A Somewhat Wicked Early Look at the 2024 US Senate Elections

I am a bit late to the party this year. Normally, I publish “wicked early looks” at elections for United States Senate (“Senate”), governor, United States House of Representatives (“House”) and – in years divisible by four – president, in the spring of the preceding year. For various reasons, however, including developing a YouTube channel … Continue reading A Somewhat Wicked Early Look at the 2024 US Senate Elections →

Jimmy Rollins belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame

Reporting on the previous day’s Philadelphia Phillies game, Bob Brookover began his September 18, 2000 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer this way: “Excitement, an ingredient that has so often been marked absent during this sorry Phillies season, made a return appearance yesterday at Veterans Stadium. It came from the youthful exuberance and raw talent … Continue reading Jimmy Rollins belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame →

Something Is Fishy With Recent Biden Approval Polls

Almost every day, what appear first on FiveThirtyEight’s compilation of the latest polls are new polls assessing whether respondents approve or disapprove of the job Joe Biden is doing as president. As of December 14, 2023 – at least, according to the FiveThirtyEight aggregation method – 38.0% approve of the job Biden is doing as … Continue reading Something Is Fishy With Recent Biden Approval Polls →

Surrealist Epic Post-Thanksgiving Poem, 2023 Edition

Yes, the following epic poem is far more Dadaist than Surrealist. Since 2012, I have been solely responsible – by choice – for cleaning the kitchen, dining room and living room following the Thanksgiving meals prepared (mostly) by my wife Nell, accompanied by music on my classic flywheel iPod. In 2015, I prepared a mix … Continue reading Surrealist Epic Post-Thanksgiving Poem, 2023 Edition →

Charting the Second British Invasion: Overview, Part 2

In a previous essay, I used weekly chart positions in the Billboard Hot 100 (singles) and Top 200 (albums) charts to trace the Second British Invasion (“SBI”) from the week of September 26, 1981 through the end of June 1983, just as it reached its first peak. Figure 1 tracks total singles and album points … Continue reading Charting the Second British Invasion: Overview, Part 2 →

Charting the Second British Invasion: Overview, Part 1

In three previous essays, I presented the top singles, albums and artists of the Second British Invasion (“SBI”), which I posit ran from September 26, 1981 to December 22, 1984. These singles and albums were released by 94 unique musical artists, counting “Adam and the Ants” and “Adam Ant” as a single artist. A total … Continue reading Charting the Second British Invasion: Overview, Part 1 →

Charting the Second British Invasion: The Artists

In previous essays, I discussed the 171 singles and 185 albums charting in Billboard magazine during the Second British Invasion (“SBI”), which I posit ran for 167 weeks: September 26, 1981 to December 22, 1984. These singles and albums were released by 94 unique musical artists, counting Adam and the Ants and Adam Ant as … Continue reading Charting the Second British Invasion: The Artists →

Charting the Second British Invasion: The Albums

Driven in large part by MTV’s debut on August 1, 1981, a set of British (and Australian, Irish, New Zealander and Scottish) new wave, post-punk and synthpop musical artists found success in the United States during what is now called “the Second British Invasion.” In a previous essay, I argue this “invasion” ran from September … Continue reading Charting the Second British Invasion: The Albums →

Charting the Second British Invasion: The Singles

Through most of the 1980s, I bought a copy of the music trade magazine Billboard every week. Friends and I pored over its singles and albums charts, seeking insights into that week’s most popular music. I also calculated the top artists each week, as well as the top singles, albums and artists of each year. … Continue reading Charting the Second British Invasion: The Singles →

My 100 Favorite Films…Probably

[Ed. note: This essay was updated on April 1, 2025] On December 1, 2022, Sight and Sound Magazine released the results of its decennial Greatest Films of All Time Critics’ Poll (“SS Poll”). The key result is that Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles dethroned Vertigo as the “greatest film of all time.”[1] … Continue reading My 100 Favorite Films…Probably →