Musings: 1. The U.S. Congress recently passed a “defense” bill totaling $783 billion, including $25 billion the White House and the Pentagon didn’t ask for. It was the military’s Christmas present for FY 2022, and was passed almost unanimously by both chambers. The Congress could not, however, find $3.5 trillion
We are blessed in this space to have the flexibility to write on a wide range of topics. We are not confined to a narrow perspective. For example, we received a call earlier this week to ask if we had plans to write on the life and recent death of
“Bake your honey cake, All browning and sweet. Bake it at 3 o’clock for tea, Bake it for you and for me.” —Jo Fredell Higgins Welcome to the New Year 2022. May it be one of joy and plenty. Kings and priests regarded the sanctity of the bees and found
There is always more to the story. It is difficult for most comprehensive reports to tell all of the story. For example, the recently-completed Aurora Festival of Lights around Phillips Park in Aurora, November 26-December 26, was not produced in the blink of an eye. The annual holiday treat with
Books under consideration this last week of the old year: • The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse. Author Charlie Mackesy wrote the most delightful book about love, friendship, and kindness. This book speaks a universal language, including these thoughts: “What do you think success is?” asked the
Today is 05 Marx 53 ASE. Many years ago, I created a new calendar to replace the grossly-erroneous Christian calendar of Pope Gregory XIII. The Gregorian calendar was based upon religious precepts rather than upon astronomical observations. Consequently, it did not serve a multi-ethnic population which existed on Planet Earth,
By John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead It feels as if government Grinches, corporate Scrooges, and cancel culture humbugs, have been working overtime to drain every last drop of joy, kindness, and liberty from the world. After endless months of gloom and doom, it can be hard to feel the
The Voice offers a voice continually for as many readers and in as many corners as possible. Military veterans have been a focus for many reasons. One military veteran, who served in World War II, Richard Williams, recently, with the able assistance of his wife, Christine Williams and Wayne Johnson,
Last of two parts The previous part is at thevoice.us/balanced-diet-with-justice-healthy-climate-one-goal What’s In A Social Justice Diet? Ray Levy Uyeda contributed the following article in YES! magazine (Journalism for People Building A Better World) Shift food policy by buying regionally “In nearly every corner of the country, it’s cheaper to purchase
The season of Christmas arrives once again. Just as it always has. Just as it always will. Many centuries ago, the Germany people honored the pagan god Oden during the mid-Winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Oden because they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe his
Christmas arrived once again and with it, just like a recurring case of diarrhea, the gift-giving season. Yes, it was the time to give gifts to loving family members and valued friends, the majority of which were things they’ll never use and will end up at Goodwill where someone else
Charitable. Giving. Joyous: Words affiliated with the Christmas holidays. Words all of us should take seriously, understand, and purposefully put into action. There is an unbroken link, in a larger sense, in our country. Each person can enact good thoughts and good actions to be helpful. In a political realm,
“It is good to be children at times and never better than at Christmas.” — Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol Ten years ago I added another day to my “Top Ten” list of my entire life. That November day n 2011 was cool and grey. The Winter birds flew across
Turmoil verses resolution. Toxic verses refined. Tumultuous versus reverie. We are worlds apart in many places and many view the world with friction instead of fraternity. We can make choices of how we want to see ourselves. In spite of the raucous behavior of some individuals instead of tenderness, those
Third of three parts The previous part is at thevoice.us/the-1619-project-creates-startling-reactions The 1619 Project: a New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah Jones, editor, recently was examined in Kirkus Reviews, which reviews books The first two parts set up part three which is a dialogue between Karen Long, manager of the Anisfield
It was a beautiful September day and Dale Berman came to the Cole Center in Aurora for his Fox Valley Park District book interview. What a complete delight! Dale Berman was born January 3, 1934. He served in the U.S. Army, 1954-1956, in South Carolina with anti-aircraft artillery on the
In celebration of Christmas and Hanukkah, I’m presenting the tale of this heartwarming event from my past, the days when I was a musician, traveling throughout the Midwest as part of a troupe of magicians and clowns presenting 90-minute Christmas magic shows twice daily to benefit charitable organizations. I was
Second of three parts The first part is at thevoice.us/genesis-purpose-of-the-1619-project-explored The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah Jones, editor, recently was examined in the Kirkus Reviews, which reviews books. In part one, the purpose of the 1619 Project was explored, which started with with the first ship
“The happy person is the person who does something.” —Mary Lemist Titcomb In the late 19th Century the American School Library was a traveling frontier library published by Harper & Brothers. The Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of American History has the only complete original set of that series complete with
