Whenever natural disasters or tragedies strike, I like to think of the advice Fred Rogers–or Mister Rogers for those old enough to remember–provided when he was asked how to talk to kids about such big and scary events: “My mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are…… MORE
Not Another New Orleans
Don’t be surprised if four or five years from now there will be a number of on-line articles or news network features on the vast differences between how New Orleans recovered from Hurricane Katrina and how Houston bounced back from Hurricane Harvey. Much will be made about how the “Crescent City” continues to feel the…… MORE
The Scapegoat
It appears that the public has found its scapegoat for the hurricane and flooding in Houston. You may recall that the person blamed for all failures during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in FEMA Director Michael Brown–especially after President Bush told the world “Brownie’s doin’ a great job” while news video continued to show people…… MORE
Since Demand is Dwindling….
If the city of Oshkosh is going to sell Lakeshore Golf Course for a new Oshkosh Corporation world headquarters, or for residential development or even for retail use, I hope that it is not just for a one-time cash grab–but rather it is done as part of a comprehensive review of recreational programs throughout the…… MORE
Foxconn Yawn
I just can’t get excited about the Foxconn deal. For starters, Governor Scott Walker’s insistence that the project be called “Wiscon Valley”–trying to be cute and steal from “Silicon Valley”–is annoying and anyone else in the media using that term should be taken out behind the woodshed. Secondly, I’m just not a big fan of…… MORE
Not “That” One
In the TV show Seinfeld, Elaine once dated a man that shared a name with serial killer Joel Rifkin. Of course, in the episode Joel is paged by the public address announcer at Giants Stadium during a football game, leading Elaine to have to explain “He’s not that one” to all of the fans around…… MORE
Total Eclipse of the Brain
Because nothing can’t be politicized nowadays, a meme started making the rounds this week asking why everyone accepted the predictions of the solar eclipse without question. It was meant to chide global warming “deniers” or global warming “enjoyers” like me. But what the meme creator is missing is that no one was demanding major…… MORE
The Unwinnable Wars
It sounds like President Trump is going to follow in the footsteps of all his predecessors dating back to Harry Truman in continuing to fight unwinnable wars. The US used to be pretty good at winning armed conflicts–beating Britain twice, Spain, Mexico, the Confederacy, Germany twice, Austria and Japan. But now, we don’t “win” any…… MORE
Casting a Long Shadow
So I was wracking my brain trying to remember what it was like the last time we had a major solar eclipse here in the US. It was February 26th of 1979 and I was in first grade at Saint Mary’s Catholic School in Clarks Mills. For some reason I couldn’t come up with any…… MORE
The Confederacy of Idiots
Jeez, I take a few days off and America decides to re-fight the Civil War. 152-years after General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse, there is actual bloodshed over how the history of the war should be remembered. As I’ve stated here before, those who fly the Confederate flags in front of their homes…… MORE
