P.J. O'Rourke

MONDAY, JUNE 1ST SOFT DESPOTISM, DEMOCRACY'S DRIFT Are you concerned about the United States drifting away from its core principles? Do you sense that many of western civilizations governments may be veering away from their classical liberal roots...

Former assistant secretary of defense and chairman of the Defense Policy Board Richard Perle returns to Extension 720 to discuss the current state of American foreign policy. Topics covered in this discussion include the buildup to the Iraq war, the...

The Newport Beach Citizens Bicycle Safety Committee should include at least one member who does not ride a bicycle on the streets of Newport Beach for recreation or commuting. After all, we non-bicyclists contribute monies, through our taxes, which pay...

Bill Bryson is my personal standard as far as travel literature. He's appealing in his teddy bear look and sharp in his wit. His ability to describe things in detail makes me feel as if I'm right next to him, bellying up to the same bar. "A Walk in the...

First, a little question: Does anybody hedge their bets the way a weather forecaster does? Predictions for this winter call for another La Niña, the same cocktail of conditions that delivered last season's epic snowfall. Sure to be a happy hour...

P.J. O'Rourke has written so many books of humor that no one is quite sure how many. I have it on good authority that it's 15, but since I finished writing this sentence, he may have written yet another. That's how fast he is. I've enjoyed O'Rourke's...

The Age of Movies The Selected Writings of Pauline Kael Edited by Sanford Schwartz Library of America, $40 Witty, entertaining and often exhilarating, this wide-ranging collection of pieces captures the film critic at her best. Alice James A...

It's tempting, looking at the fall's books, to think of this as a political season. Dick Cheney got it started with "In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir," and Joe McGinnis pitched in with "The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin." (That...

It's tempting, looking at the fall's books, to think of this as a political season. Dick Cheney got it started with "In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir," and in November we'll see a different (and perhaps conflicting?) take when Condoleezza...

"Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto" by Dick Armey and Matt Kibbe (William Morrow: 266 pp., $19.99) "History," explain Dick Armey and Matt Kibbe, "teaches us that nothing could be more American than protest." In this book, they connect that spirit of...

Have a knack for in-depth writing and an ear for pop culture, politics and music, then we've got a job for you. How cool would it be to write features for Rolling Stone magazine? Rolling Stone is a cultural icon that's been covering music, politics and...

I looked death in the face. All right, I didn't. I glimpsed him in a crowd. I've been diagnosed with cancer, of a very treatable kind. I'm told I have a 95% chance of survival. Come to think of it -- as a drinking, smoking, saturated-fat hound -- my...