Vociferous Rhapsody

I can certainly understand how many parents view the world today as a horrible place, where unsupervised children are subject to kidnap, torture, rape or murder. I think it is largely a byproduct of our 24-hour news channels, who cover the most minute of details of every crime committed anywhere, just so they can fill… Continue reading Helicopter Parenting

60 days ago, I tossed a letter on my boss’s desk as I dashed by his office on the way to the coffee pot. He looked up at me with a slightly annoyed look and inquired as to what it might be. As I retreated toward the mid-office kitchen coffee pot, I responded to him… Continue reading Retirement!

I read a really well written article by Josie Duffy this morning on GAWKER, and I couldn’t help but notice that underneath the pain a thread of hostility bubbled, just barely detectable. I am not unfamiliar with racism.  A child of the south, I grew up in a time and place where the last vestiges… Continue reading Circumstances

I had a sort of mini-epiphany the other day, probably something that I may have had years ago had I a college education with classes in philosophy. I’m sort of like The Scarecrow when it comes to education, I have no college degree, and am always thinking that maybe someone else who thinks about things,… Continue reading Regular People

Recently in the news there is a story of a young 18-year old woman who is having a disagreement with her parents. She left home to go live with friends, but is expecting her parents to fork over $650 a week for support and to pay her private high-school tuition and college fees. She claims… Continue reading What do parents owe their children?

I’ve never been a huge fan of Woody Allen movies. Probably the one I like best is Radio Days, where he really didn’t appear, but it was nominated for best original screenplay. There is a huge wave of sentiment on the internet these days about allegations that he may have molested his 8-year old daughter.… Continue reading Woody Allen

I never understood why famous rich people are so insecure that they find a way to kill themselves. Be it a drug overdose or drinking themselves to death, these people had it made. First of all, they won the sperm lottery and were born with some sort of gift that they found a way to… Continue reading Phillip Seymour Hoffman

Throughout much of the later 19th and early to mid twentieth century, many, if not most, blue-collar jobs in America were unionized. Unions became popular, particularly in industrial jobs, with large memberships of average working-class men and women who had previously suffered poor working conditions or unfair wages. Unions not only changed the working environments… Continue reading Unionizing the Service Sector

I don’t remember being arrogant when I was young, at least not purposefully, but I’m sure that somewhere around you’ll find one of my elders who will tell you that when I was a young person, there were things about which I was arrogant. I think it is just part of being young and dumb.… Continue reading The Arrogance of Youth

In 1933, the American Great Recession was in full swing. Unemployment was 25%, times were about as bleak as they could get. Already the rumblings of discontent in Europe were foretelling the Second Great War, and Americans standing in line for handouts were in despair. A new President was inaugurated that year, and in his… Continue reading “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself”

We’ve all heard of the creepy NSA surveillance done by the U.S. government, which gathers electronic bits by the bucket load, apparently without any legal standing. We should all be absolutely furious at our government, and we should make our displeasure known at the ballot box. It’s not likely that will happen of course, we… Continue reading Camover

Over on my partner’s blog, Indianaohindiana.com I had written a response to his post about the results of the George Zimmerman trial.  We disagree, and I think the root cause of that disagreement is the wide gap in our understanding of American culture. I was raised in the deep south, and although my mother’s father… Continue reading It’s still 1954 in America