Skip the tours at the D-Day Memorial
Posted on 06/11/2022 in misc • Tagged with Virginia, History, Politics
The National D-Day Memorial is an impressive memorial. You should skip the free tours though.
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My Day with President Biden
Posted on 02/11/2022 in misc • Tagged with Personal, Politics, Virginia
Maid: A book review
Posted on 10/17/2021 in misc • Tagged with Books, Economics, Politics
It’s been a while since I elevated a book review to the front page, so you know this book is special.
I finished Maid, by Stephanie Land last week. Put simply, it’s the best look at what life is really like for the working poor that you will …
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A Silver Lining in the Stock Market
Posted on 12/21/2018 in misc • Tagged with Economics, Politics
Unemployment is still low, and wages are creeping up. GDP is growing too. By all normal factors the stock market should not be tanking like it is.
However, these are hardly normal times.
Maybe, just maybe, this market correction is a sign that reality is starting to emerge from its …
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State Funded Racism is Alive and Well in 2018
Posted on 12/11/2018 in misc • Tagged with Politics, History
This article about current government expenditures to maintain monuments to racism is remarkable. At a time when basic government functions such as education and public safety are underfunded coast to coast, US government entities are spending millions maintaining pro-Confederate memorials and monuments to racism.
Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library …
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Baseball-Chevrolet-and-Apple-Pie
Eh. One of out three or four isn't bad I guess. We are going to the Flying Squirrels baseball game tonight, to be followed by fireworks. We own three Toyotas, and although I like apple pie, it's not on the menu today. I don't remember the hot dog being part …
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Immigrants Actually Did It
My great-grandfather got on a boat in Ireland in 1905, and ended up in Boston, MA a few weeks later. He had $2.50 in his pocket, one suitcase, and a sister in Woburn, MA. From that humble beginning my family got established in the US, and fought for the …
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Do You Feel Lucky?
Posted on 03/14/2017 in misc • Tagged with Economics, Politics
A couple of weeks ago the Techdirt podcast featured a fascinating interview with Robert H Frank, Professor at Cornell and author of the recently released Success and Luck: Good Fortune and the Myth of Meritocracy. This is a subject I've debated a few times on various Internet forums, usually as …
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Healthcare for America
Six Iron Maiden Songs that are sadly relevant in 2017
2 Minutes To Midnight
The recent news that the doomsday clock had been moved up to 2-1/2 minutes until midnight very naturally had me thinking about the classic Iron Maiden tune 2 Minutes To Midnight. A protest song about nuclear war, Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson says the song is …
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Are You Tired Yet?
Posted on 02/01/2017 in misc • Tagged with Politics, Internet, Facebook, Twitter
We are less than two weeks into the reign of Trump the Orange. How are you holding up? I'm pretty much exhausted. This is a quick, off the-top-of-my-head list of the things that are causing me to wake up 2 or 3 times a night.
- Will I be able to …
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ODonnellWeb is old enough to drink
Posted on 12/31/2016 in misc • Tagged with Site-News, Internet, Politics
ODonnellWeb is old enough to drink! And after the shit show of a year that was 2016, it’s going to need to drink heavily as it kicks 2016 in the ass on its way out. No wait, that might be me I’m talking about there. (Actually we are …
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Looking Ahead to 2017
Posted on 12/26/2016 in misc • Tagged with Site-News, Internet, Politics
I’ve been trying to figure out what to say about 2016 for a couple of weeks now, and I’ve decided maybe it’s best if we just never speak of it again. So onward to 2017. It has to be better, right?
Right?
OK, maybe one last thought …
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Newspapers in 2016
Posted on 11/28/2016 in misc • Tagged with Newspapers, Politics, Fredericksburg
A couple of weeks ago I subscribed to my local newspaper, The Freelance Star. I was hoping to avoid online news sources a bit, and be able to keep up on local news while avoiding the web site / Facebook page, and the community of bigoted racists that seem to live …
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2016 Presidential Endorsement
In the storied 20 year history of ODonnellWeb we have never endorsed a candidate for any office. However, the events of 2016 leave us no choice but to endorse Hillary Clinton for President. The simple fact is that she is the only one running even remotely qualified for the job …
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Born In The USA
I can’t claim to be a big Bruce fan, and in fact Born in the USA may be the only Bruce album I’ve ever owned. I do appreciate his music a lot more now that I’m older, and I probably should revisit his catalog. Anyway, I was …
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John Lewis, Badass
Posted on 04/02/2015 in misc • Tagged with Books, History, Politics
I just finished reading Walking With The Wind, A Memoir of the Movement by Congressman John Lewis. I'm embarrassed to admit how much I didn't know about the Civil Rights movement in the US. I'd blame it on a loophole that allowed me to skip the 2nd year of US …
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Slavery By any Other Name
Posted on 01/28/2014 in misc • Tagged with History, TV, Politics
The United States of War
Posted on 12/21/2013 in misc • Tagged with History, Issues, Politics