All articles filed in Writing

When my blog was part of the Times Union’s collection of community weblogs, there used to be a rule among approval of comments. All comments had to be approved, no matter whether they disagreed with you or not. It was only under unique circumstances – i.e., clearance with the Times Union blog leader – that…

I’ve heard this speech several times, and each time it makes me want to puke. David Eastman, a member of the Alaska State Legislature, in the middle of a conference, belched out this statement regarding abused children. “In the case where child abuse is fatal, obviously it’s not good for the child, but it’s actually…

Matt McKee is an Arkansas state senator. And that’s probably the nicest thing I can say about him. See, a few days ago, McKee was part of a state senate hearing regarding a state bill that involved gender-affirming care for minors, and whether doctors can be sued for providing gender-affirming medications to children. Among the…

Man, oh man, it’s gotten to the point where people start whining about everything in a Super Bowl. Or they’re looking for trains that aren’t even on the schedule. Case in point. Lauren Boebert groused about Sheryl Lee Ralph’s powerful performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” because Boebert had a problem with what she…

Background. One of the only things I kept after my 2011 divorce (besides the television) was our tax preparer. He was a friend of the family, and he worked very hard to make sure we paid our fair share to the government and, when possible, received our fair share back. I continued to employ his…

I’m on a few social media platforms – besides my blog, I can be found on Facebook. I’m on Twitter (albeit in private mode so long as Twitter’s current ownership is still active). I’m on reddit (that platform for which I have a love-hate relationship). My photos exist on flickr, and I’m also on the…

I’ve used Amazon’s Smile ordering service to designate a charitable donation from my online purchases. It’s a passive way to donate to a non-profit organization, while still purchasing whatever odds and ends I can get from Jeff Bezos’ online marketplace. And I’m sure many other people have used the Amazon Smile ordering platform for their…

If you have not read this news article from the Oyster Bay, New York website Patch, read it now. Seriously. Read it now. Here’s the link. Ugh. This story makes my blood boil. In one fell swoop, George Santos – or Anthony DeVolder – or whatever his name is this week – told a homeless…