Quote: New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings (Lao Tsu, c. 6th-4th cent bc, cited online among others by Skip Prichard, 25 Quotes to get you through a storm). In the news:: Trump whines to advisors: Why cant I tweet? (Asawin Suebsaeng, Noah Shachtman The Daily Beast, 1.07.21) In context: Trump lost his signature […]
Quote: “It certainly is a big bun…a very big bun…a big fluffy bun…a very big fluffy…but where’s the beef?” (chain store Wendy’s hamburger ad challenging competitors, 1984). In the news: Nero fiddled. Trump golfs (Dean Obeidallah, CNN, 12.27.20). In context: In 1949, British author George Orwell published his classic dystopian science fiction novel, Animal Farm. […]
Quote: Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly as ravening wolves (The Bible, Matthew 7:15). Definition: Perfidy,; betrayal of faith, trust, official responsibility. (mentioned once in the US Constitution) In the news: Trump faces pressure from Republicans to drop “corrosive” fight to overturn election (Miranda Bryant, The Guardian, 11.24.20). […]
Quote: “Better to Rule in Hell than Serve in Heaven” (John Milton, Paradise Lost, 1667). In the news: Criminal probes, legal fights await Trump after White House (Michael R. Sisak, AP, 11.20.20) In context: The blitz of the Trump tenure has obscured the character of the America that elected Obama in 2008 and dumped Trump […]
Quote: A lie can travel halfway round the world while truth is putting on its shows (Mark Twain, aptly enough, attrib falsely per Fred Shapiro, Freakonomics, 4.07.11) In the news: Why People Who Hate Trump Stick with Him (Sarah Longwell, The Atlantic,10.19.20). In context: America seems more divided than ever in the 2020 transition but […]
Quote: A native American elder once described his inner struggles. “There is a good dog and bad dog inside me. The bad dog fights the good dog all the time. The dog that wins is the one I feed the most.” (George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950; quote listed on numerous sites, search ongoing for original source). […]
Quote: “You…can’t fool all the people all the time.” (Attrib. Abraham Lincoln). In the news: Trump planned to go feral on Biden. Now allies want to call animal control (Scott Bixby, Asawin Suebsaeng, The Daily Beast, 9/30/20) In context: America’s disastrous Donald Trump was a self-correcting measure in the ills that assail a globalizing world. […]
Quote: Mr. Postman, wait and see, is there a letter for me? (The Marvelettes, 1961, remixed by Beatles, 1963 & Carpenters, 1975).) In the news: Judge orders Trump administration to stop winding down 2020 Census field work (Gregory Wallace, CNN, 9.06.20) In context: Renegade American President Trump has trampled the rule of law and Constitutional […]
Quotes: “Cruelty is fed, not weakened, by tears.” “To know who controls you, look at who you can’t criticize.” (Tacitus, Annals of Imperial Rome, c. a.d. 117). In the news: Trump’s niece: he lies, cheats, is cruel — and he’s cheap” (William Goldschlag & Dan Janison, Newsday, 7.08.20) In context: Donald Trump was a mere […]
Quote: The State is a an instrument in the hands of the ruling class to break the resistance of adversaries (Joseph Stalin, Foundations of Leninism, 1924). In the news: Russia says military help available for Belarus; huge protest held in Minsk (Andrew Osborn, Andrei Makhovsky, Reuters, 8.16.20) In context: I was long an adult when […]
Quote: Chaos demands to be recognized and experienced before letting itself be converted into a new order (Hermann Hesse, A Glimpse into Chaos, 1920, publisher unknown; reprints online) In the News: An agitated Trump encourages governors to use aggressive tactics on protesters (Kevin Liptak, Ryan Nobles and Sarah Westwood, CNN, 6.01.20) In Context: America took a […]
Quotes: “Solving problems isn’t our line.” (Steve McQueen in The Magnificent Seven); ” In the news: Trump is Staking Out His Own Universe of Alternative Facts (Thomas Edsall, The New York Times, 5.14.20) In context: Anyone who has ever fallen in love with a macho man knew already how to read beneath the surface. Some […]
Quote; “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear” (proverb, from 1500’s) In the news: Meet the shadowy accountants who do Trump’s taxes and help him seem richer than he is (Peter Elking-Doris Burke-Meg Cramer, Salon, 5.08.20) (originally published in Pro Publica, co-published with WNYC) In context: The Trump base won’t agree […]
Quote: “No, I don’t take responsibility at all,” (Trump on his botched Coronavirus response (Nathalie Baptiste, Mother Jones, 3.13.20). In the news: Trump removes independent watchdog tasked with overseeing economic recovery funds (Zachary Cohen, CNN, 4.07.2020); No respite from Trump’s vindictiveness and recklessness (Terry H. Schwadron, Salon, 4.07.2020) In context: Donald Trump seized power in the US […]
