A few years ago, I was called for jury duty. After being selected as a finalist, the judge explained that the case we would be deciding had to do with spousal abuse. He asked if we, as potential jurors, had anything in our personal lives that might cause us not to be impartial in this case, to speak up. I...

May we embrace peace with justice.  May we speak for it and stand for it.  May we make our voices heard and our presence felt. May we awaken to the possibilities of our greatness if we stop wasting our resources on war and its preparation. May we end all war in the new year.  Wars always end.  May we end...

On a positive note, the stories from this site that stood out for me include… Fifty Years Ago… recalled the first time I watched and listened to President Kennedy’s Inaugural Address in which he reminded Americans “…of individual responsibility… ‘In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course.’ “… a call...

“What… is your name, please?” “I am Cheetah D. Chimp.” “I am Cheetah D. Chimp.” “I am Cheetah D. Chimp!” Among the notable death’s this past year, ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX announced the stunning news that “Cheetah,” 1930’s animal superstar (far left in photo), and faithful chimp companion to legendary king of the jungle,  » Read more about: To Tell the Truth  »...

Hold on to your cynicism, kiddies, it’s my end of the year wrap-up of the highs and lows. Here’s just part of the past year’s craziness summarized in words: “The downgrade reflects our opinion that the fiscal-consolidation plan that Congress and the Administration recently agreed to falls short.” – Standard and Poor’s, in a statement regarding the downgrade in the U.S....

If this year could be summarized in one word, it would have to be “shouting”; a lot of shouting. From Egypt to Greece, Russia to India they shout. Then there’s the Occupy movement which has grown from Wall Street to the main streets of Wisconsin, California, Florida and Pennsylvania. Everyone’s shouting. However, the shouts of demonstrators around the world are, for the most part,...

Here’s an early Christmas gift. In what has become an annual event, Politifact.com, the Pulitzer Prize winning fact-check organization, has revealed itsLie of the Year for 2011. And the winner is… “Republicans voted to end Medicare.” “Republicans muscled a budget through the House of Representatives in April, that they said would take an important step toward reducing the federal deficit,”...

Tenzin Gyatso is the fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet. He is both head of state (in exile) and the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He is admired and esteemed worldwide as a man who has championed policies of nonviolence. His consistent compassionate nonviolence, even in the face of great aggression, led to his receiving the Nobel Prize for Peacein 1989....

On August 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m., U.S. forces destroyed the city of Hiroshima, Japan with the first atomic bomb used in warfare directly killing an estimated 80,000 people. Injury and radiation increased that total to 90,000 to 140,000. Three days later, a second A-bomb was used to destroy Nagasaki directly killing another 60,000 to 80,000 men, women and children....

This is not a good year to be a member of Congress. In its annual measure of Ethics and Honesty in Professionssurvey, the Gallup organization, not surprisingly, found that 64% of Americans rate Congress at “Low” or “Very Low,” which tied a record low score with Lobbyists in 2008. Telemarketers, stockbrokers, bankers, real estate agents, and lawyers all beat out Congress...