffy on the existence of God and other metaphysical questions, were dogmatic about whatever the hell Warriner's decreed. Its rules of grammar and composition were gospel. READ MORE
