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Normism: The Philosophy of Norm Macdonald, a short book I wrote about the late great comedian, is available on Amazon.
Author Archives: Max West
Karl Kraus
From Russell Jacoby’s review of The Kraus Project: Essays by Karl Kraus, translated and annotated by Jonathan Franzen, et al: Kraus dabbled in anti-Semitism. He was Jewish himself—or rather he was born Jewish but joined the Catholic Church in 1911 … Continue reading
Posted in History, Jewish, Literature
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On Being Human in an Age of Distraction
Gracy Olmstead reviews Matthew Crawford’s book The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction: The subtitle to his latest book promises a look at our “age of distraction.” There have been a plethora of … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Existentialism, Philosophy
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Sgt. MacKenzie
I first heard the Scottish traditional “Sgt. MacKenzie“, written and sung by Joseph Kilna MacKenzie, in Mel Gibson’s excellent Vietnam-era film We Were Soldiers (2002). Joseph MacKenzie wrote the haunting lament after the death of his wife, Christine, and in … Continue reading
Posted in Music
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The Lost Pyramids of Meroë
The Atlantic has some fantastic photos of the lost pyramids of Meroë, which is a stretch of desert north of Khartoum: In a desert in eastern Sudan, along the banks of the Nile River, lies a collection of nearly 200 … Continue reading
Posted in History
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On David Letterman
Jessica Winter writes on the seminal influence David Letterman had on her adolescence, something I concur with. In the mid-80s, Letterman was it: To my suburban elementary-school self, David Letterman was a window into urban adult life. He was a … Continue reading
Grapefruit Old Fashioned
This one has been going down nicely now that spring is here. There’s a million variations, but with sage already in season, this is the combo I’ve taken a liking to: 3 pts. Kentucky Bourbon 1 pt. grapefruit juice 2 … Continue reading
Posted in Libations
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Bronson (2008)
After watching the underrated neo-noir film Drive (2011), which is an outstanding movie, and the equally underrated film Valhalla Rising (2009), the latter a dark and moody, surrealistic Viking-era film shot in the remote highlands of Scotland and which stars … Continue reading
Posted in Film
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NYT: Linda Richman’s Most-Emailed List
What never ceases to amaze me is how the stories that, each day, make the NYT’s “Most Emailed” list, serve as a connect-the-dots portrait of Linda Richman, the typical NYT reader and influence peddler. For example: Linda is retired or … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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E.U. to Launch Military Operations vs. Immigrant Smugglers
The byline of a NYT piece titled “E.U. Plans to Act Against Smugglers in Migrant Crisis” “As private rescue operations of stranded migrants continue, the European Union will ask the United Nations for permission to launch military operations against smuggling … Continue reading
Posted in Europe, Immigration
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Behavioural Economics Bummer
In its predictive power and future for marketers in the fields of commerce and politics, the field of behavioural economics is… depressing… Depressing in that a science will likely evolve with an evermore powerful and nuanced ability to predict, for … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Existentialism
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