I enjoy helping and making a difference. Friday eve involved a celebration of making a small difference for charities selected by the Kings-FDR Tolerance Foundation, the charitable arm of FDR Lodge 613 Knights of Pythias. Throughout the year we raise money from social and other events. We raised funds at Halloween and Sweethearts Dances I ran …
A sacred cow is an idea, custom, or institution held, especially unreasonably, to be above criticism...a taboo. Essentialy something that people do not like to question. Regardless of your political leanings, we are in an environment where it seems a lot of sacred cows are up for grabs. NAFTA Paris Agreements NATO Foreign trade Governme …
Do the names David Bailey and Crystal Griner resonate for you? They really really should. They are the heroic U.S. Capital Police officers who last week, in a true moment of truth, ran into the fire, right into the guns and bullets and probably saved innumerable congressional lives. A heroic man and woman did not hesitate and saved the day. In …
Last weekend, Alexandria, Virginia. I followed as Flo and Jackson, our 4 and a half year old grandson, got on the free "Trolley" that makes its way up and down King Street in Old Town. Flo found a seat on the front bench next to a pleasant looking woman with her child. They made room for Jackson on the bench as the Trolley started moving. The …
From April 2015, still true for me today (maybe more so): I read recently that Jeb Bush inadvertently checked the Hispanic box in his voter registration form in 2009. His response was, “My mistake! Don’t think I’ve fooled anyone." It reminded me of a the silly mistakes I make and how foolish it is to get angry about them. How many times have I fr …
I read an article recently about how often to wash your jeans. The theory is that jeans should not be washed unless they are dirty, as in having a stain because your ice cream sundae left its mark. Washing jeans too frequently apparently makes them stretch in unintended ways and accelerates the fading in ways you may not desire. So, wear them for …
I remember, when I was a child, numerous small stores thrived in my town; clothing stores, book stores, hardware stores, shoe stores etc. I have so many memories of my Mom taking my brother, sister and I for back to school clothes at Chwatsky’s or new shoes at Jack’s Correct Fit. And, of course, the owners knew my Mom by name as well as me and my …
Father’s Day Four generations gathered yesterday to honor the dads: Shelly’s Dad, our niece’s husband, and this correspondent. Unlike years prior, I “enjoyed” no responsibilities on the grill; I just provided transit for Shelly, her dad and her sister. Shelly posted her usual group of pics on Facebook: Tara and Dave with baby Eden, Shelly and …
Another news nugget from your intrepid blogger. This files under the category of whaaaaaatttttt?!?!?! Italy's highest court ruled on Friday that lobsters must not be kept on ice in restaurant kitchens because it causes them unjustifiable suffering before they head for death by fine dining. They actually were upholding a sentence by a lower cour …
When I was young I did not drink coffee. I started mid life when I heard that elite runners and other athletes would load up on cups of coffee pre event or game to garner the supposed benefit of the interaction of caffeine upon glycogen. I truly believe it is a legal performance enhancer and continue such use to this day. Along the way I develop …
First, I was just always around to see my Father. Then I was taken to see my Father. I was then reminded to see my Father. I then remembered to see him on my own. I then looked forward to seeing my Father. I became a Father and they came to see me. And now they are fathers and ......
I'm very fortunate that business has brought me to the World Trade Center transportation and shopping hub a few times in recent weeks. It is magnificent. It is called the Oculus, designed by Santiago Calatrava, and completed at twice the original (public money) funding at 4 Billion Dollars. You can get both the PATH and the subway in this fantastic …
Bette kept on going. Sunday night, Bette Midler won the coveted Best Actress in a Musical for her role in the revival of Hello Dolly. I happen to be a huge Bette Midler fan, so perhaps I am biased. But I thought she looked wonderful and her speech was hilarious. Nothing was going to stop her. It went on for four minutes. Even when the …
I am very proud to say that all four of my children are college graduates and, in fact, two have their Master’s Degrees and have great jobs. The younger two are in the process of getting their graduate degrees; Ryan just finished his first year of law school and Sydney will be starting in September a combined program for her Masters in Special Educ …
RIP Adam West. I really enjoyed that series in my youth. I enjoyed the comics. In all his appearances always a nice person. RIP Batman. I took to social media, Twitter to be exact, when I wanted to learn about his passing. I learned he enjoyed 150,000 followers and only followed 115. His page said he joined Twitter in March 2009 – one month …