Quote: “I’ll be back. I always come back” (line by title character Chucky in Child’s Play film series) In the news: As Support for Trump Impeachment Grows, His Base Digs in Its Heels (Jeremy W. Peters, The New York Times, 10.21.19) In context: Horror is a fictional genre with a large fan base. If presented […]
Quote: “I want you for US Army” (Uncle Sam recruiting posters, WWI & WWII) In the news: Russia gloats over Trump’s Syria debacle and Putin’s “victory” Anna Nemtsova, The Daily Beast, 10.17.19) In context: Uncle Sam is a legendary figure who has symbolized America since the Revolutionary War. He stepped up in times of war, […]
Quote: “Truth never damages a cause that is just,” (Mahatma Gandhi) In the news: Federal Whistleblowers would do it again, even after retaliation and “professional suicide.” (Joe Davidson, The Washington Post, 10.04.2019) In context: America is the world’s land of freedom guided by laws developed in line with a founding Constitution. Americans today can call […]
Quote: “America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between” (Oscar Wilde, Interview, 1882) In the news: US troops express anger at at Trump’s Syrian policy: We betrayed the Kurds (Ryan Browne, CNN, 10.15.19) In context: America is blessed by geography, history and a founding Constitution that lays the […]
Quote: “An empty vessel makes the loudest noise so those with the least wit babble the most” (Plato, also proverb) In the News: Trump’s Syria policy dismays Europe as Turkey launches campaign (Gavin O’Toole, Aljazeera, 10.10.19) In Context: The Ugly American was a 1958 book by Burdick and Lederer that told about shortcomings of American […]
Quote: “There’s a sucker born every minute.” (attrib. P.T. Barnum, mid-1800’s); “Only the little people pay taxes.” (Leona Helmsley, 1989); “Nobody likes to be made to feel stupid.” (anon, ca. 1985) In the news: Why is America’s Suicide Epidemic Hitting Trump’s Baso So Hard? (Rajan Menon, Common Dreams, 6.18.19) In context: The Queen of Mean Leona […]
Quote: A politician is a man who will double cross that bridge when he comes to it (Oscar Levant, Memoirs of an Amnesiac, 1965) In the news Trump touts economy but payroll tax discussion reveals recession fears (Kaitlan Collins, Maegan Vazquez and Donna Borak, CNN, 8.20.19) In context: The world today is definitely new but certainly not […]
Quotes: “Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I’m gonna eat some worms” (Children’s song, 1863) In the news: Trump hasn’t saved coal in W. Virginia. They don’t care (Kelsey Brugger, E&E News, 8.19.19) In context: You might feel sorry for Donald Trump if he wasn’t destroying the country and damaging a new generation by […]
Quote: “I get no respect,” (tag line of insult comedian Rodney Dangerfield) In the news: “Man insulted at New Hampshire rally by Trump because of weight says, “I love the guy.” (Reuters, 8.16.19) In context: Almost 100 years ago, psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud described humor as an outlet for aggression. About 50 years ago, the insult humor […]
Quote: Anger is like drinking poison and expecting another to die (Buddha) In the news: We Can No Longer Ignore Trump’s Role in Inspiring Mass Shootings (Mehdi Hasan, Intercept, 8.04.19) In context: A toxic person may be hard to define but it sure is easy to spot one. SNL has a skit about a couple […]
Quote: Man has no more tormenting care than to find someone in whom he can hand over…freedom (Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov, 1879) in the news: Report: US is underestimating Putin’s “Grand Strategy” for Russian Dominance (Ursula Perano, Zachary Basu, Axios, 6.30.19) In context: Birds of a feather flock together and America’s flighty President […]
Quote: Truth is stranger than fiction; fiction has to make sense (Mark Twain and others w/ variations Quote Investigator, Financial Times) In the news: Trump’s Influence is Spreading Like a Virus (Michael D/Antonio, CNN, 8.10.19) In context: The truth about Donald Trump is that he doesn’t make sense. Even science fiction has to have a plausible […]
Quote: Slow down, you move too fast, you gotta make the morning last (Simon & Garfunkel, 59th Street Bridge Song) The world is too much with us…getting and spending, we lay waste our powers (William Wordsworth) In the news: It’s Overdose Awareness Day-and Overdoses are killing more Americans than ever before (Vox, 8.31.18) The Millennial […]
Quote: All too often, on the long road up, young leaders become servants of what is rather than shapers of what might be (attrib. John Gardner) Definitions: Status quo, existing situation or condition (Cambridge English Dictionary) Divide and conquer, (1) to gain or maintain power by generating tensions; (2) to accomplish something by having several […]
Quote: Keeping score of old wounds and scars, getting even and one-upping, always makes you less than you are. (attrib. Malcolm Forbes) “It is personal…hurtful.” (Kamala Harris, 1st Democratic debate, 6.27.19) In the news: After Immigrant Families Are Reunited, Scars of Separation Remain (Arian Campo-Flores and Melanie Graye West, WSJ 7.15.18) In context: Kamala Harris […]
