Mike Pilewski writes about life, politics and culture in the United States
This is an interesting month from a criminal-justice perspective. Both Batman and the Joker are having their day in court. “The Joker”, in this case, is Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who along with his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, set off the bombs at the Boston Marathon in April 2013. His trial is coming to an end. “Batman” here is James Eagan Holmes, … >>
There have been three generations of Batman on the screen. There was the comedic Batman of 1966–68 (one of the first TV series in color); the movie Batman of 1989–97 (which suffered from a lot of bad acting); and the dark Batman of 2005–12 (which explores the origins of the title character). Inspiration came from the original Batman comic from … >>
I have mixed feelings about this. The stated purpose of this column is to explain what America is really like, not to dwell on its extreme aspects. For example, I try to convince you that most Americans do not walk around carrying guns. But then something like this happens: once again, some deranged kid has brought a gun to school … >>
If you’re ever in Pagosa Springs or Creede, Colorado, go to a Mexican restaurant named Kip’s Grill and order the most expensive thing on the menu. Then tell them that Mr. Pilewski sent you. The specialty of the house, number 9 on the menu, is called The Pilewski. It’s three flour tortillas, stuffed with pork barbacoa, provolone cheese and chipotle, … >>
Last week, some of us in the print media observed a moment of silence for the death of a relative. After 146 years in business, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer printed its last newspaper on March 17. Unable to make a profit, the Hearst Corporation, which owns the P-I, has turned the paper into an online-only edition. You’d think that enough readers … >>