Monthly Archives: October 2015

The Yellow Traffic Light

Posted on October 31, 2015 by Roger Walck

“At Yellow Lights, Timing is Everything,” by Jo Craven McGinty. The Wall Street Journal, 10/31/2015. Busy Concord Pike is only a block away from my home, so I spend a lot of time both on it and waiting at a … Continue reading →

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Police and the People

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Roger Walck

Opinion, The Wall Street Journal, 10/29/2015. FBI Director James B. Comey,  from a speech October 23: “A chill wind has changed police behavior, and now violent crime is rising.  Its victims are almost entirely young black men.” Far more people … Continue reading →

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New Definitions For New Correctness

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Roger Walck

“Notable & Quotable: Equity and Inclusion.” The Wall Street Journal, 7/22/2015. Like me, you are probably falling behind in the new politically correct terminology. This list should help you keep up—a glossary from the Spring, 2015 issue of Andover Magazine, … Continue reading →

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The Old Man and the Penguin

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Roger Walck

“Beached in Brazil, a Young Penguin Finds a Human Soul Mate, 71” by Paul Kiernan. The Wall Street Journal, 10/23/2015. Jinjing the penguin routinely visits a steamy tropical island in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro and hangs out with his former … Continue reading →

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More On Fantasy Football

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Roger Walck

“The Deals That Made Daily Fantasy Take Off,” by Matthew Futterman and Sharon Terlep. The Wall Street Journal, 10/17/2015. “Understanding Fantasy Football,” this blog, posted on September 21, 2015. When events seem to explode out of nowhere, it is usually … Continue reading →

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Your Obituary Photo

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Roger Walck

I would advise everyone to have a photo suitable for their obituary ready and known to their next-of-kin. It can be of you at any age, whenever you feel was your best time, which is probably not now. Or you … Continue reading →

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Walden

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Roger Walck

“Pond Scum,” by Kathryn Schulz. The New Yorker, 10/19/2015. Agggg! Pond scum? A hatchet job on my transformational author, Henry David Thoreau (whose name was really “David Henry Thoreau”)? He was, Schulz says, “self-obsessed: narcissistic, fanatical about self-control, adamant that … Continue reading →

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The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Roger Walck

Now that my wife has stopped drinking coffee, I make my own, one cup each day, standing alone in the cold early morning kitchen, shivering in the glare of the too-white florescents, the sun is not yet up and my … Continue reading →

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Too Much Archaeology

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Roger Walck

“The Big Dig,” by Elif Batuman. The New Yorker, 8/31/2015. (This article is a prime example of an article I had initially passed over as lying outside of my sphere of interest, but one I later got drawn into during … Continue reading →

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Super Bowl L

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Roger Walck

No, you will never see such a designation for this season’s fiftieth Super Bowl. Why? The short answer is because the NFL has discontinued using Roman numerals. The longer answer is that they stopped because “L” normally stands for “loser,” … Continue reading →

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