This Just In: Be Healthy!
I hardly know why news providers like the L.A. Times do stories like Americans could prevent roughly half of all cancer deaths by doing these four things. We know we should stop smoking, drink less alcohol, exercise regularly and achieve and maintain a "healthful...
My New YouTube Channel
Part of my new business for non-native English speakers is helping with pronunciation. To this end, Welcome Dialogue is now present on YouTube. Visit my channel for short videos that help you practice American English. So far I have videos that practice the vowel...
I Don’t Want to Own a Home
It's an extremely American desire to own a home, and often we think the bigger, the better. Americans love large, sprawling pieces of real estate that we can stuff full of physical possessions (and our children's physical possessions) and the ultimate American dream...
Prince Is Dead
According to Vox's Why we grieve artists we've never met, people can mourn and weep over people they never personally knew for this reason, "We don't cry because we knew them. We cry because they helped us know ourselves." Writer Caroline Framke reproduces this tweet...
Nostalgia Is a Lie
My sister recently saw a production of the musical Oliver and emailed me that it reminded her of when I was in our high school production of the same musical. "Oh yeah," I mused. "Oliver. That was so much fun! My god, that was a hundred years ago. I was 17 and so...
Two Emails/Texts Is One Too Many
Today's post is a straight rant. Feel free to stop reading if you're one of those "look on the bright side" people. I'm currently feeling exasperated with the way too many of my American friends and colleagues often receive a text or email and don't respond to it...
Scary Phone Calls from the IRS
I originally posted this on April 20, 2015. I'm reposting it because the problem is even more widespread this year. This morning I received a call on my cell phone. The incoming call had a 347 area code. A young-sounding woman asked for Regina Martin and told me she...
The United States of Excess
Last night at a Chicago Council on Global Affairs talk I heard one of the most engaging, yet disturbing, speakers I've ever seen. Robert Paarlberg, author of The United States of Excess: Gluttony and the Dark Side of American Exceptionalism, talked about what he...
Depression Is Not Productive
On this April Fool's Day, I feel like stating the obvious: depression is not productive. At the age of 49 and three quarters, I'm still learning how to manage my chronic depression, which sometimes gets triggered by a specific circumstance, but often shows up with no...
One Mexican’s View of Trump
Hi. I'm a Mexican and I'd like to give you my view of Donald Trump and his campaign. I've already blogged here about the racism of Trump and his followers, people who want to ship ALL Mexicans out of the country, keep ALL Muslims out and take action against anyone...
Trump Is Still on a Roll
Don't you dare think tonight will be the beginning of the unraveling of Trump's campaign. Don't allow yourself to dream that the protest that shut down El Idiota's rally in Chicago tonight will slow his ascent to the Republican presidential nomination. The people who...
Go, Old White Guy!
I agree with Bernie that if so many other industrialized countries can afford universal healthcare, free higher education, maternity leave and a livable minimum wage, we can, too! It's just a matter of drastically reorganizing our national budgeting priorities and...