Author Archives: jameshpyle

Thanksgiving day, 2014 Today I read with gratitude that President Obama pardoned the White House Turkey, named ‘Cheese’ or, as Obama calls him – Cheesy. I noted Cheesy is white and presumably will return to the farm to be eaten … Continue reading →

November 23, 2014 Yesterday I stood in the checkout queue at Barnes & Noble holding a stack of books and the current Poets & Writers magazine when the lady behind me asked about the magazine. I offered to let her … Continue reading →

November 13, 2014 The European Space Agency (ESA) and Kim Kardashian shared today’s front page. ESA landed a space craft on a comet and Kim bared her butt.  The space venture covered four billion miles over ten years of flight … Continue reading →

October 26, 2014   Five years ago my wife gave me a sweat shirt, emblazoned on the front: “Careful, or you’ll end up in my novel”, a gag-gift for a writer/author wannabe that I wore periodically in the fall.  Over … Continue reading →

October 1, 2014 My neighbor and friend is a socialist, originally from Sweden. Both he and his wife are schoolteachers! He abhors big companies and capitalism at its roots. He believes government here, as in Sweden, should manage all aspects … Continue reading →

September 26, 2014 Spoiler alert!!  What follows are the mythical musings of an unrepentant Luddite. Coincidentally, on the same day that Netflix hired a cultural anthropologist to conduct ethnographic research (Google those two) about the changing nature of TV viewing, … Continue reading →

September 17, 2014   A recent NY Times article about foreign money flowing into U.S. think tanks contained the word ‘scholar’ thirteen times. I started to think: What is a scholar? A deity? How does a scholar differ from an … Continue reading →

September 8, 2014   School teachers, doctors and now – police.  All are under assault by the very people they have devoted their lives to helping.  It’s a topsy-turvy world where the lunatics are running the asylum. What could be … Continue reading →

August 12, 2014 Today I received a letter from Tony Parker,  Treasurer of the Republican National Committee, expressing concern that I have abandoned ” the Party” and asking for a contribution. My reply to Mr. Parker follows: Dear Mr. Parker: … Continue reading →

July 14, 2014 (Bastille Day for those of you in Iowa) Readers of this blog know that I love everything French: the food, the wines, the culture, the fashions and the French people themselves. They are a proud, elegant core … Continue reading →