Let us now praise Chester Alan Arthur. The largely forgotten 21st president, a Republican vice president propelled into the office by the assassination of President John Garfield in 1881, Arthur served out the fallen president’s term and no longer. But during his one term he signed into law the Pendleton Act, which replaced the corrupt spoils […]
Shameless Self-Promotion, The Good Lord Bird, and Much, Much More!
Shameless self-promotion: Schiffer Publishing, which still has a healthy stockpile of my book, “Maryland Lost and Found…Again,” is advising its authors to take advantage of Prime Day (Amazon’s annual deal event for Prime members: October 13 & 14). But Amazon’s promotions are tied to the number of reviews on its site. Currently, “Five for Freedom: […]
Special Edition: Snag great books (signed) while supporting online book review
Snag Great Gifts (signed books, Zoom events) While Supporting Us | Washington Independent Review of Books http://bit.ly/33KVIU4 For highlights, click here. The Washington Independent Review of Books is a mostly volunteer nonprofit online book review that came into being more than nine years ago following the demise of the Washington Post’s standalone Book World section. […]
The “Emperor” Has No Clothes, A Monumental Message, and More
Happy Labor Day Weekend! What an odd time to be celebrating labor’s contribution to the country when so many millions are out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic. Walking in the mall, as we did this past week, is a ghostly experience, since so many shops are shuttered. Similarly, more and more Lease signs […]
What we took for granted
The other day, in the fifth month of the coronavirus pandemic, we went out for a latte. It was midday and time for a break from our self-imposed stay-at-home regimen now that our small corner of the world had begun to reopen—tentatively, cautiously, and not entirely free of stress. In fact, there were six reported […]
“Hello, sweetheart, get me obits!”
Obit writers are getting a lot of work these days. And maybe more recognition. The recognition is long overdue. The workload? Growing exponentially from the coronavirus pandemic, with more to come from some states reopening prematurely and, absent social distancing, from large Black Lives Matter protests across the nation. In the media, Covid-19 has given new […]
“A Little Good News”
There’s a local paper rolled up in a rubber band One more sad story’s one more than I can stand Just once how I’d like to see the headline say “Not much to print today, can’t find nothin’ bad to say”, because Nobody robbed a liquor store on the lower part of town Nobody […]
The Great Depression, a Scarred Generation–and the Coronavirus
Those of a certain age – specifically my age – have had parents who entered young adulthood during the Great Depression, for them perhaps an even more life defining event than the Second World War. I fear that today’s millennials–many of them already saddled with student loan debt–may be in for a similarly traumatic period that […]
Alone Together
Hello, world! Are you aging in place? “Is this what it was like during the air raids?” my 25-year old son asked me, knowing full well that we were fortunately spared from bombing attacks during the war (which to my generation could mean only World War II). Though we did hang blackout blankets over the […]
Coronavirus and the Common Good
Lacking competent or timely national leadership, Americans are stepping up in almost unprecedented ways to combat the deadly coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. My inbox, undoubtedly yours too, is flooded with announcements of cancellations. The spring sports season, cancelled. Broadway shows, shuttered. School systems in a dozen states, at last count, closed. Conferences, libraries, museums, […]