Tag Archives: Phillies

This weekend — the Phillies or ‘The Loser’

Posted on April 2, 2011 by

From the late Austrian Thomas Bernhard’s novel The Loser, in which a fictional version of Glenn Gould has studied piano with two would-be virtuosos, Wertheimer and the narrator, who have both quit playing because they were psychologically damaged by the … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, autobiography, fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

(Nearly) fatal distraction

Posted on October 25, 2010 by

How can a poor man stand such teams and live? “These days people want beer with their circuses, not bread.” – A contemporary South Philly descendant of the ancient Roman satirist Juvenal. The beer flowed Wednesday night but the circus, … Continue reading →

Posted in Great Depression, mid-term elections, Philadelphia, sports, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Take away my rights, not my toys

Posted on October 4, 2010 by

Why FDR’s words wouldn’t resonate today “No country, however rich, can afford the waste of its human resources. Demoralization caused by vast unemployment is our greatest extravagance. Morally, it is the greatest menace to our social order.” In 1934, FDR’s … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, Great Depression, mid-term elections, unemployment, Wall Street, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fashion-conscious thugs prefer the Bronx Bombers

Posted on September 21, 2010 by

But you don’t have to be a hood to love corporate logos From the Sept. 15 New York Times: A curious phenomenon has emerged at the intersection of fashion, sports and crime: dozens of men and women who have robbed, … Continue reading →

Posted in globalization, mainstream media, New York Times, sports | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ten signs you’ve slipped into the underclass

Posted on August 30, 2010 by

Here’s how to tell you’ve hit bottom Make a list that traces your downward mobility. This is the opposite of what you’d do if you were reading “Six signs that you’ve made it to the middle class,” a recent article … Continue reading →

Posted in Philadelphia, Politics, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment