by admin | Aug 17, 2017 | Activism, Blogging, Civil rights, Government, History, Political philosophy, Politics, Racism, Writing
Ignorance did not make America great. Ignorance will not make America great again. Let’s all vow to stop the glorification of #ignorance. Like millions of other Americans, I have been deeply disturbed over the past week by the comments of President Donald...
by admin | Aug 13, 2017 | Government, History, Recreation, Restaurants, Travel
Oslo is pleasant, scenic, historic, and modest enough in size to be easily navigated. You can learn a great deal about it quickly, but perhaps not as quickly as my wife and I were forced to do by circumstances. But we thoroughly enjoyed our short stay. Despite better...
by admin | Jul 2, 2017 | Aging, Books, Education, Government, History, Journalism, Personal history, Politics, Social Media
There is no doubt about it. President Donald Trump’s latest tweets have rightly triggered a firestorm of disgust and angry responses. The personal attacks on MSNBC reporters Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski have revealed a level of meanness and misogyny even...
by admin | Jun 18, 2017 | Books, Climate, Disaster, Environment, Geography, History, Natural Hazards, Resilience, Science, Urban Planning, Water
I was never a New York native, but I did not feel entirely alien, either, when I returned for the first of four visits to the area in January 2013, following Superstorm Sandy. My father lived in Queens most of his life and left only when my mother, who was from...
by admin | Jun 11, 2017 | Blogging, Books, Chicago, History, Humanities, Information technology, Journalism, Literature, Recreation, Writing
Chicago, a city that has spawned at least its fair share of writers and attracted many more, has spawned a national museum dedicated to people who propagate the written word. The American Writers Museum (AWM) opened May 16 at 180 N. Michigan Avenue, situated amid a...
by admin | Feb 26, 2017 | Books, Civil rights, Economic development, Geography, Government, History, Movies
The Republic of Botswana, a paragon of progress in today’s Africa, did not start life with any apparent advantages. In fact, the former British protectorate of Bechuanaland, which became independent Botswana, appeared in the 1950s to have bleak prospects, in no small...