After a swelling tide of protests, the president of Yale announced on Saturday that the university would change the name of a residential college commemorating John C. Calhoun, the 19th-century white supremacist statesman from South Carolina. The college will be renamed for Grace Murray Hopper, a trailblazing computer scientist and Navy rear admiral who received a… Read more.
Archives for February 2017
Men Talk; Women Do
It is so often thus, in so many facets of life, no…? Related commentaries: Woman power… Read more.
Nordstrom Rejects Trump Brand. Court Overrules His Muslim Ban
Donald Trump spent most of his post-election transition making corporate America fear that a simple tweet from him could cost any corporation billions if it failed to do as he decreed. Even worse, corporations like Carrier and Ford began kissing his … brass ring – as if they were Catholic bishops and he, the pope.… Read more.
McConnell Rebuking Warren Is about Racism and Sexism Not Senate Decorum
The rebuke of Warren came after the Massachusetts Democrat read a letter written 30 years ago by Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., opposing the nomination of Jeff Sessions for a federal judgeship. Warren cited the letter during a debate on the nomination of Sessions — now an Alabama senator —… Read more.
Prince Charles Draws Analogies Between Trumpism and Nazism
Prince Charles is the Constitutionally apolitical heir to the British throne. Yet he has a habit of using his platform to deliver very political messages. This was certainly the case on December 22, 2016, when he was the featured speaker on the BBC Radio 4 program, “Thought For The Day.” The curious thing, though, is that… Read more.
Trump Is Wrong about Most Things. But He Is Right about This!
President Donald Trump appeared to equate US actions with the authoritarian regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview [with Bill O’Reilly of Fox News] released Saturday, saying, ‘There are a lot of killers. You think our country’s so innocent?’ (CNN, February 6, 2017) Unsurprisingly, CNN commentators led near-universal condemnation of Trump for what… Read more.
Patriots Stun Falcons to Win Super Bowl 51
The National Anthem Here is what I wrote about this ritual last year in “Broncos Tame Panthers to Win Super Bowl 50,” February 7, 2016. __________________ Whitney Houston set what might be an unsurpassable bar with her rendition at Super Bowl 25 in 1991. Arguably, last year, Lady Gaga came as close as any singer… Read more.
Don’t Look to the Super Bowl to Escape Politics…
Former President Ronald Reagan popularized the Super Bowl pre-game interview. But every president has been keen to focus more on Football than politics. Unfortunately, that will not be the case with President Trump – who will be interviewed by the equally obnoxious Bill O’Reilly of Fox News. For Trump is bound to say something stupid or incendiary… Read more.
Tiger’s Poor Play Causes Back Pain and Forces him to Quit – Again
Tiger Woods withdrew from the Omega Dubai Desert Classic on Friday morning before beginning second-round play because of a back spasm he began suffering after dinner Thursday night. … He shot an opening-round 77 that included five bogeys and no birdies on Thursday. It was his worst score in 29 rounds at Emirates Golf Club,… Read more.
Doping Charge Strikes Usain Like a Lightning Bolt
It’s a matter of public record that doping among Jamaican Track and Field athletes is nearly as pervasive as it is among their Russian counterparts. For example, 30 Jamaicans have tested positive for banned substances in recent years, including every notable Olympic champion … except Usain Bolt: this, according to a report on the Jamaican… Read more.