Living in Society
Politics mostly social commentary.
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Beginning with a Herman’s Hermits concert at Davenport’s Municipal Stadium on Aug. 27, 1966, I’ve attended a lot of live musical performances. In this post, I write about some that stand out. They are listed in chronological order. Van Morrison – On April 3, 1970, I saw Van Morrison play at the Fillmore East in… Read more
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According to the website Wordsrated, the average American adult reads five books per year. 51.6 percent of Americans don’t finish a single book in a year. Therefore, I am pretty optimistic when I say we should be reading these eight female authors. Don’t get me wrong. Men can be fine writers. It’s just that these… Read more
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Is today a once in a lifetime chance to remake the nation? I know one thing. Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin is right, Democrats need to dream big and get to work. What does that mean? Iowa Democrats cannot resign themselves to the idea Iowa is a red state, or that Republican control of state government is… Read more
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Since I threw in with a bunch of readers, artists, photographers, and writers on social media, I’m learning a lot about being “social” in that context. Mainly, we have to interact or what’s the point? I also try to say positive things when I do comment about a piece of writing, painting, photograph or whatnot.… Read more
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Last week was a time of planning, events, and appointments. Because I had fasting labs before blood work on Thursday, I had a headache after the appointment. By the time I arrived at a local grocer and bought Starbucks at their in-store kiosk it was 9:22 a.m. That’s the longest I’ve gone without morning coffee… Read more
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We need information that will help us cope with the 2024 political campaigns and facilitate Democratic wins. Barbara McQuade’s new book has the potential to do that. McQuade is a law school professor and legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. A former US Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, she was appointed the… Read more
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I’m supposed to be taking it easy. When I retired during the coronavirus pandemic I knew outside activities would wind down as I age. I still care about our politics, yet in a different way from before the pandemic. It began April 28, 2020 when I gave up a part-time job at the home, farm,… Read more
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Because the university bought the hospital system in town, I had to drive to West Branch for my six month check up. My practitioner quit after the acquisition was announced and hasn’t been replaced. The positive news is the university plans to maintain the clinic close to me once the transition is finished. It was… Read more
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Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to those who celebrate! It is hard to celebrate anything these days with all the Republican fear-mongering. In any case, Saint Patrick’s efforts to convert the Pagan Irish does not rank very highly in the life of this descendant of people who lived in North America since before the United States… Read more
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I was pulling for Barbara Lee to win the March 5 California primary to replace the late U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein. I followed Lee diligently and it looked like she had a chance. She was doing the work. At the same time, I know how to read polls and saw Democrat Adam Schiff was the… Read more
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