New York— Larry Ellison, the chief executive of the software giant Oracle and the world’s 11th richest man, according to Forbes magazine, is not imbued by an ounce of grace or elementary good manners. He has constructed a basketball court on board his megayacht, the latter a monstrosity which pollutes more than a battleship and serves no other purpose than as … [Read More]

One, two, three, four, Wolfowitz has got to go! Five, six, seven, eight, one more day will be too late. As the wise man said, once a crook and a liar, always a crook and a liar. Wolfowitz conspired with Douglas Feith to fabricate proof that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction aimed at us. After the greatest disaster in … [Read More]

“Last Chance For France,” cries the London Spectator in a cover story, which means that “tout va bien” in the land of cheese. The Anglo-Saxons have been predicting the end of France since time immemorial, but if I were a Brit I’d worry more about what is taking place in my own back yard and leave the French to their mistresses, … [Read More]

So, Don Imus is carpeted for inappropriate behavior. I object. He should have been suspended for going down on his knees and apologizing to Al Sharpton, the greatest race hustler of them all. Who the hell are these people trying to kid ? Not so long ago, another hustler who also calls himself a reverend, Jesse Jackson, was screeching “Hey, hey, … [Read More]

At a New York City midtown gentlemen’s club a few years ago, I was asked to repeat a joke told to me by a friend who happens to be Israeli. The joke is as follows: An Israeli lands in Tel Aviv carrying two large suitcases. The customs inspector asks him to open one. Inside are fifty thousand dollars in one dollar … [Read More]

I’m glad they’re safely at home. But the seizure of the British Royal Marines and sailors by Iran was always a no brainer. To Iran, Tony Blair is a lame duck, and the British people believe in their government as much as the Americans believed that Bill Clinton did not have sex with that woman. Few Brits accepted their Government’s story … [Read More]

I recently had a run in with a famous pop star in a friend’s house. The “star” was lecturing us about aid to Africa. No one dared say a word. Except for me. My argument was that I refused to contribute to African kleptocrats purchasing more top of the line Mercedeses. In other words, all aid is stolen by the few, … [Read More]

Last week I spent some days in Washington,  D.C. for a conference organized by Fran Griffin at the National Press Club. The subject was Sam Francis, and his terrific book, Shots Fired, about America’s culture wars. Alas, Sam Francis passed away two years ago, having been hounded by the neocons and dismissed as columnist of the Washington Times for his views—which … [Read More]

If you think stand up comedy is in a rut, you should try Gholamhossein Elham, an Iranian government spokesman. Old Gholam had me in stitches when he stood up and screamed foul over the blockbuster 300 a couple of weeks ago. He called 300 an insult because it portrays the Persians as slobs back in 480 B.C. Well, I got news … [Read More]

One year ago last May, I was walking back to my London flat after a vigorous match of tennis in Belgrave Square when two men came up to me. “Are you Mr Taki?” “Sadly yes,” I answered. They looked as if they meant business. “I am inspector detective so and so, and this is detective inspector so and so. Can we … [Read More]