Important Note:
Opinions are fun. My friends tell me I am someone with lots of opinions and that's fine since I don't get mad at others when they disagree with me. In this same spirit I am interested in hearing yours views as long as you are able to share your views without boiling over. I look forward to hearing from you. I tend to write in the form of short essays most of the time, but contributions do not need to be in this same format or size. Some of the content here will date itself pretty quickly, other content may be virtually timeless, this is for the reader to judge.
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Is that what you call news?
Posted at: Apr/22/2021 : Posted by: mel
Related Category: Society, Watching America,
I know that when I was in my teens and early twenties I thought many older adults were totally out of touch with reality. The things that seemed to matter to that generation just didn’t strike a nerve with me. I can remember someone coming into a diner with a sleeveless shirt on and sandals, my father could no longer focus on our conversation and finally insisted that we leave our meals half eate.....read more…
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The P’s of 2020 dominate
Posted at: Nov/16/2020 : Posted by: mel
Related Category: Politics & Gov, Society, Watching America,
I am an individual with a lot of opinions, I know this to be true because I get told it so many times I have almost become deaf to the comment. I used to think that being opinionated was a privilege of being old, but clearly in our current society that is not reserved to folks my generation. Nevertheless, if there was every an opportunity to share a few unwanted and unsolicited opinions, the pol.....read more…
The Mean Girls are loose!
Posted at: Sep/17/2020 : Posted by: mel
Related Category: People, Society, Watching America,
It is interesting how words change with time. Growing up I collected stamps because I wanted to do something my father also did. I learned that the postal mark on a stamp meant it had been used and was considered “cancelled.” Of course, for the less nerdy: “canceled” was what happened to television shows you wanted to see, but were not popular enough to come back. A lot of shows I liked got canc.....read more…
A look at the 2019 California fire season
Posted at: Nov/14/2019 : Posted by: Mel
Related Category: People, Politics & Gov, Society,
If you are a California resident, 2019 has been one heck of a year. The homeless populations of San Francisco and Los Angeles have repeatedly made the national news. We can no longer get plastic straws with our cancer causing soda. But more prominent in our minds is the 2019 fire season. Any of us who have lived here a while have seen these fires, and on occasion been personally impacted. It .....read more…
Where did all the empathy go?
Posted at: Nov/05/2019 : Posted by: mel
The last decade has been an era of ever increasing political correctness and empathy. Buildings get torn down because they do not have elevators giving handicapped access to high floors. Schools now must provide restrooms for a variety of gender and sexual identifications. Passengers can bring their miniature horse on an airline because it provides them with comfort. Yet, in “politics”, the na.....read more…
What will religion look like in the next 100 years?
Posted at: Aug/13/2019 : Posted by: Mel Mann
Related Category: Religion, Society,
Many years ago my father told me that there were “3 sins of polite conversation: religion, sex and politics.” Since many people tell me I am terrible at obeying rules, it seems only fair that I delve into religion and disobey my father one more time. People have a knack for getting attached to their religions and believing they are wonderful and will never change. Despite these attachments and t.....read more…
The California Contradiction – Protect Us From that Straw
Posted at: May/01/2018 : Posted by: Mel
Imagine a state that passes a law welcoming, coddling and protecting criminals who already have a history of endangering citizens. Next, imagine a state where the State’s Attorney General warns business leaders they will be prosecuted if they work with or provide information to federal authorities. Lastly, imagine that same state passing laws, and judges issuing orders that make no sense except .....read more…
Critical Thinking at Risk
Posted at: Oct/16/2017 : Posted by: mel
Colleges in America have been special places for a long time. Parents, when first looking at their newborn infant almost immediately establish an aspiration for their children to attend a university at some point in their future. While a college path is not for everyone, there are some key benefits that have traditionally been garnered during the pursuit of a college degree. Among these benefit.....read more…
How to remember the Las Vegas massacre
Posted at: Oct/06/2017 : Posted by: mel
Related Category: Perspectives, Society, Watching America,
I began my Monday morning the same as most, a glass of juice and a few pills that seem to be more and more a part of daily life as I accumulate years and candles on my cake. The television was on in the background and I quickly became aware that something tragic had happened consuming all the broadcast. Now focused on the news I learned that there had been a mass shooting in Las Vegas the previou.....read more…
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The not so United States
Posted at: Jun/07/2017 : Posted by: melmann
Sometimes the best understanding of something is from the outside looking in. While recently in London I had a number of conversations with the hotel concierge. As is expected with his title, he helped find the right restaurants to dine at, arranged some special tickets and helped in locating key sites and attractions. We also had a couple of insightful conversations. In his role as a concierg.....read more…
