So, America turned 232 this past weekend. Unfortunately, it seems like lots of people aren’t feeling too good about the state of the nation. Polls indicate people are feeling bad about the direction America seems headed in. I think when kids studying U.S. political history look at our era, they’re going to be reading something… Read more »
It’s funny how a news cycle—and even an important policy debate—can kind of sneak up on you. When did offshore drilling become such a hot topic? How is it possible, in this post-Inconvenient Truth era, we’re somehow still having a debate about whether or not to radically curtail our consumption of oil? Jon Stewart summarizes… Read more »
We’re back to the numbers this week on the campaign trail… A new study is out about how the McCain and Obama proposed tax plans would affect two specific focus families. The families chosen were the Obama and McCain families (neat trick). Check out the results here. Essentially, if you’re in the top 1% of… Read more »
Brooklyn Pride was this past Saturday night. It was intermittently pouring, and both those of us watching and the soggy marchers got soaked and didn’t really care. I love the huge excitement of the big Pride Parade, which is weeks to come yet here in NYC, but I love Brooklyn Pride because it’s a lot,… Read more »
Shavuot was never a big-deal holiday in my family—it was pretty much the Festival of the Cheese Blintz. It’s only been in more recent years that I’ve learned about the lovely theological bases for this celebration, and worked towards understanding the sublime joy of receiving the Torah. I received a number of great Shavuot-related press… Read more »
I was at the Strand bookstore when I found a forty-eight-cent copy of The Feminine Mystique. I’ll shamefully admit that the selfsame title heads a list entitled “Mel’s Summer Gotta Read!” if for no other reason than damn, you’ve got to read it. How did I make it this far in my life without having… Read more »
As regular readers of this blog may know, I tend to take the news a little personally. So steam was pretty much coming out of my ears this past week, although I took great pleasure in the fact that the news cycle raising my blood pressure was a news cycle that might end up making… Read more »
But you can’t, if you’re running for president of the United States, always pick the lunatics who endorse you. Each of the candidates has learned this lesson by now, although some have had to learn it harder and faster and uglier than others. I am, of course, referring to Barack Obama and Reverend Jeremiah Wright.… Read more »
(I apologize to those of you who may be irritated by my constant references to New York. I am sad to report that, while the following is indeed local news, I bet there’s not a place in the world where you couldn’t tell a similar story, changing only what are ultimately minor details.) The judge… Read more »
Well, the seders have come and gone, and I for one had a wonderful holiday. Passover’s my favorite holiday, I think, but that also raises the stakes a great deal. And now that I lead seders of my own, it jacks the pressure up. I’m also waiting, fuming, for my check from the government. No,… Read more »
