Which is harder, singing or acting?

The actor will insist acting is harder, for while the singer enjoys the luxury of the music to set the proper mood, the actor lacks this powerful emotional stimulant, and, thus bereft of the external crutch that is always there for the singer to lean and to draw on, must generate the requisite state of mind and emotions solely from the inside out.

The singer will counter by pointing to music’s relentless timing, which compels her to be ready on the count of … Read More →

In a somewhat grotesque attempt to one-up and out-buffoon Miley Cyrus’ racy antics of late, and presumably under the gauzy pretext of promoting sexual empowerment for women, Beyoncé recently released an eye-roller titled Partition (see video above).

As per the accompanying album credits, this wondrous ditty was concocted by Terius Nash, Beyoncé Knowles, Justin Timberlake, Timothy Mosly, Jerome Harmon, Key Wayne, and Mike Dean.

That’s seven people. That’s right. It apparently required the sweat of seven (!) pairs of brows to come up with a … Read More →

We cannot not communicate.

There is no such thing as “keeping to ourselves.”

No matter how hard we may try to conceal what goes on inside of us, it will out one way or another. (This fact completes the triad of certainties in life, death and taxes being the other two.)

To communicate is like playing whack-a-mole: the instant we flatten with our mallet the mole hill over here, it will … Read More →

Climate change can now be considered another weapon of mass destruction, perhaps even the world’s most fearsome weapon of mass destruction. (John Kerry)

Speaking of weapons of mass destruction, remember those stockpiles allegedly harbored by Saddam as per intelligence reports widely deemed credible save by a handful of dissenting skeptics?

In 2002, referring to France’s reluctance to join the then-coalition of the willing, David Letterman famously quipped that “the last time the French asked for more proof, it came marching into Paris under a German flag.”

If these stockpiles existed, it stood to reason that the Iraqi regime could have plied terrorist organizations with chemical and biological warfare … Read More →

In order to engage in any meaningful debate—emphasis on meaningful—the contending parties must first determine exactly what is in dispute, i.e., identify the true heart of the controversy.

In classical rhetoric, the term stasis, which literally means a “point of rest,” refers to the fulcrum point a dispute revolves around—the point where neither force can proceed because the other force opposes it.

Unless the stasis of a given squabble is clarified, one invariable gets the sense that the disputants are talking … Read More →

A woman cannot possibly understand what it is like to get kicked in the balls.

Although technically accurate in the narrowest of senses, the above statement also happens to be blatantly condescending toward women, as it implies that, in general, women are incapable of grasping the relatively simple concept of physical pain.

Or, in case they might indeed be familiar with said concept as a result of having experienced physical pain themselves at one point or another, that they couldn’t possibly project the experience onto sentient creatures outside of themselves.

To declare that a woman cannot possibly understand what it is like to get kicked in the balls is tantamount to saying that … Read More →

How big is Israel really, its present borders notwithstanding?

The other day, in a televised discussion on Israel’s occupation of and settlement-building activity in a particular part of the geographic region referred to as Palestine that is claimed by both the Jewish state as well as its less recognized Arab neighbor, one of the participants—who, I suppose, would be characterized as a hardline “Zionist” by his detractors—held up what he described as an ancient Hebrew coin allegedly dredged up during the construction of said settlements in the disputed territory and presented it as evidence that Jews had been there first and that it was impossible to “occupy” what is yours to begin with.

In other words, that, when it comes to the construction of Israeli settlements in Palestine, the Arabs ought … Read More →

When you have a problem, what’s the last thing you want to hear?

As for myself, I dread the shopworn consolation staple “You’re not alone.”

Talk about adding insult to injury.

Sure, whatever spot of bother I happen to find myself in may well turn out to be a rather crowded place, and one ought not to curse one’s counselor for speaking the truth, nor for offering an opinion with sincerity no matter how potentially tenuous its alignment with the facts.

What irritates me to no end, though, is when the assurance that I have plenty of company in my plight is presented … Read More →

Here’s one Yuletide carol you’ve never heard before, because I wrote it. It comes with a little lyrics video (see above).

I dare you to find me another Christmas carol that contains the word “tintinnabulation.”

The lyrics are posted here. The MP3 can be downloaded on iTunes or Amazon.