It’s been nearly ten years since Jim Henley and I trotted along in the 2004 Marine Corps Marathon, with Jim inventing a “pick me up” cheer whenever either of our energy levels flagged… we would just scream “Meb Keflezighi” at the top of our lungs. And dozens of marathons later (or even on other occasions), I sometimes still do. Maybe it’s not “fair” that the premier American marathoner of our time is technically imported– none other than Eritrean-born Meb Keflezighi, Olympic silver medalist in Athens, winner of the New York City Marathon and now, the first American winner of the...

Hidely-ho, neighbors. Your old pal Satan here. My buddy TD doesn’t usually yield this particular space to anyone… but in this case, well, golly… I kind of made him do it. Anyway, news from our friends around the world… we’ll start with that awesome rip-off I made my servant Josh Radnor do. I haven’t had that much fun since the Seinfeld finale… or Lost! … or Dexter… I just love to spoil series-enders! So sue me… and try to find a lawyer without a conflict there. And my servants over in Malaysia released a transcript of Stealth Flight 370’s contact...

Our friends at Pravda give us their take on the recent plebiscite followed by Russian accession/annexation of the Crimea region. We note the continued hand-wringing by morons incompetents fools the Obama Administration and its NATO allies, who seem hellbent on turning a minor act of consensual consolidation in a region unquestionably in Russia’s sphere of influence (and not ours) into an excuse to either reignite the Cold War, or perhaps, even start a shooting war. Well, this might be thought to be necessary as we consider the geopolitical implications of Ukraine as a world energy choke-point. Still, it is probably...

Once again, re: matters Ukraine, Brother Dmitry explains it all for you. Short answer: expect venality, incompetence and misinformation from your favourite Western governments[tm], and their loyal media lackeys. I think Dmitry is a few days off here and there on some of his dates, but his overall analysis is spot on: the world is rapidly falling apart (environmentally, socially, morally, but most especially, because it’s the one we’ll see first most likely, financially…) having just watched the film Reds myself, where Warren Beatty (as John Reid) asks the musical question “why must the poor have to keep paying to...

Not so much as “the beginning of the end” in Ukraine (Brother Dmitry explains it all for you here) as the beginning of the end of “the current arrangement” [that would be “everywhere]? And while we can be proud that our intellectual giants like Bob Costas can tell us what’s wrong with Vladimir Putin’s Russia, even as his own network helps promote the very spectacle Putin has assembled… and we can also all be proud that our prior Dear Leader suggested that “he looked into Putin’s eyes and saw into his soul” (or something)… Anyway, where I was going is...

Well, it seems to be be happening… on this, what would have been Abe Lincoln’s 205th birthday (had that bastard John Wilkes Booth not shot him)… one of the pioneers of my parents’ youth, or perhaps even earlier, has left us… thus, the legendary Sid Ceasar passes away at 91. His hey-day as uber-showman was around ten years before my own birth, but his influence on media was incalculable; among his writers were Woody Allen, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks and Neil Simon. Interestingly, his death was announced by his family spokesman and long time biographer, my college and law school...

Shirley Temple Black has passed away at 85. The original child star– one without “the problems” that plague the “child stars” of today (some of whom remain children into their 40’s and beyond), who served brilliantly as a diplomat and public servant… in her day, the most popular movie star on Earth… and yet… a functioning human being. I took it as an article of faith that someone who was a huge movie star in an era before my parents were even born was not only still around, but would live forever. No such luck. Another of the great ones,...

For New Yorkers of a certain age, the background sounds of our lives featured the quintessential announcers of the New York Mets. The last of them from the “Amazin Mets” era, Ralph Kiner, a Hall of Fame player in an amazing ten year career, passed away at 91. (Here is my tribute to one of his broadcast partners, amazingly, from 2004. Pete Seeger, of course, recently left us at 94, as did Nelson Mandela at 95. Good runs all. Hard to believe these giants have been with us for as long (although Kiner, of course, was a Pittsburgh Pirate for...

There are lives that are simply exemplary. Pete Seeger, who just passed away at 94, led one of them. R.I.P., Pete. We do seem to be running out of the great ones.

Not much going on here in Arctic-blasted Brooklyn… I began the 2014 campaign with an arguably disappointing finish– but a finish– in the 17 degree [F] Fred Lebow Manhattan Half this morning. At 16 or 17 degrees [F] first thing in the morning, this was actually one of the warmest mornings we have had, or will have, for some time, here in the NYC area. Compared to other parts of the country, this would be quite warm! So… in the “Hello Captain Obvious” Department, we take a look at this piece from our friends at Pravda, on why the CIA...