Tag Archives: politics

This Has Been A Tough Week

Posted on December 20, 2025 by 34orion

This has been a tough week. I don’t need to tell you that. You’ve lived through most of it too. But let’s recap, just to be sure we’re all singing from the same Union Prayer Book. It began with the … Continue reading →

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Eighty-Six Years Ago, My Father Found Home

Posted on December 7, 2025 by 34orion

Today marks the eighty-sixth anniversary of my father’s arrival in the United States. In our family we treated the date like a small holiday. Maybe it didn’t have the sparkle of Hanukkah, Christmas, or the cluster of December birthdays in … Continue reading →

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Trump: Dementia, Felon, or Huckster? The Sanity-Saving Game for Dozy Don’s Daily Circus

Posted on November 16, 2025 by 34orion

I used to be a news junkie. It was a habit I inherited straight from my parents. My father would practically read the ink off the New York Times every morning—not every article, maybe, but every section. It was how … Continue reading →

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Did You Watch The ESPY’s

Posted on July 19, 2025 by 34orion

Did you watch the ESPYs the other night? What I love about the ESPYs—and sports in general—is that they allow you to throw your passion behind something that, in the grand scheme of things, matters very little. I mean, it … Continue reading →

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Big Lies, The DOGE Dodge, and Unfunny Punchlines.

Posted on April 14, 2025 by 34orion

When I was in high school, there was a joke that asked, “What are the three great lies of man?” The joke was both racist and sexist, so I’m only going to share one of the “lies”: “I love you.” … Continue reading →

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Cherry Blossoms, The Garden State, and Presidential Role Models

Posted on March 24, 2025 by 34orion

People often get the wrong idea about New Jersey. The image they conjure when the state’s name is mentioned is that of the New Jersey Turnpike between the George Washington Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing, which offers stunning views of … Continue reading →

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Brazil, Free Speech and The Rabbi’s Lesson

Posted on February 13, 2025 by 34orion

There is no metaphorical wind that spreads misinformation faster than social media platforms. There is no greater threat to free speech than the immunity that Section 230 provides them. In an era of AI, deepfakes, and malicious actors who manipulate the system for their own gain, it is time for social media companies to follow the same laws that govern every other media company and individual in the country. Continue reading →

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Brazil’s Heat: Hot Temps, Cold Shoulders for Trump

Posted on February 8, 2025 by 34orion

Making America great again has, in turn, made China great in Brazil—which would only be tolerable if it improved the quality of Chinese restaurants here in Rio. (Don’t ask. It’s awful.) Continue reading →

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Carol Z. Rothkopf: An Incomplete Memoir

Posted on January 13, 2024 by 34orion

The Book of Baum: Lazar Baum was the eldest, and apparently went West, probably during the Gold Rush of 1848. He was never heard of again. The Family Book of 1964 suggests that he could have been scalped by Indians, … Continue reading →

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