WASHINGTON D.C. —I hate defeat. No giving up before the goal is reached. Last week I made one of the greater concessions of my life. It was a concession to oxygen and old age.
CROATIA—Dubrovnik, Croatia is a relatively new city by European standards. It began in the 7th century AD, when sailors and traders in its area built the first fortifications to protect themselves.
WASHINGTON D.C.—Two days ago we were sitting on the dock in Como waiting for our ship to come in. Not actually a ship, just a small commuter boat that connects the small communities.
WASHINGTON
D.C.—How many people still listen to NPR and take it seriously? Apparently that
list doesn’t include the editors and reporters for NPR. Two cases in point, and
both have to do with numbers.
WASHINGTON D.C.—The last time a new American political party was strong
enough to elect a president was in 1854. That was the Republican Party. Its
first elected president was Abraham Lincoln.
WASHINGTON D.C.—What would make a fitting legacy for Ted Kennedy? I
think it would be the election of a senator who is committed to the same great
public ideas Senator Kennedy often spoke about.
WASHINGTON
D.C.—The Associated Press reported on August 21, that lawyers for
certain detainees at the Gitmo Prison in Cuba, possibly violated federal
criminal law.
BALTIMORE—Some names just belong together. Mention one, and the other comes to mind automatically. Romeo and Juliet. Tom and Jerry. Currier and Ives. So it is with Randy and Susan.
WASHINGTON
D.C—This is the 666th column in this weekly series. It had to be
spent on an overarching subject. Because of the huge and unprecedented
deficits, the issue is not just the taxes.
WASHINGTON D.C.—Let’s begin talk about economics. Last week two important events happened. The Cash for Clunkers program shut down when it burned through money planned for four months, in four days.
NEW YORK—How many of you remember Casey Stengel? If you do, raise your hand. For those who don’t know the name, Stengel was the legendary manager of the legendary Yankees for many seasons.
MARYLAND—Today I read an obscure book, which is adequately written. The book is “Legacy of Honor, the Values and Influence of America’s Eagle Scouts,” by Alvin Townley. It tells a great story.
WASHINGTON D.C.— Judge Sotomayor made clear that the outcome of a case can be decided by the “experience” of the judge.The White House claims that the second quote is “taken out of context.”
WASHINGTON
D.C.—I wrote this column a week ago and since then, almost a dozen
people who live in Alaska and regularly travel to the Lower 48 or vice
versa, have responded to my column.
WASHINGTON D.C—I was asked to write a brief history of the Church of the Incarnation. The piece was intended to be about the building itself, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
UNITED STATES—One of Mark Twain’s well-known quotes is this: “There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.” The humor works because it is based on truth.
UNITED STATES—I was shaving Friday morning in a small, unaccommodating, shared bathroom when a stranger walked in. I felt like Cary Grant shaving in the bathroom of a train station.
UNITED STATES—Dear Sonia, May I call you Sonia? We’ve just met but I feel I’ve known you forever, because of your “compelling story.” I’m an elderly, white male who’s a lawyer.
BALTIMORE— The phrase “global warming” has largely disappeared from public discourse? It's now "climate change," since the globe has been cooling off for the last three years.
VARIOUS—I have enjoyed Oprah Winfrey’s work on television since she showed up as the second banana on “People are Talking” with Richard Scher on WJZ, four decades ago.
VARIOUS—On Friday, right after the computer office closed, our Internet access failed. It remained out until Monday morning. Meanwhile, Michelle and I had two articles each that were on deadline.