I didn't think about my body eventually betraying me, and getting old, and eventually dying, until my grandfather finally let us take him to the hospital. Everybody in the family knew that, if he was asking, something must be badly wrong with him. He hated hospitals. My grandfather didn't have much money in savings, but he and my grandmother did live fairly comfortably on an … [Read more...] about 3 Political Fights to Get Involved in if You Want to Retire with Dignity Someday
A Poor Man’s Nixon (Cartoon, Column and Video)
“A poor man’s something” is an expression used to describe an item or a person as being similar to something else of a higher quality. For example; you can say an Epiphone guitar is a poor man’s Gibson. If you own an Epiphone, don’t feel bad. I own one too and it’s awesome but it’s not a Gibson. You get my point. Yesterday, Donald Trump described former Deputy Director of … [Read more...] about A Poor Man’s Nixon (Cartoon, Column and Video)
How to keep conservation policies from backfiring in a globally connected world
A worker marks timber logs at a concession area in Sarawak, Malaysia. Rainforest logging in Asia feeds much of the world’s thirst for timber. AP Photo/Vincent Thian Andrew Frederick Johnson, San Diego State University For many years environmentalists have urged the public to “think globally, act locally” – meaning, consider the health of the planet, … [Read more...] about How to keep conservation policies from backfiring in a globally connected world
A very British lesson for the American left
Does the bolt of eight members of Parliament from the British Labour Party out of frustration with its left-wing leader, Jeremy Corbyn, have anything to teach Democrats in the United States? There's a case for saying no, since Corbyn is well to the left of anyone bidding to lead the Democratic Party. That would include Sen. Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist who … [Read more...] about A very British lesson for the American left
Executive Time (Cartoon)
After the damage done by Trump, can America ever be great again?
by Richard Cohen Washington Post Writers Group After the damage done by Trump, can America ever be great again? There will be no Mount Rushmore for Donald Trump. But, if there's a presidential library, it should contain a Hall of Tweets, a Hall of Lies, a Hall of Insults and, with the "Marines' Hymn" softly playing, a Hall of Montezuma, with a section of his border … [Read more...] about After the damage done by Trump, can America ever be great again?
Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize Bid?
There are reports that US president Donald Trump asked Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe to get his name placed in nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump apparently did so after his first summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, at which precisely nothing was achieved. Comics and pundits will get mileage from pointing to this alleged request as further evidence of … [Read more...] about Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize Bid?
The Barber from Sicilia
"Little Joe" (back) in the early days Little did I know, when I first started writing the series “Reflections of a Nation of Immigrants,” that a mere six months later our next-door neighbors – and now dear friends – would, in many ways, perfectly reflect and tell the classic American immigration story. You see, Joseph (“Joe”) and Grace Zambito left their homes in … [Read more...] about The Barber from Sicilia
Republicans who abide Trump’s trashing of the Constitution should be expelled from public life
By GEORGE F. WILL Washington Post Writers Group ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- America's most improbably popular governor, a Republican beginning his second term in perhaps the bluest state, resembles a beer keg with an attitude. Stocky and blunt, Larry Hogan, whose job approval is in the high 70s, has won twice in the state with the highest percentage of African-Americans of any … [Read more...] about Republicans who abide Trump’s trashing of the Constitution should be expelled from public life
‘In the Land of the Blind, the One-eyed Man is King,’ or at Least Mr. Fix-it
While I may have been a whiz at other things, I have never been what one would call a “handyman” around the home. If I was able to hang a picture without damaging the wall (and myself), I would feel very proud of myself. I think my wife felt very sorry, but she never showed it. Fixing a leaky faucet? Forget it! I was always envious of – perhaps even somewhat wrathful … [Read more...] about ‘In the Land of the Blind, the One-eyed Man is King,’ or at Least Mr. Fix-it
Taiwan Nearly Cured of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Taiwan is a very advanced kind of place. Their government stopped all commercial logging in 1992, swore off nuclear power and recently came whisperingly close to recognizing gay marriage. Their democracy, established in the 1980s, is firm, successful and arguably the most advanced in East Asia. So it is no surprise they are making a well-considered move in public health … [Read more...] about Taiwan Nearly Cured of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Trump’s red line is turning blue
By David Ignatius Washington Post Writers Group WASHINGTON -- President Trump has been insisting for so long that any investigation of his personal finances would cross a "red line" that people may have overlooked the outrageousness of his claim. But this self-declared immunity is about to change. We're entering a new phase of the Trump-Russia investigation, where the … [Read more...] about Trump’s red line is turning blue
The real national emergency: the triviality of our politics
WASHINGTON -- When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi learned that President Trump would declare a national emergency to shift around money to finance his border wall, her denunciation was predictable. But her way of expressing outrage was not. The issue she used to make her point was important on many levels. Observing the "unease" even among many Republicans over Trump's abuse of … [Read more...] about The real national emergency: the triviality of our politics
Fishy Emergency (Cartoon))
Our Screwed Up Healthcare System
Some of you may have noticed I have not been posting or commenting much of late. The reason is I had an encounter with our American Healthcare System and the results were not pretty. Let me explain the process. For the last 10 years I have been a patient of Garden State Urology. This is a large 21 doctor Urology practice. Every couple of years I would get a Urinary Track … [Read more...] about Our Screwed Up Healthcare System
Don’t Attack MMT. Attack the System It Describes.
Imagine that I am a seafaring tyrant who has moored my galleon off a large island. Through my telescope, I see a healthy population creating wealth and improving their lives through work and trade. I decide to extract all the value they are creating - perhaps because I’m greedy or perhaps because I am convinced I know better than they do what is good for them. All I … [Read more...] about Don’t Attack MMT. Attack the System It Describes.
Must the president be a moral leader?
President Donald Trump, former President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton, during the funeral for former President George H.W. Bush. AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool Michael Blake, University of Washington The best presidents – including figures such as Abraham Lincoln and George Washington – are celebrated not only as good leaders, but as … [Read more...] about Must the president be a moral leader?
Trump’s emergency declaration showed why some people think him incapacitated
WASHINGTON -- It was a fine day for a national emergency. There was no sign of alarm as administration officials and journalists assembled Friday in the Rose Garden under a perfect blue sky amid unseasonable warmth. Nor was there any sense of crisis conveyed by President Trump, scheduled to fly to his Mar-a-Lago resort later Friday. The much-anticipated emergency declaration … [Read more...] about Trump’s emergency declaration showed why some people think him incapacitated
Black History Month 2019: Doris Miller
Doris Miller "was a Navy messman on the battleship USS West Virginia, who showed incredible courage under fire during the attack [on Pearl Harbor]. He was the first African American to be awarded the Navy Cross, the third highest honor awarded by the U.S. Navy at the time." - Rick Spilman, The Old Salt Blog Regarding Miller's actions during the Japanese attack on Pearl … [Read more...] about Black History Month 2019: Doris Miller
Can Congress or the courts reverse Trump’s national emergency?
Trump declared a national emergency in order to build a wall. AP Photo/ Evan Vucci Chris Edelson, American University School of Public Affairs President Donald Trump declared a national emergency to pay for the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, after Congress, in its new spending bill, denied him the full money to build … [Read more...] about Can Congress or the courts reverse Trump’s national emergency?