Shane’s Excellent New Words: NIMBY versus YIMBY, though not to neglect BANANA
Now I'm hiding in Honduras
I'm a desperate man
Send lawyers, guns and money
The shit has hit the fan
-- Warren Zevon
"Shane's Excellent New Words" was a...
On Memorial Day, I’d prefer DRINKING beer
A few year ago at a bar I frequented, one of the younger 30-something employees was pushing hard for a Memorial Day promotion to...
Diary for 21 July 2021: The artist’s name comes first
Can you name the Pope who commissioned Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel?
Didn't think so. I had to look it up: Julius II.
While I'm...
Diary for 24 July 2021: Oversight of government entities? By the News and Tribune?
Let's begin by defining our terms for those just tuning in.
The News and Tribune (N&T) is a six-day (Monday through Saturday) daily newspaper serving...
The Weekly Wad lives on in the minds of malcontents everywhere
I've expended quite a few words to explain why I try to keep high school memories at arm’s length. At the same time, formative...
Diary for 15 July 2021: Once there was a bridge
Roger, describe your relationship with City Hall in one photo or less. pic.twitter.com/7OZNAjBVAw
— Roger A. Baylor (@newalbanian) March 11, 2021
Twitter games amuse me at...
Diary: Even I have to admit the parade manages to slow traffic
The Harvest Homecoming parade returns today after a year's COVID layoff. Those of you who know me well understand the depth of my love-hate...
ON THE AVENUES: A design for life
Originally written in 2016, lightly edited here.
Throughout my decidedly mediocre high school basketball career, members of the coaching staff often administered what they surely...
Them ominous vultures
Last week we went for a walk to the pharmacy on a day with clear skies and warmth in the air, too early for...
Diary for 1 June 2021: Constructive criticism is seldom tolerated at the grassroots
If there is any one surefire takeaway that springs to mind from my lengthy period of civic engagement — the grassroots era, those "localism"...
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Not Hip & Fewer Hops: A few instructive beers in Ostrava in 1989
(Originally published at Food & Dining Magazine on September 6, 2021.)
For me, drinking beer is not a performative exercise, even if cameos are allowed....
Shane’s Excellent New Words: Hagiography — or haggis?
Welcome to another installment of SHANE'S EXCELLENT NEW WORDS, which was a regular feature of the now defunct NA Confidential blog.
But why new words? Why not the...
Hunter S. Thompson eulogizes Richard M. Nixon (1994): “He Was a Crook.”
Arguably, the finest political obituary in American history. A Twitter friend linked to it recently, remarking that he rereads the piece every few months....
