- Proverbs for Paranoids, 3: If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers.—Gravity’s Rainbow
‘Is it about a bicycle?’ he asked.—The Third Policeman Categories
-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Tags
- Armenia
- art
- blogging
- Cleveland
- cycling
- daily life
- ecology
- education
- family
- fauna
- food
- genocide
- Great Britain
- hearth and home
- history
- humor/farce
- Iraq
- Israel
- language
- literature
- mathematics
- media
- Middle East
- militarism
- music
- mysteries
- nature
- patriotism
- philosophy
- phone
- photography
- politics
- privacy
- psychology
- religion
- Russia
- science
- security
- Slovenia
- technology
- terror/-ism
- Turkey
- TV
- U.S.
- Washington DC
Archives
Our Pledge
You will never see an ad here. If you want or need something, we trust you will be able to want or need it without us planting the urge or ache. You certainly do not need our help finding what your heart desires on the internet.- “When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.”—H.G. Wells
More bicycle quotations »
Author Archives: WorldWideWeber
Finally
Pedicabs have come to DC: Kevin Clark—The Washington Post Currently the fare is $4.50 per 10 minutes of riding. No protection from the elements, but it’s a start.
Themes
The other day I found myself whistling a theme from Scheherazade as I pedaled up the ramp in the parking garage, leaving work. And I thought, “Hm.” Not because I was whistling. First of all, the acoustics in the garage … Continue reading
Armor
I was exploring the hotels of Saint Petersburg on the web and found one called Brothers Karamazov. It opened in 2004 and has 28 rooms with all the modern amenities, including internet access. The hotel boasts four special rooms with 19th-century decor, … Continue reading
More
I noticed a sign stapled to a telephone pole on the way to work this morning: WE HAUL EVERYTHING AND MORE! 703-555-1212 One assumes they do more than just haul stuff, not that they carry away more than everything. But … Continue reading
Peaks
Informed Comment is where one goes to keep up with events in the Middle East, courtesy of the indefatigable Prof. Juan Cole. For some time now it has consisted of a relentless barrage of bad news—an unending litany of suicide … Continue reading
Virtues
The thought once occurred to me, years ago, late at night as I was doing the dishes: “Would Henry Kissinger do the things he does, and think the things he thinks, if he did his own dishes?” What I had … Continue reading
Plague
Every once in a while I check the spam filter here in the Basement, just to be sure a legitimate comment hasn’t been trapped. (It hasn’t happened yet.) Today, out of twelve bits of spam, only one was in English. … Continue reading
Unjinxed
The kid is home for the summer and she has been attending my Sunday softball games, thereby doubling our cheering section. She was beginning to get a little spooked, though. After starting the season 5-0 before she came home, we dropped … Continue reading
Weltschmerz
The mood evident in a previous post has not lifted, and a phrase has started rattling around in my head: “The world is too much with us …” Where is that from? Not Shakespeare. Shelley? Coleridge? Keats? No need to … Continue reading
FOIA
Happy Birthday, Freedom of Information Act! Forty years old today. Having just watched Syriana, which purports to show how the world really works, I can say I fully endorse the headline of Jimmy Carter’s commentary: We Need Fewer Secrets. And … Continue reading
