I have always been a big sports fan, pretty much any sport too, where the game is challenging and the skills of the players something to behold. So, it should come as no surprise that I am a fan of the Olympic Games, and while watching the dazzling opening ceremony, I had a bit of…
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There is always a certain amount of fear and trepidation about the unknown. Think back to 1999 as we approached the turn of the millennium and the catastrophes that were forecast to accompany Y2K, as it was then known. To hear some tell it back then, computers were going to think the year was 1900,…
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With cable and online news outfits reporting on events 24/7/365, it should be easy for the viewing American public to find the really meaningful stories at any hour of the day or night. But the sheer volume of “news,” often offered without any filter or verification, is making it more difficult to separate the journalistic…
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My wife and I had a “spirited discussion” recently about whether to replace our functional, 20+ year old living-room set with something newer and more stylish. Our positions were somewhat predictable – she felt strongly that it was time to update, while I was of the mind that although the set was aging, it was…
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For those of you not old enough to remember the old Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, they enjoyed unparalleled television popularity back in the 1970s and 80s. The show would “roast” a different celebrity each week, featuring a roster of well-known comedians. One of the staples of those shows was the former vaudevillian star Red Buttons,…
Read More »They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that age-old adage has again been proven true by the “Fearless Girl” statue now perched in seeming defiance of Wall Street’s famous “Charging Bull” statue. For those of you who might not have seen the latest, allow us to catch you up. On March 8,…
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In some of its earliest iterations, it was referred to as yellow journalism. Back in the early days of this nation’s history, it manifested itself in so-called Pamphlets, where the writer would use a pseudonym and slander his political opponents with outrageous allegations – some having just a sliver of truth, others lacking even the…
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As a political junkie (and a professional lobbyist for over 30 years), I was listening intently last summer when the major party candidates for president gave their nomination acceptance speeches. Now, as we look ahead to the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as our nation’s 45th President, it’s worth pausing to reflect on something his…
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Growing up, I always loved the fall and the Thanksgiving holiday. It was the first family gathering after the World Series and there would always be some spirited conversations about the winners and the losers. For the longest time, the Chicago Cubs were one of the losers, but that all changed this year. As a…
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Why is it that so often a mandate is issued from on high, but when the inevitable unintended consequences come to pass, there is shock and dismay at the unfavorable results? In a prior life, I was an advocate/lobbyist for rental housing owners in Massachusetts. At that time, political powers had put strict rent controls…
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