The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

Blog Posts

Doctor Cleveland's picture

Happy Fourth of July (Boston Iced Tea Edition)

I'm enjoying the Glorious Fourth from my front porch, with Old Glory flying and a whole fridgeful of red and blue berries just waiting for some patriotic whipped cream to make them a virtuous Yankee dessert. Later today, my Red Sox will be taking on the British Commonwealth's only big-league baseball team, Toronto. I hope they do the Sons of Liberty proud.

In honor of the day, a recipe and a bit of historical trivia. First, the recipe:

Boston Harbor Iced Tea
1. Brew Darjeeling tea and ice it.

Topics: 
Doctor Cleveland's picture

The Last White Gangster

The FBI has caught Whitey Bulger, after a mere sixteen years. The arrest made national news because of the FBI's well-earned embarrassment and because of the mythology around Bulger. As a crime boss, Bulger was not nationally significant. He was a formidable gang leader with firm control over one slice of Boston's organized crime, but it was only a slice.

Doctor Cleveland's picture

No Privacy. Just Privilege

The media can't resist talking about Congressman Weiner's penis. That's no surprise. The American entertainment industry exists to talk about penises and the things various penises like. And our news media is only a minor subsidiary of that entertainment empire.

Doctor Cleveland's picture

Revisiting LeBron (and Retaining Employees)

So, last summer LeBron James decided to leave Cleveland, leading to a massive outburst of Clevesentment and a widespread belief that Cleveland had burned down among my friends and family who don't live there (and not just among them, judging from the search terms that old post collected). A year later, he's gotten himself to the NBA Finals for the first time in his career.

Doctor Cleveland's picture

Jared Loughner Is Insane (And We Just Noticed)

So, Jared Loughner, who tried to murder Gabby Giffords, has been found unfit to stand trial because he is too mentally ill to insist his defense. Loughner, among other things, is apparently loudly insisting that Giffords is actually dead, because he succeeded in murdering her. That's pretty much the definition of "unable to assist in your defense" right there.

Doctor Cleveland's picture

Longing for the End of the World

So, for most of May Christianity has been in the news. Or rather, a tiny splinter of Christianity has. The leader of a tiny religious organization predicted the Rapture on May 21, and there was lots of news coverage.

Doctor Cleveland's picture

What Pakistan Knows

Since Pakistan's recent double embarrassment in the Osama bin Laden affair, in which they proved unable to detect either bin Ladin living half a mile from their chief military academy or an American helicopter raid deep in the Pakistani interior (i.e. half a mile from their military academy), angry American legislators have been asking What Pakistan Knew about OBL's presence in their country.

Let me try to reframe that question with another one:

Does the President of Pakistan know who had his wife killed?

Doctor Cleveland's picture

Torture Is for Liars

A week ago, with barely a pause for breath, advocates of torture began claiming that torturing prisoners had been the key to finding Osama bin Laden. Indeed, some complained that the Obama Administration had been insufficiently deferential to the torturers from the last regime.

They made this assertion with no real evidence and no solid facts. This should surprise no one. If they were interested in facts or evidence, they would not advocate torture.

Here's the thing to remember:

Topics: 
Doctor Cleveland's picture

Run, Donald, Run

So, Barack Obama has given in to the birther lunatics -- or rather, to their enablers in the national press -- and released his long-form birth certificate. Which of course, won't stop the lunatic birthers. But it's not clear that Obama actually intends it to. This is in many ways a classic Obama move.

Topics: 
Doctor Cleveland's picture

Codes of Silence

There's sad news from Princeton where a lecturer who was apparently in danger of losing his job has taken his own life. That's a terrible thing.

Pages

TypeTitleAuthorRepliesLast updated
Reader blogDying To Get Out Of CVS Pharmacy Michael Maiello1714 years 1 month ago
Blog entryRealism About the Housing Mess Doctor Cleveland814 years 1 month ago
Blog entryBailout II: The Sequel Doctor Cleveland6914 years 1 month ago
Reader blogWould the GOP Defend Obamacare all the Way to the Supreme Court? NCD714 years 1 month ago
Reader blogThe Know Your Lender Act Of 2011 Michael Maiello914 years 1 month ago
Blog entryIs the Castle Doctrine for people that can afford castles? Donal414 years 1 month ago
Blog entryBreaking: Chilean Miners On Their Way to the Surface, One by One Orlando1314 years 1 month ago
Blog entryI'm Not a Witch Either: Christine O'Donnell Is Not the Youest of the You Michael Wolraich1714 years 1 month ago
Reader blogGlenn Beck: a clown by moonlight David Seaton2514 years 1 month ago
Blog entryWomen Against Christine O'Donnell Doctor Cleveland2214 years 1 month ago
Blog entryStuff I Want to Learn: Sociology Edition Orlando2714 years 1 month ago
Reader blogAn Elitist Takes On Obama Michael Maiello1114 years 1 month ago
Reader blogBianca Jagger meets Chicken Little Donal414 years 1 month ago
Blog entryDeadman: A quick reintroduction and quicker lament Deadman3114 years 1 month ago
Blog entryTHERE SHALL BE POOPY-EATING William K. Wolfrum1714 years 1 month ago
Reader blogShut your damned Enthusiasm Gap and get out there and DO something Ramona2414 years 1 month ago
Blog entry21st Century Education: SUNY Albany Edition Doctor Cleveland1714 years 1 month ago
Blog entryThe Senate Sucks or Waiting for Obama DF1814 years 1 month ago
Blog entryCould You Repeat That in English? We're Global. Doctor Cleveland814 years 1 month ago
Blog entryPalin vs. the Tea Party Doctor Cleveland814 years 1 month ago
Reader blogFirefighting and Capitalism, from Marcus Licinius Crassus to Obion County, Tennessee NCD6214 years 1 month ago
Blog entryJames O'Keefe and Dildo Journalism William K. Wolfrum714 years 1 month ago
Reader blogGodspeed Tyler Clementi oleeb814 years 1 month ago
Blog entryThe Second Amendment Right to Kill You Doctor Cleveland4314 years 1 month ago
Blog entryJust suck it up and read my blog, letharg William K. Wolfrum914 years 1 month ago

Pages