Parsing Joe’s Prose

I have been lunching monthly with Joseph Epstein for almost 40 years, so I was particularly delighted to encounter, in this collection of his essays from 1978 to 2023, a description of our first meal together. The conversation, Joe recalled, turned to the cultural “theory” then fashionable in university English departments. “‘Of course I loathe

Tale of a Cocktail

“History is bunk,” according to Henry Ford. But there is an irony to that quotation—the motor industries patriarch and presidential candidate did not say it. No, when asked about his views on foreign affairs in 1916 the isolationist plutocrat grumbled: What do we care about what they did 500 or 1,000 years ago? I don’t

California Legislature Passes Bill Prohibiting Medical Debt from Appearing on Credit Reports 

If signed into law, such debt reported to agencies would be void and unenforceable. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is now considering a bill that would block credit agencies from reporting on medical debt. The proposal passed the Legislature on Aug. 28. Senate Bill 1061, introduced by Sen. Monique Limón, would prevent medical debt from appearing

Government Shutdown Looms Over SAVE Act as ‘America First’ Push for Proof-of-Citizenship Voting Requirements

The push for stricter proof-of-citizenship voting requirements before the November election is causing tension as Congress works to prevent a government shutdown by the end of September. With the establishment politics rearing it’s ugly head in DC- Americans can not even be first in our own elections anymore. Conservatives in the House advocate for including