Another week, another wrap-up. The problem is that this past week feels like déjà vu all over again as the news cycle spit out one story after another about the “scandals” of Benghazi the IRS and even “umbrella gate.” Yeah, ‘umbrella gate’ — in which the far right has lost what remains of its senses by throwing yet another hissy fit over a Marine holding an umbrella for the President as he delivered a speech during the rain.… [Read more]
Random musings…Watching what we say and when we say it can be tricky waters to navigate. I came across something recently that reminded me of Jim Romenesko’s post in March regarding Washington Post Outlook section editor Carlos Lozada’s list of Outlook words and phrases that should be avoided. Their editor’s comments are in parentheses and mine are also in parentheses but with “Ed:” in front of the comments.… [Read more]
Watching this week’s news cycle made me think of this song’s title. How often must we, the public, be subjected to the same nonsense spewed as ‘doing the work of the people’? This week it was revealed that the political wrangling disguised as an inquiry into the tragic events in Benghazi is nothing more than misinformation and twisted facts.… [Read more]
Dear Mrs. Vera,,
Is there any way to stop Karl Rove from making-up stuff?
Regards,
Andrea “Tokyo Rose” Breitbart
Dear Endora Bombay,
Thank you for your inquiry into the chicken-egg philosophical mystery of cracked Super-Liars. I normally write this column while waiting for hours in the wind and rain for a series of busses that take me away from my house then eventually back to it so, often, this column can be quite wordy, but thanks to your question and the 22-Fillmore being less than a block away, I’m going to wrap up early and just go with “no”.… [Read more]
Life is like an empty canvas when we are born. With each experience we add on to the threads that make up the fabrics of our life. As we paint on the canvas we wonder how the final picture will turn out. What will it be? Will it be a bright and happy drawing or something that is dull and that depicts agony?… [Read more]
Whether she’s a married woman, a single mom, an empty-nester or a surrogate who steps in when needed, she deserves to be honoured. Happy Mother’s Day!
“A Very Special Tribute to a Very Special Mom”
If there is happiness in my heart,
it’s because you helped put it there.
If there is gentleness in my beliefs,
it’s because you showed me how to care.… [Read more]
This week’s “Say It In Song” pick is ”Homeless,”performed by Paul Simon on the album Graceland.
“Strong wind destroy our home
Many dead, tonight it could be you
Strong wind, strong wind
Many dead, tonight it could be you”
On any given night in this country, 700,000 to 2 million people are homeless.… [Read more]
Dear Mrs. Vera,
How do you think New Jersey’s Governor Christie’s impending weight loss will affect the 2016 Presidential election?
Regards,
Mrs. Connie Fasquatti,
Passaic/Hoboken Newborn Beautiful (finalist) 1943,
Miss Little Trenton 1947,
Glassboro Crab Queen 1963, 1967, 1978-81,
Miss Patterson 2009
Dear Confiscated Paysack Hobo #9876543211=0,
Thanks for your letter, dear — love your hat!… [Read more]
Fox News.com, “fair and balanced,” and this from their Twitter profile page: “Follow America’s #1 cable news network, delivering you breaking news, insightful analysis, and must-see videos.”
We have heard and read much over the years about how Fox News gets it wrong, forgets the “fair and balanced” thingy, does their level best to create conspiracies, and probably blames the president for the sun rising in the east.… [Read more]
Although the nation’s current political temperature isn’t at the same fever level as it was during the last national election, many issues remain unresolved. One such issue is money in politics. The Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case opened even wider the floodgates of cash pouring in from special interest groups and their well-compensated lobbyists.… [Read more]
God gets a bum rap on just about everything and it’s not fair. Human beings blame God for the many, many deaths, famines, wars, murders, accidents, disease, etc., etc, and this has been the case throughout recorded history. So, let’s look at God from a different perspective.
I’ve had religious experiences where I truly felt the presence of God in my life and I’ve included a link to the most wondrous of those experiences at the end of this post.… [Read more]
Events in the news this week have some of us thinking about change on a national and global level. Today we’re posting this week’s “Say It In Song” pick: Bob Dylan’s “Things Have Changed.”
“People are crazy and times are strange
I’m locked in tight, I’m out of range
I used to care, but things have changed.… [Read more]
Dear Mrs. Vera,
What do you do when all of your relatives want to run for President?
Barbara Pierce Bush,
Flushing, New York
Dear BooBerry Piecebush,
So sorry to be addressing your inquiry so many years after receiving your letter; the envelope was just so unattractive and I am so sensitive to cheap perfume that I had to keep it sealed in a black Ziploc® bag, which I had to paint black myself, because they didn’t make those back in 1988 when it arrived and I could have really used one because, P.U.… [Read more]
Did you miss last night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner?
In terms of a little background, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) is an group of journalists who cover the U.S. President and the White House. According to WHCA, the organisation was founded in 1914 by journalists in response to a rumour that a Congressional committee would select which journalists could attend press conferences of President Woodrow Wilson.… [Read more]
Money is on the mind today. Perhaps it’s because we’re moving beyond the trauma caused by filing our annual tax returns a couple of weeks ago, or maybe it’s because we heard the money-related news about how Congress moved to end the sequester only in an area which directly affects them; they quickly passed a bill to end Federal Aviation Administration furloughs right before they fled Washington to go on recess.… [Read more]
Dear Mrs. Vera,
I’ve been busy trying to keep my family alive and in a house for so long, I’ve forgotten why everyone hates George W. Bush! Except, you know, those swell people he knew and changed laws and regulations for, so that they could make so much money that I almost don’t even recognize us as members of the same species any more.… [Read more]
It’s the end of a week that’s ‘one for the books.’ Endless news coverage has reminded us that we’re living in times during which not much can be taken for granted. It has been exhausting.
The week brought a vote by the House of Representatives to invade citizens’ privacy on one end, and a win by the National Rifle Association against all voices in support of sane gun control legislation on the other.… [Read more]
Richie Havens’ cover of “What’s Going On” is this week’s “Say It In Song” pick. Some of us feel it helps to have a moment of reflection and quiet contemplation when things appear to have gone crazy. The week brought a vote by the House of Representatives to invade citizens’ privacy on the one end, and a win by the National Rifle Association against all voices in support of sane gun control legislation on the other.… [Read more]
Dear Mrs. Vera,
What do you think of the odds that Baby Kim will launch his missile but that it will land on him?
Regards,
Novak Kardashian
Dear Novacaine Ashcan,
There’s a lot of chatter these days about North Korea’s technoknowledgetical advances, especially since Kim Jong Un got that 238th lovable limited edition Pluto I Am!… [Read more]
Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. It gives you the energy that you need to get a head start on the things that need to be completed. Why, then, are so many kids and adults reluctant to give this meal the emphasis that it needs?
Many times we use insufficient time or even the lack of appetite as a reason for not eating breakfast.… [Read more]
