Maureen Dowd and the Presidents

Maureen Dowd is one of my favorite writers. She's been at The New York Times for decades and covering politics, particularly US presidents, for thirty-six years. Beginning with George Herbert Walker Bush, or 41, who was very fond of her. Keep that in mind. Dowd was recently interviewed about that at the New Orleans book festival. I … Continue reading Maureen Dowd and the Presidents

Book Review: A Mirror of America

We all know what happened in 2016 during the Presidential Election of Donald Trump. But do we know WHY it happened? There was plenty of speculation to go around for sure. But Mark Jabbour’s book Election 2016: The Great Divide, The Great Debate explains it on so many different levels that it becomes clear there … Continue reading Book Review: A Mirror of America

Election 2016: Book Review

Election 2016: The Great Divide, The Great Debate by Mark Jabbour Xlibris book review by Mihir Shah "Clinton is wrong in that regard. It doesn’t take a village to raise a child; it takes a man, a father (with help, of course)." On the surface, what appears to be a text delving into the perfect … Continue reading Election 2016: Book Review

Cortez the Killer: smash or pass

Recently I saw a classical musician's reaction to Neil Young's Cortez the Killer. Water filled my eyes. The song has always been one of my all time favorites. Young broke it out on his 1975 album Zuma. It is about Cortez, Moetezuma II, war and peace. In the 16th Century! Seems relevant given the state of … Continue reading Cortez the Killer: smash or pass

Fall Frenzy: 2023 version

Fall Frenzy 2023 has gone crazy compared to 2022. Let's get into it. I've taken to visual aids. Old school. No computer or AI generated images for yours truly. Below is a "map" of this year's version of Fall Frenzy. Dominating all else is the Israel / Hamas war. These people are out of their … Continue reading Fall Frenzy: 2023 version

Anger and the Road to Hell

is a chapter in my book Election 2016: The Great Divide, The Great Debate. I am now in the process of republishing it. Because it is especially relevant now, even more so than when I wrote it. Moreover, "things" have gotten worse. Why? is a great question. The book takes a shot at answering that. Election 2016 … Continue reading Anger and the Road to Hell

The Hatred of Donald Trump

The hatred of Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, can be explained by the ego defense mechanism Reaction Formation. Let's get into it. Reaction Formation is simply the hatred of that which you fear you need, or want. It is a Freudian, psycho-analytic concept. It combines repression of unmet desire with projection. … Continue reading The Hatred of Donald Trump

Security or Adventure: Thunder Pass

Sunday's writing prompt from WordPress was: Are you seeking security or adventure? Which is a good question worth thinking/writing about. However, it reminded me of a chapter in my last book Election 2016 wherein I titled a short chapter  "Thunder Pass". Because, as I saw things then, that was one way of looking at the choice … Continue reading Security or Adventure: Thunder Pass

CHIMP EMPIRE: Who Are We?

is the way James Reed's Netflix documentary (April 2023) begins, and ends. Does the four-hour series answer the question? That depends on who and what you believe. For me it does a very good job. We are the The Naked Ape (1967); or as Jared Diamond wrote, The Third Chimpanzee (1992). Robert Wright called us The Moral … Continue reading CHIMP EMPIRE: Who Are We?