Back in 2004, Iraq was not only an issue in the Presidential campaign, it was the issue. Now, four years later and in the closing days of another race for an office that has as one of its most essential roles Commander in Chief, there is barely a whisper about that country and our policy there.
This is certainly not because the question was settled long ago. Continue reading →
No doubt all of my readers, being unusually well-informed people, were already aware that today is National Candy Corn Day.
But did you know it is estimated that in this country twenty million pounds of the classic treat (invented in the 1880s) are sold every year? I personally might be responsible for approximately a ton of that if I gave in to my worst impulses. However, I keep my addiction in tightly-controlled check.
It is part of my penance to confess here that I really like the dreadful stuff and always have. Once I even went to a Halloween party dressed as a piece of candy corn, and believe me I was already a grownup. Continue reading →
…and as always, it’s beautiful. Here are some berries on a tree I passed the other day:
Or has he already?
In the comments section of my last post there was a telling exchange about Obama’s outward demeanor versus his true inner nature and agenda. This comment by “kamper’ was the one that started the ball rolling:
The reason the “Obama is a radical” meme has not taken hold with the electorate is that it is belied by their own simple observation of the man. He’s about the furthest thing from a ”˜radical’ in his demeanor. So this becomes a ”˜who you gonna believe, me or your own lyin eyes’ argument. Continue reading →
It’s instructive to go back in time and see what was being said about Obama when he was starting out his Presidential race but hadn’t fully invented himself as a moderate yet. It’s especially interesting to look at periodicals with a readership that wouldn’t be afraid of the designation “radical.”
Rolling Stone’s February 2007 profile of Obama is an excellent example. Continue reading →
This is tragic and bitter news.
Tragic because Dean was so young and full of life, and fought so hard against cystic fibrosis, and had so much left to do. Bitter because he was a friend. Continue reading →
For some reason I was under the impression that our abundance of lawyers as President was a somewhat recent phenomenon. But I found this list striking and surprising: the tendency goes way back.
Seems like it’s lawyers all the way down, with a smattering of military men (McCain would be in that mold) and the odd haberdasher. Oh, and a tailor, and a few other random jobs such as teacher or actor (we know who he was). Continue reading →
The following audio tape is from a 2001 Obama radio interview. It’s already featured on Drudge, so it’s sure to reach quite a few people.
But I’m doing my little bit by posting it here. You can do yours by sending it to everyone you can think of who isn’t already one hundred percent in the Obama camp. Continue reading →
More on mothers and daughters and the passage of time.
The following photo, however, is my favorite in the piece. What carriage and natural elegance the woman had!
[NOTE: Oops! Trying to have a nonpolitical weekend, and here I somehow slipped back into the political again—sorta.]
My mother has always loved the telephone. In the more leisurely era in which she lived most of her adult life, she touched base with about a dozen friends a day.
Not to mention the need to talk to her daughter—me—a lot. When I went away to college, I was required to phone home every Sunday, collect. And although this was back in the days when long-distance phone calls were quite expensive relative to other items, these calls were hardly short: my mother could talk. In addition, there was usually one and often two more phone call a week from her to me.
Later on when I was a young mother and phone rates had gone down, I heard from my mother at least every other day. Continue reading →
Separated at birth? You decide. Continue reading →
Alicia Alonso is a Cuban ballerina who has defied time. Her early career took place in this country, but she returned to Cuba after Castro came to power and he rewarded her by treating Alonso and her company very well.
The first and only time I saw her dance in person was in the 1970s, when Alonso was already in her 50s and way past her prime. I did not like her dancing; I found her style mannered, old-fashioned, and nearly frozen with control. She had an eerie masklike face and a somewhat ferocious look.
But the following video of Alonso is extraordinary. Continue reading →