You may remember John Boehner as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015. His political resume also includes being the Representative for Ohio’s 8th congressional district from 1991 to 2015, the House Minority Leader from 2007 until 2011, and House Majority Leader from 2006 until 2007. During his time in government service, Boehner was more
If you think the current political period is divisive, consider the era following the Civil War. It was a time when some thought our very democracy was broken. The trauma of war was followed by economic and technological disruption, and many turned to extreme partisanship. The result was an increased voter turnout in the closest,
Let me ask a provocative question — do our ethics change over time? Consider — about a third of the population of ancient Rome consisted of slaves, but today we know slavery is wrong. Also, at one time, birth control was illegal in this country, but today it’s an accepted, even encouraged, practice. The same
Why is it the positive news never seems to get mentioned? For example, everyone learns about the Holocaust, and I know there were extraordinarily brave people who risked their lives and saved many from the Holocaust, but I can never remember being told about organized Jewish resistance. And yet there was. One such example is
What is your favorite food? (I have a pretty long list.) Now what would you think if it was no longer available? This has actually happened before. A piece on The Atlantic magazine’s website claims we have eaten thousands of species into extinction; passenger pigeon pie used to be a common comfort food (https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/11/foods-humans-ate-extinction/601573/). And
On August 20, 2007, a 12-year-old girl spotted a blue-and-white running shoe on a beach of British Columbia’s Jedediah Island. Inside was a sock, and inside the sock was a foot. No other body parts, just one foot. Over the next 12 years, a total of 15 feet were found ashore in the area around
“Fools say that they learn by experience. I prefer to profit by others experience.” — Otto von Bismarck We study history to learn about the past, to learn about the mistakes others have made so we can avoid them. For example, our Congress today is about as dysfunctional as it has ever been. Relations have
What are the limits of the human brain? Although at times, mine seems pretty limited, some amazing feats of memory and cognition have been recorded over the years. For example, Daniel Paul Tammet, who was born on this day in London in 1979, holds the European record for reciting pi from memory. Recall that pi
From the “I Wish I Could Write Like That Department” — If all the social restrictions have gotten you down, one remedy is to read an entertaining book. Helpfully, the February 1/8 2021 issue of Time magazine includes a “Winter Survival Guide” with 11 books suggestions under the heading “Voices to Lighten the Mood” (page
Recently I mentioned that Disney author/historian Jim Korkis has released two new books — Vault of Walt Volume 9: Halloween Edition and Hidden Treasures of the Disney Cruise Line. From the Embarrassment of Riches Department — Jim is also releasing Secret Stories of EXTINCT Walt Disney World. Like so much of our lives today, it was