There’s only a short time until the end of the year, so it’s time for a short column with some short quotes about the issues of the day. Coronavirus “When you wrestle […]
Retorts: Speak softly, or don’t
Didn’t quite become “Ricardos”
By Jim Tortolano Here’s the problem with “Becoming the Ricardos,” the otherwise admirable new film from Amazon Studios by Aaron Sorkin. The people most likely to appreciate a movie about the making […]
“People’s Guide” a narrow light
By Jim Tortolano I have to cock a skeptic’s eye at any book that put a modifier in the title. It’s with this apprehension that I take up “A People’s Guide to […]
A different guide to the holidays
If you’re like most of us, you are hip-deep in the holiday season. Regardless of your spiritual affiliation, you are stuck in Christmasland for the next two weeks or so, so […]
Who let the dog out? He did
This is the time of year when people ask what you’re thankful for. Personally, I’ll be grateful if our new dog, Shadow, doesn’t burn the house down. A too-tall Flat-Coated Retriever mix, […]
“Thank you for your service”
“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy, 1961 “What’s in it for me?” – Too Many People, 2021 […]
The wild world of new words
Our American English language is constantly changing and always has been. But in today’s super-heated political/cultural climate people are quickly inventing words and terms intended to be pointed in defense of, or […]
GTT for the greener pastures?
“Bloom where you’re planted” – Anonymous. About 200 years ago, people wanting to start a new life sometimes used the acronym GTT, which stood for “Gone to Texas.” At first it was […]
The assault on open space
Where do the children play? That’s the title of a pop music song from the Seventies, but it’s also a quiet crisis that’s bad and bound to get a lot worse. Recent […]
Who are your real enemies?
This nation is so divided politically and culturally that we are seeing people who believe and act differently from us as enemies. Not only is that unwise, unkind and un-useful (is that […]
