Category: Current Events
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Upon Reading the First Half of Atlas Shrugged
645,000 words. 1200 pages. Ayn Rand’s classic epic, first published in 1957, is not for the faint of heart. It requires time, patience, and – in my opinion – a thoughtful demeanor to allow it to resonate. I’ve been wanting to read it for years. I had even bought a paperback copy and had it…
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Afghanistan is not Vietnam, but …
There have been many compelling comparisons of Afghanistan with Vietnam over these past couple heart-wrenching days as the world has watched the capitulation of the Afghani government to the Taliban. First, let’s deal with the differences between Vietnam and Afghanistan. The origin of the conflicts and the histories and cultures of the countries offer many…
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My New Play “Covid Chips” Featured in Upcoming Festival
I’m thrilled to have my new play “Covid Chips” being featured in week 2 of The Gallery Players 24th Annual Black Box New Play Festival. I was approached by one of the co-producers of the event about writing a play specifically for the Zoom format. I am not exactly thrilled about live theatre going online,…
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Presidential Politics in My Hometown
In 1960, my father attended a political stump speech from a Democratic presidential candidate named John F. Kennedy. You may of heard of him. It was in the middle of the intense campaign season as Kennedy vied for the White House against Republican Richard Nixon. The speech was in Butler, Pennsylvania, a small city of…
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Brutal Political Sport – Supreme Court Vacancy
This was a nightmare scenario for the Democratic Party – stalwart liberal and iconic justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passing away before the November 3 presidential election. Let the political sport season begin (like it hasn’t already). One the one side, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirming that he will indeed bring Trump’s nominee to a…
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“Have an Emergency Fund”, they said.
Why do the sage financial planners have no influence over Washington D.C.? Any financial planner worth their two-cents will tell you to build up an emergency fund, for, well, emergencies. One never knows when a person may lose a job or become ill and can’t work. There are myriad reasons why an astute planner will…
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My Play This Weekend in Penang: Grade Semantics
My play “Grade Semantics” hits the stage this weekend as part of the Short & Sweet Theatre Festival in Penang, Malaysia. This is a play that I’ve produced twice myself, and it’s a hit — especially with students and teachers. I’ve even had a HS counselor tell me after watching it that the farcical…
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Songs in Your Head: The Unintended Consequence of Producing a Musical
It sounded like a great idea in the abstract. A musical, I said. How fun will that be! A blast! Let me choose one. Hmmm, I want one which would have cross-divisional appeal at our school. One in which, for example, if I didn’t get a lot of high schoolers auditioning, then I could still…
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Supreme Court Confirmations – By the Numbers!
In a topsy-turvy two weeks of high political drama, the US Senate is on the brink of voting on the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the high court. If he does survive the FBI background check currently underway, and he is confirmed, it will be by the slimmest of margins. Perhaps even one vote. If…
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Dear Facebook Feed, Why so Political? (aka: bring back the cats)
You’ve probably noticed it too: Facebook has once again become overly political. I haven’t noticed it this bad since the 2016 election cycle. The uproar this time is about immigration and families and children and … you know, all that other political stuff that shouldn’t be in my Facebook feed. Yes, we are friends, and…