HELIOLITH

The NPR morning news today reported that some parents are upset that the military checks into the files of high schoolers ages 16 to 18. The reporter stated that they may look into the students’ grades, ethnicity, and home addresses in preparation for recruiting them when they come of age. The military has access to […]

I just got home from giving my friend his birthday present. I brought him to the Story Corps sound booth in Grand Central Station and interviewed him. His stories and my questions are now part of the Library of Congress. I have been planning this for about two weeks, and I got super nervous right […]

Or at least I’m trying to. I hear it’s more fun than the logical reasoning section (yes I’m studying for the LSAT) and anyway if you have fun then you’ll do better, right? So. Read on if you feel like putting your brain through some calisthenics.

I think there is something wrong with this question. I’m […]

I heard on NPR about ten days ago that a bus between Pakistan and India was going to start running again, despite the danger of transporting people through the Kashmir. The program aired the stories of people who hadn’t seen their relatives for years, and were willing to stay with the police […]

I went to see the Kehinde Wiley exhibit yesterday at the Brooklyn Museum during the blizzard. It was amazing, really. In “Passing/Posing” the artist paints these gorgeous vibrant portraits of young black men. They dress in their own clothes, basketball jerseys and jeans, gold chains and cellphones. They choose poses from art books, from older […]

Boing Boing posted a link to this cartoon which is to me a perfect visual counterpart to the writers in Geoff Dyer’s novels. Short and sweet post today. Happy New Year.

If none of the arguments for peace thus far have persuaded the Americans who still support the war, perhaps Reservist Wilson’s questions of Rumsfeld yesterday will hit home. When Rumsfeld went to Kuwait to give war-bound army reservists a pep talk, he found himself confronted by several angry soldiers unintimidated by rank. One asked […]

Here I am, trying to make a dent in my Easter candy (it somehow lasted longer than Halloween’s), and cleaning up my desk. I found a business card I’d almost forgotten about. Weeks ago, while I was waiting tables, a customer left the card with his cash on the table when he left. He left […]

The lettering on the homepage of Coalition of Women for Peace puts into print the ideology of the group. Arabic letters alongside Hebrew letters translated into English below.

One group, Women in Black, gathers in prominent public places wearing all black and carrying signs to protest the occupation. Another, Neled: Women for Coexistence, puts together regular […]

H’s input on our Bush/Kerry family debate was so excellent I decided I had to include it here. This is a guest entry and I will attribute the excerpt when I find out its origin. Its brilliance will have to suffice for the time being. Leave it to H to respond in rhyme! (origin […]