Christmas Party at Colleen’s

My friend Colleen Murray and I go back a long ways. I met her in 1975 when we were both teaching at the Catholic grammar school in Croton. I taught there for two years – math and science to grades 5 thru 8. The second year I was there, she was named principal. I left … Read more

NYT’s John F. Burns on the Iraqi election

NY Times foreign correspondent John F. Burns has won two Pullitzer Prizes, and he is a great reporter and writer. (In 1986 the Chinese claimed he was a spy, and expelled him.) Here’s his column in the Times today:Freedom From Fear Lifts Sunnis in Iraqi Election – New York Times

Brigid’s birthday today!

Today is Brigid’s birthday. She loves the fact that she was born on the same day as the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. AND, that Tim’s birthday falls three days earlier – on the Feast of St. Juan Diego. For non-aficionados of Catholic feasts, Juan Diego was the Mexican peasant who Mary appeared to … Read more

Previous variations on “BUSH LIED”

A short op ed from the Wall Street Journal December 11th. OpinionJournal – Featured Article Here’s the title and first paragraph: None Dare Call it Conspiracy We’ve been hearing variations on "BUSH LIED!!!!" for at least 60 years. BY MORTON KELLER Sunday, December 11, 2005 12:01 a.m. EST Variations of "Bush lied" have been part … Read more

Tim Faranda – nine years old today

My younger son Tim had his birthday today. He actually started celebrating last evening when my mother was up. That’s when I took the picture below. Now Tim is a real boy’s boy. Which is to say: very athletic, quite funny, sassy to the point of being fresh, and a bit of an underachiever at … Read more

Latest Read – “The First Salute”

I finished Barbara Tuchman’s book on the American Revolution, The First Salute, a couple of days ago. It’s not up there with her very best books (The Guns of August, A Distant Mirror), but I really enjoyed it. The title refers to the “first salute” that the new American flag received. It was given to … Read more