It’s no Statue of Liberty on a New York Harbor pedestal or precious Constitution under low lights in Washington, but it’s the most ancient American relic. Or is it? Legend claims it’s the first bit of land that the first… Read More ›
Archive for 2011
The Four Best Presidential Pumpkin Pies: From the first Adams and Johnson, Ike & Reagan
When it comes to Presidents, the quality of political policy is entirely inconsistent with that of their pumpkin pie. There’s not even a preference for pumpkin over mince, for example, among those regularly rated as either the “best” (like… Read More ›
Gemini Twins Jack Kennedy and Judy Garland
She made much of the fact that they were both born under the same astrological sign. He did not. Making them both typical of Gemini duality. No matter when they were born, however, it’s not hard to see the factual… Read More ›
Marilyn Monroe to Saddam Hussein to Brittany Spears: Celebrity Degrees of Separation
Marilyn Monroe to Ronald Reagan to Donald Rumsfeld to Saddam Hussein to Jacques Chirac to Shimon Perez to Madonna Ciccone to Brittany Spears In the spring of 1945, during World War II, when actor Ronald Reagan was Commanding Officer of… Read More ›
Chelsea Clinton’s NBC Job: Presidents’ Daughters Evoking Their Father’s Legacies
There’s something new – and something old, in the news that former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton has been hired by NBC Nightly News as a special correspondent for its frequent “Making a Difference” segments which focus on volunteers striving to… Read More ›
Helping Yourself Help A Very Old Dog Live Longer and Well (Part II)
It’s understandable how striving to maintain a very old dog’s well-being may appear futile. Given a dog’s shorter life span, the time, energy and money expended on behalf of what may only be a matter of several weeks or months… Read More ›
Helping A Very Old Dog Live Longer and Well (Part 1)
In eight profound months, beginning in October of 2010, my perceptions of time, communication, dignity, and the power of intention were forever altered by the paradoxical process of helping my ninety-pound, 16 year old Weimaraner companion named Yeager live well… Read More ›
My Friendship with Hillary Clinton’s Mother: The Influence of Observant, Worldly, Hopeful Mrs. Rodham
By 2005, Dorothy Rodham didn’t need to walk to the National Zoo alone. After all, her son-in-law had been President and her daughter was then a United States Senator and an aide or companion could easily have been hired. The… Read More ›
Mao to Fred Mertz: Celebrity Degrees of Separation
Mao Tse-Tung – General George C. Marshall – Lucille Ball – “Fred Mertz” Amazingly, there’s only three degrees of separation between one of the world’s most dramatic dictators and one of the world’s most dictatorial dramatists. In December 1945, President… Read More ›
Mamie & Mame, The Rosalind Russell – Mamie Eisenhower Friendship
One was First Lady of the Fifties known for her pink carnations and sassy asides named Mamie, the other a compassionate, wisecracking actress whose most famous role was named Mame. It’s hardly a wonder that Mamie Eisenhower and Rosalind Russell… Read More ›
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