Views from Point Breeze

At the end of a year, it is a good time to reflect and project forward.  If an individual is blessed to have mental and physical health, then he or she is blessed.  In my case, I lost weight in order to address my blood pressure.  I joined a gym in order to keep up my physical health.  At 53 years of age I feel like I am in good enough shape to be effective in taking care of my family going forward.  George Michael, a renowned performer, died in his sleep on Christmas Day in London.  We lost Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds recently.  Prince died as a result of a drug overdose earlier this year.  It has been a tough year for famous people including David Bowie. My granddaughter Malayja turned three in November.  It has been such a joy seeing her grow.  She is staying with us this weekend and will celebrate the New Year with us.  We had a nice birthday party at Chuck E Cheese's in Delaware County.  We had our annual Christma...

The United Nations recently passed a resolution condemning Israeli settlements in disputed territory that could be claimed by Palestinians.  The conflicts with Palestinians over territory and national sovereignty go back to the formation of Israel back in 1948.  The history of the Jewish people extends back to Biblical times.  My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was a Jewish man.  His sacrifice paved the way to heaven for many Christians.  This current conflict has less to do with Biblical times and more to do with greed and power.  Land can only be taken if a country knows that it can do so with minimal oppostion. It seems as though the relationship between President Obama and President Netanyahu has been pretty tense for the past eight years.  I know that we support Israel financially and have been a loyal military ally.  We have tried to broker peace in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on numerous occasions.  I wondered why the Palestinia...

Even though he was a United States Congressman from Pennsylvania his conviction did not make national news on CNN.  He had been investigated by the FBI for almost ten years for his misdeeds during and after the 2007 mayoral election in Philadelphia.   Chaka was supposedly legendary for his ground game.  For the political novice, this game includes the ability to motivate teams of people to pass out literature and get loyal voters to the polls on election day.  Chaka had been a sitting Congressman and rarely had to campaign for reelection.  His ascension to Congress was extraordinary.  He served in the House of Representatives from 1983 to 1988.  He then was elected to the State Senate and served until 1994. He served a district that includes portions of North, South and West Philadelphia.  His district also included Lower Merion Township.  A more diverse juxtaposition of constituents could not have been put together without gerrymandering....

Fidel Castro passed away on November 25th, 2016.  He was reviled by many Cuban expatriates who lived in the United States.  He was mourned by those Cubans still living on the island.  Honest expressions of sympathy were hard to come by for those of us living outside the country as the state controls the press in this communist country.  President Obama offered measured kindness from the U.S. perspective.  President elect Trump said "Castro is Dead".  So much for international diplomacy. Many of us who celebrate Christmas are in the middle stages of preparing for the birth of Jesus Christ.  I envy families who have decorations up by Thanksgiving.  Shawn and I were cleaning and wiping down walls yesterday.  My goal is to clean windows and hang lights today.  We will get a live tree this year.  I am especially thankful for my job and my health.  The last few years have been tough but I never lost faith that I could be productiv...

Mitt Romney is a very affluent American citizen.  He was the Governor of Massachusetts.  He was a founder of Bain Capital and generated millions of dollars in salary for himself and his family.  He was unsuccessful in the 2008 and 2012 Presidential campaigns.  He withdrew in the Republican primary after it appeared that John McCain would carry his party's mantle in 2008.  He was so sure of  victory in 2012 that he forgot to prepare a concession speech in the unlikely event that President Obama repeated as the leader of our country.  He eventually conceded and has had a lot on angst about losing since then. I am confused about two recent meetings that Mr. Romney has had with President elect Donald Trump concerning the Secretary of State position.  Mitt Romney made continuous incendiary comments about a potential Trump administration.  Here is a quote "Trumpism has been associated with racism, misogyney, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, m...