All day long, I've been reading and hearing about today's Leap Year birthday celebrants.

A subtext about these Feb.29 birthday folks is: when do/should they celebrate their February 29 Leap Year birthdays in non-Leap Years- February 28 or March 1?

Here's one suggestion from a non-Leap Year birthday guy:

Split...

So now we have conservatives- so many of whom have done a total 180 about John McCain in recent weeks- lambasting The New York Times for their recent reportage casting aspersions about McCain's behavior around some of the lobbyists he has known.

Just listen to what some of these conservatives...

During a week such as this, when the ailing, 81 year-old Fidel Castro formally resigned any remaining trappings of official power, I don't think it would be inappropriate to assess his legacy to Cuba and to the world.

For me, the issue of Castro's impact has to be assessed in...

For decades now, I have been struck with a glaring inconsistency (some would call it hypocrisy) in the "pro-family," "pro-life" stances of so many self-defined conservative politicians.

They are against abortion and for "family values," but guess what. After the child is born, and...

Yesterday, Neil Young showed his movie "CSNY Deja Vu," at the Berlin Film Festival. The film was shot during the 2006 Freedom of Speech tour by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Young, who directed the movie, told reporters:

"I think that the time...

I really wish that Hillary Clinton had the judgment and fortitude not to tacitly endorse our invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Obviously, her funding votes were ass-covers for a future Presidential run in which toughness would need to be proven. Plus, it would have been politically difficult for a...

In this age of soaring fuel prices, Liquified Natural Gas is being proposed by some as either a relatively inexpensive alternative to fossil fuels, or a necessary "bridge technology" between dirty oil and coal and a more biofuel, wind and solar energy...

Have you ever received a call from a debt collector?

Just for the record, I know how it feels. Both in and after college, I worked as a debt collector for two major retail chains. Self-employed for more than 30 years, I have collected overdue bills for my business. And...

Over the weekend, I tuned in to the Barack Obama rally at Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus.

Among the speakers: California's First Lady, Maria Shriver. Accompanying her cousin Caroline Kennedy as well as Oprah Winfrey, Shriver announced her support for Sen. Obama.

Watching the crowd, I noticed that while...

Over on one of my tech blogs I have been sparring with more than a few rabid Ron Paul fans.

My latest post concerning the Libertarian-leaning contestant for the Republican presidential nomination explores just why Ron Paul's MySpace page draws so many views -- while his obviously dedicated online...

Earlier today, someone who grew up as one of your own dropped out of the presidential race.

That would, of course, be John Edwards.

John, who grew up in and around mills that once dotted towns like yours, couldn't go on after a South Carolina primary finish where he received...

Some analysts are presenting their belief that Hillary Clinton's well-publicized "well-up" after last Saturday's Democratic Presidential debate enabled her to show enough of her "softer side" to push her over the top in New Hampshire.

That may be the case, but I remain unconvinced that the well-up wasn't anything more...

I know the position I take in this post varies from liberal orthodoxy, but I'm not upset at all with yesterday's 3-2 FCC decision to relax FCC cross-ownership rules.

In fact, I endorse this decision.

First, I believe the argumentation that cross-ownership opponents present is underpinned by overgeneralized or...

In a mere handful of hours, TIME Magazine will announce its Person of the Year.

Given former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore's massive passion and visibility advocating environmental causes, it is virtually impossible to see anyone else getting the nod. From carbon footprints to going to Bali, to winning the Nobel...

Earlier today, singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg lost his fight to a particularly virulent form of prostate cancer. He was 56.

Dan brought us lots of thoughtful and tender musical and lyrical moments. Who can forget:

"Another Auld Lang Syne," a song about the passage of time and about how...

In case you missed the news (or even if you didn't) the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced their newest inductees today.

Madonna, John Mellencamp, The Ventures, Leonard Cohen, The Dave Clark Five, bluesman Little Walter.

Not too early to think about future Rock Hall candidates. With the...

I've read surveys that say between 40 to 50 percent of adult men in the U.S. do not undergo regular physical check-ups.

Some stay away because they have no health insurance. But I am betting that a substantial number of guys who don't regularly see the doc for comprehensive evaluations...

The appeals process for Social Security claims is taking as long as three years, reports The New York Times' Erik Eckholm. The average time between an appeals filing and a hearing is 500 days.

The toll can be visualized in terms of foreclosures, bankruptcies, and even deaths.

Although two-thirds...

Marc Orchant, friend and colleague, passed away on Sunday at the age of 50.

The most incisive conversation I had with him took place in early August at a blogger conference in Seattle.

I told him I had just bailed from a rather boring, rote book project, but was...

I'm sure you've heard by now that today, the Bush administration announced an agreement with the mortgage industry to freeze interest rates on subprime mortgages that otherwise would have risen soon.

While there are probably going to be some families helped by this move, even Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson...