So Fred Phelps, Sr. is continuing his tireless efforts by promulgating hate and intolerance toward anyone who does not obey God's word -- at least in the way Phelps interprets God's word, according to the Bible. I've written about this extremist in the past, but since I just finished...

I've been trying to wrap my brain around the topic of whether female judges make different decisions from their counterparts based on the whirlwind conversation surrounding Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Today's New York Times takes a closer look at this topic in an article titled "Debate on Whether Female Judges...

Recently, a concerned reader responded to one of my Facebook status updates where I posed a question wondering if Nancy Pelosi was being used as a distraction by the GOP. I believe the reader was genuine when she expressed a concern that I might be ticking off half of my...

In spite of self-publishing gaining more respectability, there are still those who feel it is a waste of money for authors to go that route. Just this week alone I have come across a couple of cynics who believe that struggling writers are foolish and being taken advantage of by...

Some here in the West have reacted with shock in response to the new Afghanistan law that gives Shiite men permission to rape their wives, even though President Hamid Karzai claims that we're simply misinterpreting this law. In other words, we've lost something in the translation. I won't pretend to...

As opposed to years ago, I am no longer religious nor would I define myself as spiritual, but I do sometimes find myself sitting in a pew at St. Patrick's Cathedral when I'm in Manhattan and have some time to kill between meetings. I suppose I could shop at the...

Ever since a recent bout of the flu kept me in bed for a couple of days, leaving me with little to do except sleep or watch television, I have been embarrassed to admit that I am now able to participate in discussions about certain TV programs inaccurately defined as...

I often write about the publishing industry and most recently wrote here about its standards. Admittedly, I am rather vocal when it comes to self-publishing or print-on-demand. Nevertheless, in spite of the new publishing paradigm, there is still often a stigma when it comes to self-publishing. The idea that...

There's been a spirited conversation on my Facebook page in response to an entry I'd made, which had been from a reaction to Motoko Rich's New York Times article about self-publishing and print-on-demand, a.k.a. POD. The discussion in part was about quality versus quantity in light of the...

When President Barack Obama said in his inaugural address that "We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers", I could almost hear a collective gasp of disapproval from a number of religious factions followed by murmurings that the new president was indeed an apostate! After...

Just last night, I came across the family program Funny Videos while channel surfing. I was always troubled by this form of entertainment and decided to see if that were still the case. I remembered how oftentimes that those "funny" home videos show time after time a child getting hurt...

They weren't running to catch a train
They weren't running with the bulls
They weren't running out of fear
They weren't running from a terrorist's bullet
Enticed and cheapened by the marked discounts, they were running for the flat-panel television, the DVD player, the video-game system

Apparently, there are certain magazines and newspapers with Barack Obama's image after having won the election that are collector's items. I'm pleased that after having read my November 5th issue of the New York Times, I had the foresight to keep the paper instead of doing what I usually do...

In his run for presidency and her run as his sidekick, Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin liked to take jabs at then Senator Barack Obama's eloquent speeches, as if talking intelligently meant being an outsider. They tried to use it as a red herring in reaching out to...

Finally, I'm back home, and it was just in time for this year's street festival. It's not as though I'm a big fan of street festivals, but this particular one has significant memories for me. I had written about my journey in "Getting Back Home" here and did a...

While most everyone is talking politics or about the diversions that pose as politics, a friend sent me this link where author Harlan Ellison rightfully vents about the injustice of not paying writers. His rant makes a good point about writers who give their words away for free. I...

Phil Burress, head of the Ohio group, Citizens for Community Values, gave an interesting quote in today's New York Time's article, McCain's Effort to Woo Conservatives Is Paying Off:

"For me this election is primarily about the next Supreme Court appointments," Mr. Burress later wrote in an e-mail message...

Considering the McCain team's vice-president pick, we women are a shallow people, a people who cannot discern gender from agenda. Apparently this is why McCain selected Sarah Palin as his running mate.

This approach is intended to lure supporters, women supporters, who'd planned to nominate Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton,...

It's hard to put into words why this short video, "Where The Hell Is Matt?," touches something so visceral, but one tends to feel hopeful when watching it. Yeah, it's only a man taking his silly dance across the world, but there is a sense of unity, an acknowledgement...

On the one hand, I considered Scott McClellan's revelations better late than never, but then upon further consideration, I began to become angry. Yes, it's redeeming and validating to have the Bush administration's ineptitude confirmed--not that anyone really should need it confirmed--but why now? Why not then? I think the...