First of all, do yourself a favor and watch this movie: http://www.philosopherkingsmovie.com/ The defining moment during this Republican presidential primary season came for me when Newt Gingrich suggested that school systems get rid of most of their janitors in order to hire students. It wasn’t just what he said, it was the subsequent response and lack [...]
Archive for the ‘Essays & Inspirations’ Category
Gingrich, janitors, the 1%, and you and me
Posted in Essays & Inspirations, On Society, Politics, Work, tagged class warfare, Democrats, janitors, Newt Gingrich, Politics, Republicans on January 17, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Where were you (when the world stopped turning)?
Posted in Essays & Inspirations, Faith, On Society, tagged 9/11 on September 6, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Where were you when the world stopped turning? Alan Jackson asked us almost ten years ago. Now I’m asking you. This week, for obvious reasons, is going to bring back a whole range of memories and emotions. 9/11 has been the seminal event of my lifetime. Close to 3000 people lost their live in one [...]
I have a problem with this
Posted in Essays & Inspirations, On Society, tagged media, murder, Washington Post on August 19, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Recently, here in Washington, DC a 92 year old socialite and “Georgetown Hostess” was apparently murdered. She was found dead in her home. Tragic. The lead suspect is her 47 year old husband. The story keeps on getting front page mention in the Washington Post. This will go on for weeks…any new news will be [...]
Gonna learn how to pick a guitar
Posted in Essays & Inspirations, tagged Guitar Center, guitars, Ibanez PF on July 4, 2011 | 3 Comments »
So I went out and bought new strings for that guitar I bought five years ago. The one that I was going to learn how to play. The one that’s been in the corner for the past five years. Maybe I figured that if I don’t start back on it now, it will never happen. [...]
It’s the first day of spring
Posted in Essays & Inspirations on March 21, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Life is being reborn around us. Days are getting longer, warmer. It’s the first day of spring. Our pasts will always be part of us. But so will our future. That’s something we all too often forget. No doubt your recent past has been difficult, at times extremely so. Lots of disappointments, lots of challenges. [...]
Where have all the flags gone?
Posted in Essays & Inspirations, On Society on November 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Image by jcolman via Flickr Last night I took a stroll throughout my neighborhood to walk off the huge amount of food I ate for the Thanksgiving feast. It was a quiet, peaceful night. As I made my way down the street I noticed something that I hadn’t seen in a while. There were two [...]
My mom, Ruth McVay Trenn and what I got from her
Posted in Essays & Inspirations on February 25, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Sometimes it doesn’t matter whether or not there are no words to explain how important someone is to you. Sometimes explanations can’t tell the whole story. Sometimes you just have to explain anyway. Today marks the 13th anniversary of my mother’s death. She died suddenly one day, without much warning, of what was likely a [...]
RIP Teddy Kennedy
Posted in Essays & Inspirations, On Society, Politics, tagged Bobby Kennedy, Irish Catholic, John F. Kennedy, John McCain, New England, Orrin Hatch, Ted Kennedy on August 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Image via Wikipedia When you’re an Irish Catholic growing up in New England in the 1960′s and 1970′s, you’re going to have a certain affinity with the huge Kennedy clan. And that’s true even if you don’t fully embrace the politics. While I was too young to remember the assassination of John F. Kennedy, I [...]
The Gates situation dialogue is failing
Posted in Essays & Inspirations, On Society, tagged African American, Black people, Colbert King, Henry Louis Gates, James Crowley, Jonathan Capehart, Washington Post on July 25, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Jonathan Capehart, an editorial writer for the Washington Post, had an article yesterday entitled “The Race Dialogue We Won’t Have”. A worthy read. Then today’s editorial page has longtime Post editor Colbert King’s great piece “The Black Man at the Door”. The title of the first article signifies the problem with thes entire situation. [...]
