Deadline News: Tonight on the Knowlton Nashional
Good evening. Our top story tonight: the White House continues to deny it officially approved of the missions to arm the Contras in Nicaragua like the one in which American…
The Elizabethan Cult of the Personality
It was early in the morning when the mob first descended upon the hamlet of Stratford-on-Avon. Shakespeare was awakened from a light sleep by a commotion in front of his…
Heavy Diversions
Lately, listening to United States President Ronald Reagan's rhetoric is like hearing a skipping record that nobody has the heart to take off the turntable. "If we had monthly mandatory…
Sometimes a Very Good Idea
Would Milton be the celebrated writer he is today if he had titled his most famous work Paradise Misplaced? Would we have any less pride in our city if it…
Deadline News: Welcome Aboard, Sherry…
Good evening. Our top story tonight: the chief of the Communist Party of China, Hu Yoabang, resigned this week. According to the Chinese Politburo, Hu's "political errors" included painting moustaches…
The Burdens of Leadership
Having many years of experience as a writer, I am perhaps more observant than most people; so, when I opened the door, I noticed almost immediately that the person on…
The First Ever, Last Ever, Annual POLlie Awards
At the risk of contributing to year-end award overkill, I'd like to offer my own version of political kudos, the POLlies. POLlies are translucent plastic figures (asexual, of course) set…
Below the Law
We will return to Les Pages Aux Folles after the following brief commercial messages: Long shot of a nattily dressed man standing in front of a dingy courthouse, punctuating his…
Mission Implausible
The pilot of the plan looked decidedly uncomfortable. "You do realize, of course," he stated, "that the heading you've just given me will take us into Russian airspace?" The other…
One Mouse, But Not Bitter
I thought that I had killed it. I was walking (where is not important to the story, so I - no, please, don't insist, because good writers only include that…
Dog Hairs in the Caviar
Glasnost is not the word a Russian says to somebody after he or she sneezes, nor is it a new brand of vodka the Soviet Union intends to export to…
Of The People, For The People, By The Pollsters
The Prime Minister sat behind his desk, pensive. What he was about to do would be most unpleasant; it always was. Even worse, it had to be done to a…