We Americans, especially those of us in urban places like the Chicagoland area, often welcome the chance to meet international people and hope to expand our knowledge of the world. When we notice that someone seems like they're from another place, we ask, "Where are...
Americans like to believe we're bending towards justice, but we can no longer tell ourselves that now that we've elected Donald (or as my dad calls him, El Payaso) as our president. And those of us who didn't directly cast a vote for him, still allowed him to be...
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...
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...
Michael Moore's latest movie, Where to Invade Next is instructive, disturbing and infuriating, but Moore ends it on a note of hope. He "invades" several countries, supposedly stealing their great ideas about education, women's rights, treatment of prisoners and other...
Now that I spend more time with people who weren't born in the U.S, I see American culture differently. I'm fascinated by the things such people identify as being good and bad about us. I have new appreciation for our American never-say-die attitude and the way we're...
The week of Thanksgiving, National Public Radio (NPR) ran a story on the question of whether or not to eliminate the American penny: "Critics Wonder Whether Pennies Make Sense Anymore." I say: eliminate the penny. I agree with John Oliver and Citizens to Retire the...
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Most Americans know the proper amount to tip on a restaurant food bill. It's 20% and anything less looks cheap and mean. That's because service industry workers in the U.S. are paid about $2.18 to $5 an hour from their employers and that's it. That's right: American...
Of course I'm upset about the slaughter at [insert most recent event here], but I don't even bother to blog anymore about mass shootings because there's nothing new to say. After each incident people offer "thoughts and prayers," gun control advocates and gun lovers...
Do you have a co-worker who recently moved to the United States, has limited English, feels lonely and struggles with American protocols and social customs? Do you know someone who's trying to build their new life here, but needs better communication skills to get the...
Last November, I cut out sugar, grains, dairy and caffeine at the suggestion of a doctor who identified those things as contributing to my hormones being out of balance. Having gone on this type of diet a few times in my life, it's felt familiar even though it's also...
When a woman who's working full-time, has children to raise and runs a household tells me she doesn't have time for one more thing, I believe her. But I suspect there are many people who say they don't have time for stuff, who aren't telling the truth. As an...
A common way to avoid facing problems is to stay very busy. I have friends who keep themselves booked so solidly that they don't have time to think about if they're really happy or what they can do about their job situation or why a relationship isn't working, etc....
I found out last Thursday when my court date will be for my divorce. It's shudderingly soon: Friday, February 7th. On that day I will answer a few questions before a judge, and about five minutes later, a guy named Bob and I will no longer be married. I've cried a lot...