Archive for May, 2009

Health Report: “A critical weekly review of important new research findings for health-conscious readers…” By, Robert A. Wascher, MD, FACS Updated: 05/31/2009 The information in this column is intended for informational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice or recommendations by the author. Please consult with your physician before making any lifestyle or medication... »

  (The author, Jerry Fino, is the force behind www.menandmarriage.com)  Well, then what the H-E- double-hockey-sticks are you?   Interesting convo with a young lady the other day.  Considers herself a feminist but is also a fiscal conservative, embraces solid family values, likes men, doesn’t feel oppressed, dresses like a girly-girl, has no rage against patriarchy and... »

I’m going to take poison. Every time I read the headlines, I want to take poison. Always they are a concentrated tale of avarice, wretched judgment, murderousness, and lugubrious taste. I’m thinking potassium cyanide. To sleep, perchance to dream…. Headlines: “Chrysler Heads Back to Bankruptcy Court Friday”; “Crash Diet: GM Getting in Shape for Chapter... »

Wall Street is quietly cheering and encouraging the moves of a neophyte CEO. You would too, if you controlled the game.? »

Kim Jong Il, North Korea’s psychotic “Dear Leader,” specializes in “guerrilla diplomacy.” He backs it up with a half-dozen or so nuclear weapons squirreled away deep inside mountain storage facilities that cannot be reached by our bunker-buster bombs, and an army roughly the size of South Korean and U.S. ground forces combined. Kim’s diplomatic... »

In the concluding paragraph of my article about President-elect Obama’s constitutional philosophy, I opined: “Our Constitution has been terminal for a long time.” President Obama’s nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court provides a timely opportunity for me to explain what I meant. Liberals and progressives believe that the Constitution is a living, breathing... »

While Colin Powell has increasingly shown an ultimate loyalty to the Democrats, culminating in his precisely timed endorsement of Barack Obama just prior to last fall’s presidential election, Ridge reflects the flawed thinking of Beltway insiders who have been so thoroughly shell-shocked ever since the 2006 elections that they are willing to accept the... »

Does this remark make you want to head for the hills? “I would hope that a wise Caucasian man with the richness of his experiences would more often than not reach better conclusion than a Latina woman who hasn’t lived that life.” A male faculty member who made such a claim would be laughed off of... »

When businesses complain of the paperwork mountain required along with endless strings attached, someone should realize that the Obama free money has been rendered too onerous to be accepted.?? »

John Podesta is a 60-year-old son of Italian/Greek immigrants, raised in Chicago tenements, graduated from Knox College (Illinois) and Georgetown Law School, campaigned for George McGovern and Eugene McCarthy–where he met Bill Clinton. He eventually became Clinton’s fourth and last chief of staff. By 2002, Podesta had founded the Center for American Progress, which... »

Investment Strategies Part 1: Rebalance into Stable Investments in an Appreciating Market (2009-05-25) by David John Marotta Diversifying your portfolio means finding assets that have value on their own merits but do not move exactly alike. A critical investment metric called “correlation” is used to construct a portfolio most likely to meet your personal financial goals. Correlation... »

Then came the spring and Jenny rebounded back to quasi-normal teenagehood on very wobbly knees, figuratively speaking.  She was lost in her life, on auto-pilot, but she was functioning.   In the spring I took a group of kids to Costa Rica.  Jenny’s parents thought it would be good to get her out of town,... »

Jenny Got Married Make no mistake, a wedding is the bride’s day. Tonight my Jenny got married.  Jenny is not my daughter as I don’t have my own children. Yet, no, that’s not exactly so.  I’ll defer to Mr. Chip’s dying words, “I thought I heard you saying it was a pity… pity I never... »

    Health Report: Diabetes, Glucose Control & Death   “A critical weekly review of important new research findings for health-conscious readers…”   By, Robert A. Wascher, MD, FACS     Updated:  05/24/2009 The information in this column is intended for informational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice or recommendations by the author.  Please consult with your physician before making any lifestyle or medication changes,... »

MND reader Steven DeLuca comments about an article appearing in today’s edition of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Sunday, May 24, 2009, under VOICES… “A time to rejoice and a time to be heart broken” (click to open in new window) “Emma Shaw Crane was chosen as the top student out of 6,800... »

Vehicles such as the 1958 Pontiac Bonneville, the 1956 Ford Crown Victoria, the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado, the 1956 DeSoto Adventurer, the 1955 Chrysler C300, and the 1958 Chevrolet Impala were not simply transportation. They were the artful and complex product of creative teams, led by visionary designers who delivered “glory days” for their employers.... »

Once liberal platitudes are solidified into policies of massive spending, hostile government takeovers of private companies, unfolding threats against the First, Second, Fourth and Fifth Amendments, with no sanctuary for individual states (the Tenth Amendment was long ago relegated to the ash heap of history), average citizens shake off their apathy and become informed... »

I’m a sucker for old movies. Especially ones that unapologetically embrace principles and thought that might be considered “cornball” or mawkish. It seems that our quasi-sophistication now days is more cynical than anything else. So, watching “King’s Row” with Ronald Reagan, Robert Cummings and Ann Sheridan. (From IMBD) Five children in an apparently... »

Achieving Family Harmony in Estate Planning Part 2: Make Sure Your Plan Fits Your Unique Needs (2009-05-18) by David John Marotta Estate planning must begin with family harmony as the goal. Thus personal dynamics are more important than avoiding probate and estate taxes. Planning begins by selecting the right trustee. Here are some additional principles to... »

Book Review Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men. By Leonard Sax. New York: Basic Books, 2007. www.boysadrift.com. 267 pp. $25.00. Leonard Sax, family physician and author of Why Gender Matters, has published his second book, and it’s simply superb. While... »