Confessions of a Flu Victim

Those of you who regularly follow my column may have noticed it has been missing for the last four weeks. During that time, I battled complications from the flu and, at times, my very life hung in the balance.

You’ve seen the statistics. Every year, some 25,000 people die from the flu. This year, the outbreak has reached epidemic proportions and the danger is far from over.

What makes someone vulnerable, while others recover few weeks? How do you know that what you are experiencing has crossed the line into dangerous territory?

Those a both end of the age spectrum or especially vulnerable, as are those with any underlying medical condition. I had been battling a pesky sinus condition for a few weeks before becoming ill on Christmas Eve.

Sometime before dawn on the 26th, I passed out from dehydration, was treated in the emergency room and tests were run. A few days later, the hospital confirmed I had influenza B and could expect to be sick for at least two weeks. Continue reading “Confessions of a Flu Victim” →

Twas the Night before Cliffmas

(With Apologies to Clement Clark Moore, Henry Livingston, Jr. or Anonymous)

Twas the night before Cliffmas, when all through the House

Republicans were wondering if their leader was a man or a mouse;

The parameters for the budget talks had been set out with care,

In hopes that a compromise soon would be there.

The taxpayers were uneasy, not snug in their beds,

While visions of higher rates danced in their heads;

And mom with her checkbook and dad with the bills,

Had just settled down with a bottle of pills, Continue reading “Twas the Night before Cliffmas” →

The Coronation of Barack Obama

Americans often make fun of the English for their adoration and maintenance of the royal family. The Brits can be forgiven if they snicker over what is about to take place over here on January 21, for the 2nd inauguration of Barack Obama: the pomp and circumstance, the parade, the bands, the crowds, the balls . . . and the money it takes to put on these extravagant events

It is one thing to hold such a celebration during normal times, but this is anything but a normal time. The nation is going through a rough patch. Still reeling from the worst recession since the Great Depression, more than 12 million Americans are out of work. More than 47 million are on Food Stamps. Layoffs are a way of life. Home foreclosures are on every street and there is no relief in sight. Continue reading “The Coronation of Barack Obama” →

Poisoned by Thanksgiving Dinner

Halloween has its share of frights. Most of them meant to scare tikes. Now, there is more to fear, but, unlike Halloween, these scary stories are meant to put fear in the hearts of adults. They involve your annual Thanksgiving feast.

It is no accident that ominous stories involving the foods commonly used in the Thanksgiving meal pop up about this time every year. Most of them are pure bunk. It is my hope that this will put your mind at ease and will enable you to prepare and enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with confidence.

The latest scare is perpetrated by the Breast Cancer Fund. It involves the chemical BPA, which is commonly used in the linings of cans to protect food from contamination.

The organization tested canned gravy, corn, cranberry sauce, pumpkin and the green beans used it the famous casserole that has become synonymous with this holiday and found BPA, which it claims has been linked to adverse health effects. Continue reading “Poisoned by Thanksgiving Dinner” →

Morning in Amerika

It is morning in Amerika and the majority of people who voted to reelect Barack Obama president don’t even know it. Everything appears to be normal but everything has changed. The United States will not be the same.

I have never felt that all was lost after a single election as I do today. The ship of state has been described as a battleship. Its course cannot be changed abruptly. A major correction is a long slow process.

Barack Obama didn’t begin the process that changed us from a democratic republic to a democratic socialist country but he will finish it, or at the very least, take us to the point of no return. Continue reading “Morning in Amerika” →

A Grandmother looks at the Office of President

The adage “too soon old, too late smart” certainly is true.

I cannot run as fast or as far as I once did. I can no longer twist my body into a pretzel, be productive with only two or three hours sleep or remember an appointment (or much of anything) without writing it down. I dare not ski, swim, mountain climb or horseback ride with abandon. I nod off after 11 P.M. (or sooner). Coffee is no longer a pick-me-up but a necessity. Exercise is not an option. It is essential

There are, however, a few advantages to having been around more than five decades. Continue reading “A Grandmother looks at the Office of President” →

Is Your President too Small?

There has been a lot of back and forth about who came out the big winner in the three presidential debates. However, there is one point that has been missed by the pundits in all but the last of the trilogy. Finally, Charles Krauthammer nailed it after Monday night’s yawner: The president is “playing small ball.”

Obama has not only been playing small ball, his behavior has mimicked that of a Chihuahua. You’ve all seen this play out on “Animal Planet” or your own home. A tiny Chihuahua, or another pint-size canine, is intimidated by the presence of a Doberman or similar breed.

The large dog gives the tiny one little notice. Then, as the Doberman is going out the door, the tiny one barks ferociously and, if the Doberman is on a leash, may nip at his heels in an effort to show some belated bravado.

In all three debates, Obama used a parting shot of nastiness that was anything but presidential: Continue reading “Is Your President too Small?” →

Too much Candy!

Too much candy can rot your teeth. It also can ruin a country.

In a recent appearance on “The View,” Barack Obama, jokingly told the truth when he said, “I’m just supposed to be ‘eye candy’ here for you guys.”

In Tuesday night’s presidential debate, moderator Candy Crowley did everything possible, short of wearing an Obama button, to help the president win a second term against his more qualified but less sexy opponent.

Americans have become fat and lazy (Crowley included) both physically and politically. It is a sad fact that far too many of us select a president the way a seven-year-old selects her Barbie doll, on appearance. Continue reading “Too much Candy!” →

Big Bird’s Golden Egg

With the nation careening toward a fiscal cliff from which there will be no escape, the national debate has centered on a popular children’s television character who goes by the name of Big Bird.

In last week’s presidential debate, Barack Obama was unable to give us a plan to solve our current economic woes other than taxing the evil job creators. As a result, the president’s polling numbers are sinking and his advisers are looking for anything that might be a distraction.

Grasping at straw, or in this case, feathers, they pounced on Mitt Romney’s promise to put everything in the federal budget, including Public Broadcasting and Big Bird’s popular television program Sesame Street to this test: “Is the program so critical it’s worth borrowing money from China to pay for it? “ Continue reading “Big Bird’s Golden Egg” →

Welcome Back Ross Perot

He was a charismatic guy with big ears and an important message that resonated with the American people. No, it wasn’t Barack Obama. (He had fuzzy words and no message.) It was Ross Perot 20 years ago.

In 1992, using charts and graphs on 30-minute infomercials funded out of his personal fortune, Perot ran the most successful 3rd party bid for the presidency in a century and received 19 percent of the vote. His message was simple: The country is going broke. We have made too many promises we can’t keep. Our level of spending cannot be sustained. This has to stop!

Unfortunately, there was a major flaw in his show and tell which kept those who interpret the numbers churned out by the government from getting on board and taking him seriously. Some believed he was playing the old political game of “envy and greed” in an effort to win votes. Others thought it an honest mistake. Continue reading “Welcome Back Ross Perot” →