Views from Point Breeze

The Trump Administration has been serving since January 20th, 2017.  It has already spawned some of the largest protests against an administration that I have witnessed in my lifetime.  On January 21st, large contingents of people marched on Washington and in cities throughout the country and the world.  It was a Women's March and the majority of the marchers were horrified by the prospect of Donald Trump, his past comments about his actions towards women, and the tone and tenor of his administration.  There is already an effort by this administration to defund Planned Parenthood.  How that move would benefit the country and women seeking reproductive health assistance is beyond me.  Over 50,000 people marched in Philadelphia and the numbers are estimated at 2.6 million worldwide. The Trump Administration created another firestorm of protesters on Saturday and Sunday when it issued an Executive Order banning citizens from seven majority Muslim countries....

It has been verified recently that the Northeast region of the United States has recorded the three hottest temperatures on record recently.  Our winters have been a little wimpy compared to winters when I grew up.  In my lifetime I have gone from wearing long johns a few times a winter to wondering if I might need them again.  This week, after a somewhat cold Monday, we will see three days in the fifties.  We did have some snow two weekends ago.  I cannot see any in the extended forecast.  I used to dream of a White Christmas.  I would take just one major snowstorm to think that global warming is just a figment of my imagination. I have some friends that live on the West Coast.  Fifty degrees in January might cause them to don heavy overcoats.  We had fifty five degrees here and people were wearing shorts and sweaters.  I had a friend recently who just visited Africa.  Many of his pictures were of a safari and rhinos and giraffe...

This is the last official day of the Presidency for Barak Obama.  It was punctuated in the news by former President George W. Bush and his wife Barbara Bush both being rushed to the hospital this week.  The moving vans have loaded his and Michelle's belongings and transported them to their new residence in Washington, DC.  He has served a scandal free eight years and will leave with a very high popularity rating.  I am proud of him and the service that he provided for our country while he completed his eight years in office. The orderly transition of power is a cornerstone of our Democracy.  I capitalize democracy in this context because many lives are saved due to our constitution and the observance of it at this time.  In the African country of The Gambia there was an orderly election in December.  The current President, Yahya Jammeh, lost his election to Adama Barrow.  President Jammeh, who came to power through a coup in 1994, is not r...

On Friday, January 20th, 2017, a billionaire, will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.  As Donald Trump has indicated, it is the culmination of a movement that began when he descended the escalator in Trump Tower many moons ago.  I am not a supporter of Donald Trump but I respect the Office of the President.  I have always wondered how he could be so unhappy with his immense wealth and unlimited ability to license his name and make money.  In fact, he claimed that he turned down a $2 billion deal in Saudi Arabia just two weeks ago.  I wonder what his mind set is not that he has three days to go before assuming the position of leader of the free world. One of his any moves that he promised to make on day one is to repeal Obamacare.  I think that the naming of the Affordable Care Act after President Obama has missed off Republicans more than the impact of this important source of insurance for 20 million Americans.  The President e...

Happy New Years to everyone!  As the first weekend of the NFL playoffs has commenced, I ponder to think of the consequences that the game inflicts on some individuals.  I have so far refused to watch Concussion because one of my favorite Eagles was featured in the movie.  Andre Waters was an assassin on the field.  He and Wes Hopkins were feared for their physical style and punishing hits.  Along with Reggie White (RIP), Clyde Simmons and Jerome Brown they were one of the greatest NFL defenses ever.  The Super Bowl ring eluded us when Randall broke his ankle early one season!!  That's enough of the reminiscing.  On to the story. Bernard Hopkins will go into the boxing hall of fame one day.  The way his last fight ended though, he should have been considered for this honor a couple of years ago.  On December 18th, 2016, Bernard entered the ring against Joe Smith, Jr.  He exited the ring via a combination that had him landing on hi...