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 […]
Who are your real enemies?
“Friends, Romans … yikes!”
It was a dark and scary night. Studies have indicated that, next to death, the thing that people fear the most is getting up in front of a group to speak. That […]
Willing to get out and push?
Jim Tortolano has the week off from writing his “Retorts” column. Here’s a classic from 2017. One of the reasons that the Germans failed on the western front during World War II, and the […]
Casinos, wells that never were
Second of two “alternate local history” accounts. Almost any area of Orange County can point to “might-have-been” scenarios. Few have quite as many, with potential huge impacts, as those that bypassed Garden […]
What might (or not) have been
Disneyland in Burbank? The Angels in Long Beach? Oil derricks in Garden Grove? What sort of “Twilight Zone” world is that? Well, those things do seem sort of off, but they are […]
Back when I hated summers …
Here’s a heresy with a twist ending. As a kid, I hated summer. Oh, I know volumes have been written about the joys of the sunny season. The old fishin’ hole. Camping […]
We were all in this together
I blame it on the hippies. The counterculture movement of the Sixties transformed America and the effect spilled over worldwide. Old traditions – many of them worth abandoning – were trashed, new […]
The numbers need to slow down
Some things in life – here comes the pun – just don’t add up. This column is about higher mathematics. Oh, read it anyway! Do you remember sitting in your algebra or […]
Meet Pat, the polarized bear
This is Pat. Pat is a polar bear. I gave Pat that name because it is gender-neutral, just in case Pat decides to switch teams, like Caitlyn Jenner. Pat lives in the […]
Here’s not looking at you, kid
Note to readers: Jim Tortolano’s “Retorts” column is taking a week off. Here’s a classic column from a year ago when the pandemic was just getting underway. I am bored. Don’t get […]
