Blog Postings

It was a clear morning when a 61-year-old Florida mail carrier named Doug Hughes decided to make public his protest regarding the heinous grip that money has on politics. So as he has professed to a few in advance, on Tax Day, Hughes flew his gyrocopter from Gettysburg, Pa., to Washington, D.C., and landed on

This is the time to worry about the world of Capitol Hill and its various political feeder networks. We had a snowstorm, a Friday the 13th, a historic “Pi” day, St. Patrick’s Day and of course the Ides of March. Beware indeed. Lots of planetary and humanistic epicenter tilts to trigger uncertain behavior under and

At the end of January, the lost remains of Miguel de Cervantes, best known to many as the author of Don Quixote, were found. In that great novel, Quixote is the self-imagined knight who sets out to restore chivalry to a modern world. The novel inspired the phrases “tilting at windmills” and “quixotic” for the knight’s

I had just found a much better word for the transition in another op-ed and was already leapfrogging to write a “wow” finish when I heard from outside my window “oh-oo-oor, oh-oo-oor, oh-oo-oor.” There on the ledge — as if it were summer — was Coco and some friends, my pigeon buddies. Their feathers buffeted

In the alternative universe of politics, Capitol Hill should be preparing to greet Matt Funiciello, who on paper and in deed was well-positioned to have won an open House seat in upstate New York. Funiciello was endorsed by the local newspapers, widely acclaimed as being the most in touch with voters, the only one who

One of the most certain things you can count on in the world of international relations is that almost every year, some group of people, some sector of geography, some suddenly wealthy enclave, will want to declare independence from its current nation-state and become the world’s newest entity. Today we are witnessing two vibrant examples

The U.N diplomat running the Syria peace talks in Geneva declared them over after two sessions. U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi felt the need to apologize to the Syrian people, saying he was “very, very sorry” that, despite two rounds of talks, “we haven’t done very much,” he told CNN and other media. Brahimi told CNN

As always, my friend the Old Geezer comes to explain the year to me – and perhaps help some of those in my world understand me better (ha not likely) or at least see the world in some different ways:   It is always reflective and calm in the Cathedral of St. Matthew. It may

(U.S. News and World Report) By the end of week two, students taking the course “Navigating the Checkpoints in Life” at Washington and Jefferson College are happily grasping just how the “the rules of the bluff” work. You can see it in their eyes and smiles. They beam with appreciation of this new knowledge. They

This week brings a watershed moment for Eastern European democracy.  (U.S. News) Miroslav Lajcak, Slovakia’s deputy prime minister, remembers all too clearly the undiplomatic characterization of his newly independent nation by then-Secretary of State Madeline Albright. “It is a black hole,” she sniffed, explaining why she thought Slovakia was not ready for admittance to NATO

Refugees in Syria face a humanitarian crisis with the outbreak of disease. (U.S. News) We see the explosions from the artillery shells. There are photos of charred or bullet ridden bodies, crying children and cowering civilians. These are the faces of war that are easily captured and conveyed, and they tell a lot. What is

The Catalans are upset and, depending on whom you speak with, have been upset since being defeated by the Spanish monarchy in 1714. Now, almost three hundred years later, they are doing what many other ethnic groups throughout Europe aspire – holding a vote to become independent. Or at least show support to be independent because