My mother always emphasized the virtues of “being prepared” over “crisis management.” Of course a combination of the two is probably the reality of any situation. But definitely a Stitch in Time Saves Nine. But for some reason, the prepared people do not get the rewards or applause that the clean up crew does. And [...]
In the years that followed, New Orleans could have remained a symbol of destruction and decay; of a storm that came and the inadequate response that followed. It was not hard to imagine a day when we’d tell our children that a once vibrant and wonderful city had been laid low by indifference and neglect. [...]
When labor leader A. Philip Randolph, organized a special march in Washington, DC for “Jobs and Freedom” in 1963, I have no doubt Randolph made deliberate choices on the date — August 28– and the venue — the Lincoln Memorial — as organizers did on the program and selection of speakers. On this day in [...]
“Every man alone is sincere. At the entrance of a second person, hypocrisy begins.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson No one’s accusing Fox. All people are asking is who’s giving Fox the money for these stories. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Over the vacation week, I saw a number of movies en route on land and sea. Some were forgettable (“Rush Hour 2,” “Did You Hear About the Morgans?”) but a majority were worth being a coach potato for. That’s allowed during vacation isn’t it? The Princess Cruise line exhibits films on the top deck’s big [...]
When the President shared his unfavorable opinion of the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United vs. Federal Elections Commission case during his January state-of-the-Union address (the US Supreme Court decided 5-4 in favor of Citizens United), he got a visible tisk-tisk from Chief Justice John Roberts for admonishing the Court, and some flack from the [...]
For some odd reason I’ve watched The Godfather twice this year (nearly 3 times): once from my personal DVD; once by accident on one of the UHF stations but had to cut it short; and finally to finish where I left off when the UHF station rebroadcast it. I was just a kid when I [...]
Once a year I pull out my VHS set of the 1981 miniseries Brideshead Revisited based [almost to the letter] on the 1945 novel by Evelyn Waugh. I have no idea why I love this series. Maybe it was the excellent writing, acting, costuming, setting and characters who would have absolutely nothing to do with [...]
This was one I missed when it came out. Before “freedom fries,” the last great butting of heads between the U.S. and the French was about [mais qui] wine: “Judgement of Paris.” Bottle Shock (2008) dramatizes how California wines from Napa and Sonoma earned their props in 1976–around the same time Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse [...]
Privitaization of social security is a non-starter for the President. Need a second opinion? Ask persons 50 and over whose pensions were tied up in company stock. This weekly was recorded to commemorate the 75th anniversary of social security.
