Smart people make good choices. They dig science and say 'no' to the invasion of sovereign nations for the pleasure of corporations.

I don't wish to be anything more or less than what I am. If this is how it is, then so be it.

One of the nice things about a favorite pop song is that it's an unconditional truce on judgment and musical snobbery. You like the song because you just do, and there need not be any further criticism.

Everything you do makes my body scream with loneliness.

There is a lot to say about what Bikini Kill and other 'riot grrrl' bands were able to achieve when they first set out. They were not some momentary, convulsive, creative spasm of independent music. There was a very real, relevant point of view being expressed.

When I read that Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 had disappeared - a state-of-the-art Boeing 777, said to be an incredibly safe way to travel - I waited patiently for the chance to learn what happened.

Russia is tough. The history, the land, the people - brutal.