A curator is a keeper or custodian of a museum or other collection. In modern times the term also describes someone who collects material for others to read, view, buy, etc. As the Mark Rubin Writes schedule develops and I gain an appreciation for the balance between the arid world of legal concepts and the pleasures attendant to restaurant reviews and other finer things, I thought Wednesday would be my day to play curator, finding great pieces from here and there for your mid-week pleasure. Alas, the New York Times busted my a*s, big-time, with this totally uncivil piece, On the Tip of Creative Tongues, about the pomposity attendant to “curating.” (Click and read. It’s actually pretty funny!)

So, there will be no curating on Wednesdays. No, none! Instead, on Wednesdays you’ll find from other places a few exceptional pieces about affairs of the day. Expect to find political thought (mostly left of center) and a bit of this and that. Comments and suggestions for future additions welcomed.

Here’s the first batch:

How Obstruction Works by Martin Longman, from The Washington Monthly. Never mind your political perspective, this short piece explains why what seem like simple solutions often aren’t.

Cheap Words by George Packer, in the February 17-24 issue of The New Yorker, digs deep about Amazon and its impact on books.

The Matter With Kansas Now:  The Tea Party, the 1 Percent and Delusional Democrats by Thomas Frank, author of the What’s the Matter With Kansas?, updating his reporting in Salon.

GOP’s Epic Internal Struggle:  The Modernists vs. Libertarian Fabulists by Kim Messick, providing an explanation for the Republican party’s schism, also in Salon.

And, finally, here’s a National Public Radio story, broadcast on 2/18, about Norm Eisen, the U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, and his family ties to Czechoslovakia and World War II:  For U.S. Ambassador, Ties To Prague That Transcend Diplomacy. The story moved me, for many reasons.

Enjoy!