What will make a difference in the years ahead? How can we overcome extremism, complacency, prejudice, arrogance, ignorance, doubt, fear and hate? How can we learn to be better citizens, not just of our own country but of the world? How can we get to a place where helping each other is more important than winning at any cost; where...

Yesterday, Illinois Republican Representative Aaron Schock announced that he was resigning his House seat at the end of the Month. Schock said, “I do this with a heavy heart,” (And an even heavier expense account). Not only has Rep. Schock spent $40,000 to make his office look like rooms from the castle at Downton Abbey, but the thirty-three-year-old has been...

Last month, Citizenfour was awarded an Oscar for best documentary in 2014. The film concerns intelligence thief Edward Snowden, and the massive amount of documents he leaked to the media regarding a variety of NSA programs. The title comes from the pseudonym adopted by Snowden in an encrypted e-mail sent to director Laura Poitras in which he offered her inside...

With all the fuss surrounding the optical illusion about “that dress,” the Take offers its own spin. In the disillusion pictured, do you see a clown or House Speaker John Boehner? Answer: Actually the clown represents the “self-righteous, delusional” wing of the Republican Party, as described by Republican Peter King. The New York Times reported (Mar. 1), that “King, who...

While Jon Stewart may have announced his retirement from Comedy Central’s Daily Show later this year, he will not go quietly into anyone’s good night. Among those who will not be morning Stewart’s passing is Fox News host Megyn Kelly who recently said, “I don’t think overall he’s been a force for good. Because I think especially in his later...

At the end of many episodes of Jackie Gleason’s classic, “The Honeymooners,” a defeated Ralph would come home, give his put-upon but loyal wife Alice that hang-dog look and she would always ask, “Why Ralph, why?” Dripping with humility, Ralph would always respond, “…because I have a BIIIIG Mouth!” While “The Honeymooners” is a comedy, it’s hard to find much...

James Comey tackled a tough topic last week. Speaking to students at Washington’s Georgetown University (Feb. 12), this is the first time I can remember the top law enforcement official at the FBI stepping forward to talk about an issue that’s long been simmering: police and race relations. “At many points in American history,” Comey points out, “law enforcement enforced...

What do we not know about Lincoln that historians and authors think we should know about the much favored 16th president? Last Sunday’s New York Times Book Review offered reviews of three new books. How many books, would you imagine, have been written about Lincoln? According to the website, The Inquisitr (yes, that’s the way they spell it), “the people...

The E.T. hasn’t been around for awhile. So, let’s get started. The Two-fer – Brian Williams out for six-months without pay; Jon Stewart says adios to The Daily Show. While an internal investigation continues into how NBC Nightly News Anchor Brian Williams misled the public with a story about how the helicopter in which he was travelling in Iraq came...

The Age of Reason, (aka, the Enlightenment), must have been a remarkable time to live in – to challenge the conventional wisdom that relied on the traditional forms of authority, and instead, stress analysis, individualism and reason. Can you imagine having discussions on the issues of the day with the likes of Francis Bacon, Rene Descartes, John Locke, Immanuel Kant...