For me the verdict is in, folks, that every last politician in Congress should be wearing thigh high red boots and walking towards sailors. But I apologize for the comparison to streetwalkers because those people are honest about what they do for a living. NOT our politicians though, and if you need any more proof that they're all greedy, self-serving wharf rats, (again, apologies to wharf rats) then read on: For nearly a week, the media and political worlds have been wondering who paid $140 million to purchase Nevada’s largest daily newspaper, The Las Vegas Review-Journal. The primary buyer had taken great pains to remain anonymous, but it was finally revealed to be Sheldon … [Read more...]
“Bad Witches are Ugly”
Some posts about politicians we love to hate are as morally ambiguous as the politicians themselves: Let's not criticize... Posted by Patricia V. Davis on Monday, October 26, 2015 … [Read more...]
Let’s Just Keep Talking About the Guns
The subject again and will always focus on US gun laws. Lots of folks making lots of money talking "pro" or "anti," getting elected to power-filled offices, or writing books and appearing on talk shows on this platform. Here's what never gets discussed: the culpability of the American Medical Association and the drug companies. To see a qualified psychiatrist in the USA, the cost is anywhere from 100 to 350 dollars per hour. If said psychiatrist prescribes medication--anti-psychotics, anti-depressants, etc-- that medication costs hundreds of dollars per month. Medical insurance should cover it, you say? Most insurance companies will only pay for a very limited number of sessions, enough to … [Read more...]
On Menstruation, Immigrants, and the Guy with the Signature Hairdo
Before I start, I think it’s important to mention that this is written by someone who, when she first read about Donald Trump in the 1980s, found him to be impressive. I know that statement will appall many of those who read my work regularly, but please let me explain myself: It was because of the skating rink. The Wollman Rink in Central Park was one of New York City’s treasures, created with monies donated by philanthropist Kate Wollman. It’s a magnificent rink, and as a native New Yorker living there at the time, I was dismayed by the city’s mismanagement of it. The rink was closed in 1980 for what was supposed to be two years of renovations, but six years later, the work was … [Read more...]
The People Who Despise You Are Your Formula for Success
In my lifetime, I've survived much pain that was deliberately inflicted upon me. As a child, I served as whipping boy to bitter adults, as a young wife, I played scapegoat to an ineffectual spouse, and in my career, I've been the subject of some malicious scrutiny by a few jealous colleagues and frenemies. Believe it or not, those are the people I have to thank for my eventual success. Because not only have I survived their maliciousness, I've thrived. And I confess that part of the reason I've done so has been not only for my own benefit, but out of sheer spite. There is something so incredibly gratifying about refusing to be in pain, refusing to be unfulfilled, refusing to be … [Read more...]
“Subscriber Unsubscribed,” or You Can’t Hide From the Chimp
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING 101: 1) Collect a careful email list of friends, colleagues, subscribers. 2) Spend a full week culling everyone from said list you think even just "might" not want to hear from you. 3) Spend an anxiety-filled week writing and editing a stupid newsletter. 4) Send your stupid newsletter to list mentioned in Steps One and Two. 5) Check "Unsubscribe" page and discover to your mortification the names of people who forgot they signed up at your website for said newsletter, or whose names you somehow missed when culling your list, such as the receptionist desk at your gynecologist's office. Learn how polite these people … [Read more...]
Consent and Conversations with Young Children (or Why I Ask Permission for Cuddles at Night)
by Alexandra Roumbas Goldstein The other day I ended up staying late at work and heading out for dinner with some colleagues (friends, really and all, for what it’s worth, currently child free). While we were waiting for food I got a text from my husband about how our daughter’s bedtime had gone, and it listed the number of cuddles and kisses I could give her when I got home. I got some baffled looks at this, so I tried to explain. My daughter knows that the last thing I will do every night before I go to bed will be to stick my head around her door and check in on her. My commute is around an hour and a half long, so I inevitably miss a fair number of bedtimes, and therefore … [Read more...]
“No Color”
This is a true story. I once lived with a man in a rented flat that came with white walls. He told me that until we bought a house of our own, we shouldn't waste money painting any colors on those walls, because they weren't "ours." Somehow, we never got our own house. We lived in that flat for ten years. Ten years of no color on the walls. Ten years of no color in our lives at all. I finally left him. And when I did, I moved into another flat with white walls, but this time, the first thing I did was paint them. I put color everywhere---a blue wall in the bath, a red wall in the living room, a faux finish in the bedroom and trompe l'oeil in the kitchen. And when I was … [Read more...]