Fourth Of July

The Emmy-winning talk show host celebrated her father on the 4th of July with family and friends. — Americans were on strike for the 4th of July 2022 because of the numerous calls to action our nation is in need of but isn’t being heard on. Calls to action being ignored by the current administration. Instead of fireworks, Oprah Winfrey celebrated her father, Vernon Winfrey, by having a…

Just as July 5 follows the Fourth of July, the latter date is reliably accompanied by a slew of articles recounting adults who accidentally blew themselves up lighting illegal fireworks. During my college days, I began hosting a July 4 celebration on Long Island in my family’s backyard. The year…

On Any Given Day — It’s a smidgen past 9:00 am when Larry parades across our bedroom holding up three fingers. Which could only mean one thing. It took him three tries to complete today’s wordle challenge and the only reason he is gloating is that it took me four. Retirement. What’s not to like? …

Late evening, July 4th, 2022: Fireworks can sound like gunfire, and tonight they do, rolling in waves through my neighborhood like a war only hours after six people were killed in Highland Park in a fusillade of similar sounds. …

While millions starve, how is there such a thing as “competitive eating?” — Yesterday, on the Fourth of July, I was watching the Wimbledon tennis tournament. When it ended, ESPN went to Coney Island for the annual hot dog eating contest. I had heard of it before, but had never witnessed it. My morbid curiosity was aroused, so I decided to watch. The…

No one is safe in today’s America. — It is becoming increasingly difficult to find something positive to write about. Violence in the news is a regular and somewhat anticipated occurrence. I scan the headlines and wonder why people seem so desensitized to the loss of human life. …

Leaning into the hard work that needs to be done — When the sun rose this morning, its energy raining down and illuminating our little slice of the world, the remnants of celebration came into focus. Bits of charred paper and cardboard tubes littered the lawn. Sludgy water in the five-gallon paint bucket needed to be discarded, and errant wrappers, napkins…