Quote: Keeping score of old wounds and scars, getting even and one-upping, always makes you less than you are. (attrib. Malcolm Forbes) “It is personal…hurtful.” (Kamala Harris, 1st Democratic debate, 6.27.19) In the news: After Immigrant Families Are Reunited, Scars of Separation Remain (Arian Campo-Flores and Melanie Graye West, WSJ 7.15.18) In context: Kamala Harris […]
Definition: Gravitas, seriousness and importance of manner causing feelings of respect and trust in others (Oxford English Dictionary) Quote: I gravitate towards gravitas (attrib. Morgan Freeman) In the News: Biden keeps stepping into it and voters couldn’t care less (Marc Caputo, Politico, 6.26.19) In Context: Terrific Democratic candidates abound for the next election to unseat […]
Definition: Gravitas, seriousness and importance of manner causing feelings of respect and trust in others (Oxford English Dictionary) Quote: I gravitate towards gravitas (attrib. Morgan Freeman) In the News: Biden keeps stepping into it and voters couldn’t care less (Marc Caputo, Politico, 6.26.19) In Context: Terrific Democratic candidates abound for the next election to unseat […]
Quotes: I have reached an age when, if someone tells me to put on socks, I don’t have to (Albert Einstein, quoted by Alan Shenstone in Sayens, Einstein in America, 1985) The only source of knowledge is experience (ibid. Ideas and Opinions, 1954) In the news: Younger 2020 candidates hint at age divide in […]
Quotes: The genius of America is that it is good and if it ever ceases to be good it will cease to be great (paraphrase of Ronald Reagan 1983 “Evil Empire” speech re Russia quoting Tocqueville) People are “cocooned in information) because of social media…hard to be obnoxious and cruel in person as people can […]
Definition: Tempest, a violent, windy storm (Dictionary.com) Quotes: Behind every successful man is a woman who helped him. Behind every successful woman in an army of men and women who tried to stop her. (1970’s graffiti) Success is the ability to go from one failure to another without losing enthusiasm (Winston Churchill? Abraham Lincoln? Anon? Quote […]
Quotes: Judged by every standard,,.the Soviet Government of Russia is one of the worst tyrannies…It accords no political rights. It rules by terror. It punishes political opinions. It suppresses free speech. It tolerates no newspapers but its own…It is engaged at this moment in trampling down the peoples of Georgia and executing their leaders by […]
Quotes: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely (Lord Actor, 1887); It is better to be feared than loved (Machiavelli, 1532); Let them eat cake (misattrib. Marie Antoinette, c.1782); The rich are different from me and you (F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1926); I’m a New Yorker and I know a con when I see one (Michael […]
Facts seem to dominate life since the explosion of the digital age. Google news, texting about activities and e-mails about polling numbers for political candidates, say, seem to create reality. But what is personal reality and how can it be found beneath the novelty of digital ease? Sadly enough, there seems no easy way to know […]
Print is by no means obsolete in a digital world. Its usefulness comes from the fact that book titles in a library are enough to spark ideas that can then be followed up through Google or other web channels.
A picture speaks a thousand words and the portrait of wrongfully convicted 90-year-old Frank Wetzel proves he has been unjustly detained by North Carolina for over 50 years. Immediately sign the on-line petition to free him in the interest of proving that justice can over injustice however long it takes.
The case of 90-year-old North Carolina inmate Frank Wetzel deserves review for not only his sake but for that of proving the triumph of justice over injustice if he is found innocent as is undoubtedly likely.
quote: My clan against the enemy, my brother and I against the clan, me against my brother (Somali saying) Like a fable…the fact of (Wetzel’s) guilt has been handed down and believed (Bill Currie, unpublished biography) The Highway Patrol hopes (Wetzel) never will (win parole) (WRAL.com, January 22, 2004) No governor wants to touch this […]
quote: the world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress (Charles Kettering) Tell all the Truth but tell it slant/Success in Circuit lies/Too bright for our infirm Delight/The Truth’s superb surprise (Emily Dickinson) in the news: Obama Tells Supporters Change Harder than Expected. White House Releases Obama Birth Certificate. Bin […]
In 1957, Frank Wetzel was arrested for murdering two North Carolina State Troopers on November 5. The following year, he was convicted of both murders, which took place nearly 50 miles apart, and within 20 minutes of each other. The sole “eyewitness” recanted his testimony 23 years ago. Nevertheless, Mr. Wetzel , still in federal […]