I always try to maintain a sense of decorum and professionalism in the workplace. There are times however, where I would like to speak out the thoughts that remain in my head. A filter, guided by the light of experience, has been effective from preventing me from doing so. Over the… Read full post »

And then there was Chelsea. When I saw her behind bars I knew she had won my heart. She looked at me with her big brown eyes and gazed into my soul/ When I got close to her she tried to rub up against me. I knew we were made for… Read full post »

Three score and ten years ago, our nation was shocked by an attack by on American Military Forces on the Island of Oahu in Hawaii by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Over three thousand American soldiers and civilians died that day, formally launching the U.S. into World War II.

While President Franklin… Read full post »

A couple of thought experiments.

1, Read some historical books or articles about the former Soviet Union and look at how many of the Politburo would purge those, whose Communist ideology was not pure. Stalin would stand at the top of the list. Substitute the word Communist for Conservative every… Read full post »

Unlike most pundits who never admit when they're wrong (96% accurate 3% of the time) I am back to take my lumps and see how well I did what I screwed up last December.

So here goes:

The next Congress will prove to be contentious and ineffective. 

You didn't need to… Read full post »

A little late to the game with these. Number seven happened yesterday so I thought I better post this while it's still fresh in my mind.

Brussel Sprouts

I always hated Broccoli, and never tried Brussel Sprouts. They have an extremely bad rep. They are now my favorite vegetable, and I… Read full post »

1. Write Open Salon in the title of your post.

2. Write something worth reading.

Any questions? Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family and friends.

I don't remember the first Thanksgiving parade I saw except that I know I watched it on Television in the late 1950s or early 1960s. Back then there were more retailers that had parades. I remember a parade in Detroit (can't remember the store), Marshall Field's in Chicago, and a West… Read full post »

you don't really need to have anyone get you a gift for the holidays.

your wife wants a "white noise" generator as a holiday gift.

you want politicians to stop trying to tinker with Social Security and Medicare.

you know longer care what anyone else thinks....even at work!

you have more… Read full post »

You're not going to see big budget promotion for this movie. In fact, you're going to have make an effort to find a theatre where this movie is being shown.

Writer, producer, director Emilio Estevez has made a real gem of a film.  Let's start with the story, the son of… Read full post »

Grover Norquist found dead after drowning in bathtub.

Thomas Friedman retires from punditry after being proven wrong more often than right.

Koch Brothers investigated for illegally funding Herman Cain campaign. (Bonus headline: Cain Campaign caught with its pants down).

Occupy Wall Street Occupies Co… Read full post »

Much will be said and written over the next several days about the tragedy surrounding the alleged sexual abuses of boys and young men by an assistant football coach who worked for Penn State University.

Those boys and young men are the victims. Not Joe Paterno, the Penn State adminstration… Read full post »

courtesy Joe-KS.com 

For 33 winters, I lived in New Hampshire and Maine. I survived the blizzard of 1978, countless winters of sleet, freezing rain, and wind chill, and one winter living on my boat in Portland, Maine. There's a post on that in my archives, I believe.

So now, we're… Read full post »

I've had a day or two to muse. Let me share what I am thinking:

Why do I have almost a dozen religious channels and a bakers' dozen of shopping channels on my cable service, but I can't get CurrentTV or the NFL Network. Isn't that sacreligious?

Has anyone thought what… Read full post »

My wife's cousin and her family traveled to the east coast from California, and spent last week in New York City as tourists. She and her husband have two daughters, eight and five. My wife's sister and brother-in-law and their 6 year old boy also joined us for a visit.

We met in… Read full post »

I continue to be amazed at hearing a writer's voice in my head. I would compare that experience to hearing a voice on the radio and imagining what that person looks like. The mental image and the reality often don't match up.

Ken Burns documentary The Civil War  had many… Read full post »

Dear MLB,

A few weeks back I waxed nostalgically about you with my 82 year old father, who didn't remember taking to my first major league game in 1963 at the Polo Grounds to watch the New York Mets play the Cincinnati Reds.

I played in little league and then in… Read full post »

Someone once said, "scratch beneath the surface of a cynic, and you'll find an idealist."

It feels good to see the people who believe in endng economic inequity organize and protest. Their non-violence speaks volumes about their approach which scare many of the rich and powerful. It seems like this… Read full post »

Along the East Coast from Maine to Florida, 63 restaurants of the Friendly's Ice Cream chain will close their doors as the company restructures in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

With its humble beginnings in western Massachusetts in the 1930s two brothers, Prestley and Curtis Blake started a chain long… Read full post »

The new iPhone is about to make its debut today. Whoop-de-d00 (insert sarcasm here).

Want to impress me? Make it in the USA.

I know a lot of people who are Apple users. While I like to joke that they are members of a cult, I respect and understand their… Read full post »

Andy Rooney makes his last regular appearance on 60 Minutes this Sunday. I remember 60 Minutes before Andy Rooney. Can anyone remember Point-Counterpoint? How about Nicholas von Hoffman, James J. Kilpatrick or Shana Alexander? Point-Counterpoint was the final segment for many years until Rooney came… Read full post »

I've never been known as a very reflective person. Perhaps having ADD has something to do with that. What were we talking about? Oh, reflection.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year beings at sundown this evening. It marks not only the beginning of the Jewish New Year but the start of… Read full post »

I don't know about you, but I get tired of the heat and humidity of summer. Emotionally and physically. When September comes, I get excited for that first blast of cool crisp air, that comes down from Canada.

The cold nights and cool days reenergize me. I feel good. Really good.… Read full post »

My wife has a terrific sense of humor. After all, she married me. And we're still married coming up on three years next week. She has a fabulous view of the world. She thinks that the dumbest activity in professional football is the measurement. In her view the ball is randomly… Read full post »

The past few months have been painful at Open Salon. It is very challenging trying to get to the site and not get knocked out off the site. I know OS has been slow but I've found a way to always log in and get my writing posted.

I've tried… Read full post »