Sempringham

This is a blog about history and politics, mostly.

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Friday, December 27, 2013

How to Talk Funny in Chicago

I answered 25 questions about what I call things and how I pronounce them, and the NY Times guessed I was from Newark. My "homet...

Friday, December 20, 2013

A Seasonal Item

How "It's a Wonderful Life" would be marketed today:

Thursday, December 19, 2013

What did Chris Christie know, and when did he know it?

By now you've heard of Bridgegate, the New Jersey scandal in which a Christie appointee to the Port Authority of New York and New Jerse...

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

When Chicago Was Chicago

I got this back in 1977, and have carried it with me since then. In Chicago, you never know when you're going to need it. I understand ...

Sempringham, Through His Teacher's Eyes

Mr. Hartman had me pegged – right from the beginning of the 6th grade.

Thursday, December 05, 2013

Omo Child

Warning: This is a plea for money. A few days ago I pointed you to a NY Times article about the U.S. Navy Veterans Association, a telem...

U.S. Navy Veterans Association

My brother, Mike – a Navy Vietnam veteran – wrote me of his own experience with the U.S. Navy Veterans Association, a telemarketing scam of...

Wednesday, December 04, 2013

There is NO SUCH THING as a "Tactical Nuclear Weapon"

Congressman Duncan D. Hunter, whose dad was Congressman Duncan L. Hunter, has opined that we could use a "tactical nuclear device...

"The Third Way," Indeed!

If you're a political junkie, you're probably familiar with The Third Way, an allegedly "centrist" group of alleged Democ...

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Cautionary Tales

First, a story about a "charity," from the NY Times : WASHINGTON — BY all outward indications, the U.S. Navy Veterans Associat...

A Gleaning

Andrew Tobias relates this story, which he admits may be apocryphal: Shortly after assuming the papacy — or perhaps as he was headed to ...

Sunday, November 24, 2013

The Rest of the Story?

Remember the video of the Central Florida sheriff who had a press conference where he shared the names and photos of two early teen girls ...

Monday, November 11, 2013

The Gods of the Copybook Headings

I'm currently reading Don't Count on It! by John C. Bogle (see sidebar), one of the inventors of the index mutual fund. The intr...

Monday, November 04, 2013

Pufferfish

The real political junkies out there shouldn't miss The Hunt for Pufferfish , the story of the Romney campaign's vice president...

Saturday, November 02, 2013

Worth Repeating

Krugman : Has anyone else noticed how much the GOP position on Obamacare resembles the classic borscht belt joke about the two ladies a...

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Give 'Em Hell, Bill

Well, Obama seems to have cashed out on his second term . All his life he's been a compromiser, and the times call for a fighter. It...

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Reparations

God, I love the New York Times. Today there's an op-ed piece called " Confronting the Legacies of Slavery ," in which the a...

An Expert is Anybody Who Agrees with ME!

Guess who the Wall Street Journal considers an expert in health care policy ! Here's a hint for those old enough to remember: Do...

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Well, This is Unexpected ...

A recent poll in Kansas shows Governor Sam Brownback losing to Democratic challenger Paul Davis, 43 percent to 39 percent. Of those who ...

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Don't Cry for JPMorgan

Jon Stewart – the best news analyst in America today – covers the JPMorgan settlement.

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