“Pursuing protection is just like locking oneself in a dark room. While wind and rain may be kept outside, so are light and air.” — Xi Jinping, Chinese president During his campaign, President Donald [...]
I recently returned from Portugal where I met with two important people in the Portuguese Jewish Community. (Jose Carp who headed the Portuguese Jewish Community for 14 years and Hugo Vaz, a Portuguese Jewish historian. IntroductionAlthough [...]
“Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.” —Warren Buffett American consumers are more confident about the economy and their financial future than they have been in years. As 2016 [...]
Until reading Ron Chernow’s biography of Ulysses Grant, I had a totally different perspective of Reconstruction (1867-1877). In brief, I learned at my Southern Institutions, that the North always wanted to inflict military rule on [...]
Frontline: Abacus, Small Enough to Jail I highly recommend this documentary On Tuesday, September 12 at 10 p.m. Public Broadcasting is going to broadcast a documentary about the only U.S. bank prosecuted after the financial [...]
Introduction We hear repeatedly that America is unlike European nations such as Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, and Portugal in terms of our desire for colonial expansion. Whether right or wrong, America almost [...]
“Suffrage once given can never be taken away, and all the remains for us now is to make good that gift by protecting those who have yet received it” Ulysses Grant Ulysses Grant: An extraordinary [...]
In the largest bankruptcy of a U.S. state or territory, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello requested court protection for his U.S. commonwealth to resolve a large number of lawsuits from creditors. The Puerto Rico Financial [...]
Pfizer will purchase Array BioPharma for $10.4 billion. It hopes to expand its cancer portfolio with targeted therapies. This acquisition underscores the importance of cancer drugs to the pharmaceutical industry. Because cancer drugs have [...]
Honoring Hugh Lynch (My Brother-in-Law) 1962-1969 Introduction Ho Chi Minh (Founder of Vietnamese Communist Party) Over the next few days Public Broadcasting will air Ken Burns’ Documentary on the Vietnam War. In recognition of that [...]
“My goal is to get rid of the attribution ‘starving artists’ to Ringling College graduates.” — Larry Thompson, Ringling College Art and Design president In an editorial for USA Today entitled, “We need to [...]
By Simon Goodman The Orpheus Clock The title of Goodman’s book derives from one of his families prized heirlooms—The Orpheus Clock—that was not recovered by his family until some 70 years following World War [...]
For Jews, Israel is a Homeland Whether you travel East or West The Road to Home is Always Best Saying on a Plaque at my boyhood home Wailing Wall Temple Mount, Dome of the [...]
I feel very fortunate to possess a collection of cartoons from Puck, the humor magazine that ceased publication in 1918. My favorite is a 1901 cartoon by famed illustrator Joseph Keppler depicting industrialist J.P. [...]
Dear Sidney: Because of you, I saw a wonderful movie. I shared my thoughts with friends. Doc I would like to encourage you to see the movie, Denial. The movie is based upon the acclaimed [...]
Is the world in danger of drowning in debt? The International Monetary Fund this month issued a report highlighting its concerns about worldwide debt, which it said totals some $152 trillion. “The period of [...]
Introduction: In the October 1st-7th issue of The Economist, the magazine highlighted the stupendous amounts generated by the Clinton’s personal accounts and the Clinton Foundation. In fairness while The Economist is very critical of [...]
By Andrew Nagorski My sister, (Joella Werlin) knowing of my ongoing interest in World War II, sent me, The Nazi Hunters. While the book was not easy reading, it did provide me some interesting insights [...]
On Friday, Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen told global monetary policymakers, “I believe the case for an increase in the federal funds rate has strengthened in recent months.” She implied that internal forecasts have [...]
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” — Warren Buffett Warren Buffett, a legendary investor with a pristine [...]
Today’s Wall Street Journal had an article, which focused on John Bogle, founder of Vanguard—a money management company that focuses on index funds. The article contained two ideas that I wish to share: Bogle [...]
In today’s Wall Street Journal, Jason Zweig discussed the fortieth anniversary of index mutual funds—the Vanguard 500 Index Fund. The initial public offering, $11.3 million, was a major disappointment to Vanguard’s founder, John C. [...]
Ludwig van Beethoven remarkable compositions won him favor among the enlightened aristocracy congregated at Vienna, and he enjoyed their support throughout his life. They were tolerant, too, of his notoriously boorish manners, careless appearance, [...]
Eloise and I recently enjoyed the Chagall exhibit in San Francisco. He composed images based on emotional and poetic associations, rather than rules of pictorial logic. From the perspective of a critic, Chagall ranks [...]
Will Rogers (1879-1935) had what it takes to tickle the national funny bone. His keen wit and the ability to see the humor in all things concerning mankind continue to endear him to millions [...]
In 1994, Gene Kelly made his last on-screen appearance, hosting “That’s Entertainment”. His last words were on the big screen were, “The song has ended, but the melody lingers on”. That is the way, [...]
Victor Hugo, novelist, poet, and dramatist, was the most important of the French Romantic writers. In an era when France was the greatest nation of the Continent, most of the nineteenth century, Victor Hugo [...]
Unfunded pension liabilities of cities and states have doubled as their returns have fallen over the past decade and are now approaching $1 trillion. The problem has escalated a national debate about whether these [...]
The Opposite of Love, is not Hate, it is Indifference Although today’s world has not descended to the detestable conditions associated with the Holocaust, I certainly feel that today’s perpetuators of these innumerable terrorist acts [...]
The British referendum on June 23, in which 52 percent of the public voted to exit the Eurozone, remains a very contentious topic throughout the continent. It is easily the most consequential vote in Europe [...]
Introduction The British referendum on June 23rd, where 52% of their public voted to exit the Eurozone, remains a very contentious topic throughout the continent. To put in perspective, this vote is easily the most [...]
Adam Cohen traced the infamous story of the sterilization of Carrie Buck, a perfectly normal woman for being an “imbecile.” The Supreme Court (Buck v. Bell), in a 8-1, decision upheld a Virginia Law [...]
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve announced that it would not only keep its benchmark interest rates unchanged but might only raise rates once over the next two years. The Fed policymakers’ altered rate outlook [...]
By Gretchen MorgensonIn today’s New York Times, Gretchen Morgenson wrote another outstanding investigative journalistic article. Morgenson focused on several important issues:The failure of several for profit schools to provide the educational benefits that were promisedIt [...]
On Thursday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Nations ministers failed to agree on a new production ceiling. The cartel that controls over a third of the world’s oil has been pumping all out [...]
