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My wife Carolyn turned 77 last Tuesday, and we’ve been married 55+ years, both of which I address to a fragmented America. Carolyn proudly proclaims her age. Many people fudge theirs, hoping to prove they remain strong physically and mentally to get that next promotion, job or desirable partner. Vanity plays a role. The legendary…
Read More >>Inflation, a prime issue for Donald Trump voters, took me down memory lane. A (small) 14-inch pizza (eight slices) from my neighborhood go-to, Village Pizzeria, runs $21-$31. When I was a kid in 1950s New York, a slice of cheese pizza cost 15¢ Hamburgers in my Queens neighborhood also cost 15¢. Then Hamburger Train—a model…
Read More >>I’d planned a particular title for this post if Donald Trump won the presidential election, but Wednesday morning, I canned it. The title: “Shame on America.” Why drop it? The American people chose Trump in a free and fair election. If you read my posts, you know I find Trump the antithesis of what a…
Read More >>Two “pro-America” events 85 years apart demonstrate that, to a disturbing degree, history repeats itself. On February 20, 1939, 20,000 people packed New York’s “old” Madison Square Garden. American flags festooned the arena along with a giant portrait of George Washington, swastikas at either side. The German American Bund rally supported Adolf Hitler abroad and…
Read More >>With the presidential election 11 days out, if you’re not going a little crazy, you’re not trying. Me? I rely on five ways to stay (somewhat) balanced. • My morning routine. After breakfast with the San Francisco Chronicle sports section, I walk a mile or more. Returning home, I enjoy coffee watching CNN and reading the rest…
Read More >>IDF troops killed Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ architect of October 7, prompting me to ask, where do we go from here? I wish the shop had repaired my crystal ball, but a text broke the bad news. No more peeks into the future for me. That’s typical for someone at age 80, who learns that the…
Read More >>An economist at Tel Aviv University and an ancient king reveal much about the outcome of the war Israel is waging against Iran’s proxies, and so Iran itself. On Monday, Tom Friedman in The New York Times (“What I’m Thinking About on the First Anniversary of the War”) cited the economist Dan Ben-David of Tel…
Read More >>The new Jewish year, 5785, began Wednesday evening and presented me with a serious, if ongoing, challenge. At 80, I find myself increasingly lost in the fog of life. While my head remains clear, the older I get, the less certainty I cling to. In synagogue for Rosh Hashanah services, we prayed for peace. This…
Read More >>There’s a target on my back, though it doesn’t take the circular shape with a bullseye. It’s a six-pointed star—the Star of David. Who put it there? The former President of the United States. On September 19, Donald Trump told attendees at a campaign event titled “Fighting Antisemitism in America,” “I’m not going to call…
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