Another Christmas season overseas, another British-themed Christmas service, my seventh in eight years. We have done enough of these now that I even know the music to “Once in Royal David’s City”, which apparently starts every British Christmas service — at least among Protestants. In Abu Dhabi, the Anglican events tended to follow the regular […]

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Certain great sports rivalries tend to attract and then polarize fans. Not much gray area when you consider Real Madrid and Barcelona. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Federer and Nadal. And, in Amercan college football, Army and Navy. I am an Army fan. I’m not exactly sure why, but I am. Perhaps […]

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How quaint. A phone book, left in our mailbox here in the south of France. I thought they had gone the way of the afternoon newspaper. Curiosities remembered by old people. “Back in my day …” But there it was, the pages jaunes bit of it, that is. The yellow pages. Which perhaps remains useful […]

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I have been thinking about the Dodgers this week signing left-hander Rich Hill, who will be 37 ahead of the 2017 season, to a three-year, $48 million contract. I endorsed the decision. The Dodgers need a strong No. 2 and the Rich Hill baseball saw the past year-and-change looks like he can handle the job. […]

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A compelling article from the Columbia Journalism Review is making the rounds in print journalism, and the whole of it rings true: In a piece entitled “Print is dead. Long live print.” … the author suggests newspapers have no future online. Never have. Never will. Chasing hits is pointless and profitless and newspapers should instead […]

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The sappiest and silliest expression of eternal affection in Paris over the past decade has been the “love lock”. What whispers “be mine” quite as beguilingly as a big, ugly, heavy brass padlock attached to a bridge in Paris? And left behind to become an eyesore as it begins to rust away? But this has […]

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Can’t say the Dodgers didn’t learn a thing or three during the 2016 season. No, Clayton Kershaw cannot pitch every every fourth day, let alone every third, despite how the Dodgers used him in the playoffs this fall. He’s the planet’s best, but he’s not quite a machine. Meanwhile, Scott Kazmir is not a No. […]

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I feel confident in saying I am as big a soccer fan as anyone in my age cohort who was born and raised in the United States. Came to the game late, got involved as a self-taught AYSO coach, volunteered to cover the U.S. national team, saw Paul Caligiuri’s Shot Heard Round the World, went […]

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Pretty much had to happen. Someone is selling a hipster nativity scene. Have a look. For $129.99 a San Diego-based company named Modern Nativity will sell you their take on a hipster update of the birth of Jesus. It has gotten Modern Nativity a lot of attention in the media. Including the San Diego Union […]

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It has been out only a few days, but the quirky director Wes Anderson is getting rave reviews for his latest piece of work. It is an uplifting and very Wes Anderson commercial set on a train and starring Adrien Brody as Conductor Ralph, three minutes and 52 seconds in length, for the Swedish clothing […]

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