Author: Eric Scheie

So this is what ends up happening when law abiding gun owners fill out all the proper paperwork, go through background checks, and finally obtain a concealed carry license: So there the Filippidises were on New Year’s Eve eve, southbound on Interstate 95 — John; wife Kally (his Gulf High sweetheart); the 17-year-old twins Nasia…

A mentality I saw reflected in a New York Times piece about middle class New Yorkers that just, well creeped me out: You wish for more; so many others seem to have it, after all — more space, nicer furniture, a greater number of things from Lululemon. But you also harbor a discomfort at possessing…

An article about legal marijuana discusses the frustration of the rulers with the voters, and notes that change comes from the bottom up: Culture is not shaped from the top-down, but the bottom-up. Virtually every major legislative achievement — from civil rights to gay marriage — was precipitated by the people. The politicians had to…

At least we still have “freedom of the press.” Right? Until the anointed few who get to be called “the press” manage to have that freedom defined as belonging only to them. In response to this horror story, (about health insurance companies demanding a government bailout necessitated only by losses occasioned by Obamacare) a friend remarked: This…

If you’re feeling hungry, here are two links that might offer perspective. First, some fascinating bug meal photos. And if that didn’t whet your appetite, here are some lovely vintage recipes for actual dishes which seem to dare anyone to eat them. Bon appetit!

A WSJ editorial reminded me of an annoyance which seems less and less petty: This winter, the American Medical Association classified obesity as a disability. We need to make up our minds. We cannot logically on the one hand widen a definition of disability to include an unlimited number of conditions in order to legislate…

Anyone who doesn’t think dogs are intelligent should watch this! I better not let Coco see it.

Runty reacted to a Youtube video of a dog howling at a siren by howling right back at both of them. He’s got a good howl, if I may say so.

In what is being called “the lead-up to his State of the Union address,” President Obama plans to focus on five so-called “Promise Zones”: President Barack Obama will announce five “Promise Zones” this week as part of his effort to focus on income inequality in the lead-up to his State of the Union address. Promise…

Here’s something I never thought about before. The Mayor of Indianapolis has issued a scary warning: In 10 Minutes You Could Be Dead Without The Proper Clothes Wow. Talk about being a fashion victim! Seriously, what could be worse than to be dead without the proper clothes? I can’t think of a more grave issue.

I liked this juxtaposition of Drudge headlines — one right on top of the other, in this order: STUDY: Moms Who Drink Wine While Pregnant Have Better Behaved Kids… 11-Year-Old Girl Arrested for Stabbing Sleeping Mother 9 Times… Preventive drinking? If we could prevent just one monstrous kid. And if we could save just one…

No matter how awful it may become (and this is a huge storm), Coco never tires of the snow. She has a remnant of an old pair of blue jeans, and she can find it no matter what. Her goal is to embed the blue jeans remnants into the snow and then yank them back…

I’m pissed. I just learned that my convenient neighborhood supermarket will soon be closing. Neighborhood supermarkets are going by the wayside, especially those like mine which are part of a national chain which finds them outmoded. The current trend is towards super megastores which sell a lot more than groceries, and so while my local…

The looniest member yet of the North Korean Kim dynasty is working hard to outdo his ancestors in terms of sheer savage depravity: What’s a fitting way to execute a man labeled “worse than a dog“? If an unconfirmed newspaper report is to be believed, by stripping him naked, throwing him in a cage, and…

David Brooks says legalizing drugs encourages drug use. He may or may not be right, but let’s assume he is. Is it worse to encourage drug use, or to encourage crime? This is no idle question, especially because the sort of crime that is encouraged by the illegality of drugs is not limited to the…

Whether you like it or not, weather ain’t the same as it used to be. Seriously, when I was a kid, weather was just one of those things people talked about as a way of making polite conversation and to keep each other informed in a common-sense manner. No more. Weather is now the occasion…

Something about having Christmas Day and New Years Day each in the middle of the week one week apart makes me think that this classic would be appropriate. From 1962, “Seven Day Weekend,” by Gary U.S. Bonds. Don’t let the picture of the record label fool you. It’s an actual video in there. Or there’s…

The dietary habits of fat people are not my business and I do not want them to be. I say this notwithstanding an emerging trend among certain conservatives: Overeating and not exercising is a choice that often leads to a multitude of health issues like diabetes and heart disease. The obese are being coddled, while…

Earlier a friend sent me a link to an article which he thought indicated a distinct anti-pit-bull bias. Boy, was he not kidding. It turns out that the mayor of an Arizona town had several dogs which got into a fight, and when she and her husband intervened, the aggressive dog killed the mayor’s husband,…

Coco has a longstanding problem with squirrels. She thinks they are treacherous creatures, hell-bent on doing her harm, or at least driving her crazy. While I’ve tended to be dismissive of Coco’s claims, a recent news item made me wonder whether there might actually be a malignant animus in these fluffy-tailed rates that induces violence,…