The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn’t just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s: Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. […]
Elite and Elitist – Not bad things, perhaps.
So when did “elite” become a bad word or a bad thing? Merriam-Webster defines “elite” as: the choice part : cream, or the best of a class. Is that so bad? I checked the dictionary definition of “elitist” but MW only had a definition of “elitism.” The best I could find in Dictionary.com was also […]
We’re Squeeeeeezed
by Tula Connell This is a cross-post from the Firedoglake blog. Economics is scary. Or boring. Or both. Say the word and watch people yawn. But what’s going on around us right now—the U.S. mortgage crisis, skyrocketing oil and food costs, tanking wages and disappearing health care and retirement benefits, to name a few of […]
Obama’s Chicago Roots May Prove Deeper Than Clinton’s
The grim blocks of Altgeld Gardens appear to have changed little since a young community activist called Barack Obama first decided to help tackle the dire social problems there in the 1980s. Rows of two-story brick buildings stretch over a snow-bound landscape, still driven by the poverty of Chicago’s overwhelmingly black South Side. Many buildings […]
The Pianist
There is certainly much to be said about the woman who built up a $40 million foie gras business in a country where cheese whiz and peanut butter are the cracker toppings of choice. I, however, cannot say much at all, since the woman in question was unable to make the interview we had scheduled. […]
The Most Important Gift you can Give to Your Family is Your Time
As we all work hard to grow in our careers, we must not lose sight of what is most important in life. Sure, it’s great to drive a great car, live in a comfortable neighborhood and "keep up with the Joneses," but there is more to it all than that. At the root of everything […]