It drives me crazy to see news outlets with US maps showing the states estimated to be either going for Barack Obama or Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election based on the geographic size of those states, rather than the number of Electoral College votes they carry. There are better maps they could and should use.…
All I wanted to do was share a funny “Downton Abbey Meets Spike TV” skit that was on Saturday Night Live this week. Unfortunately, there’s no authorized version of the sketch online from NBCUniversal. That made me hesitate, but apparently it wasn’t a problem for iVillage, an NBCUniversal-owned site. Nor was it an issue for Time,…
Dear non-Californians upset that California re-elected a Democratic senator, elected a Democratic governor and is otherwise doing things you might not like. Tough shit. OK, that’s my initial reaction to some things I’ve read recently. My more thoughtful reaction is scapegoating one state isn’t the answer to America’s issues. Last week, the LA Times featured…
My fifth grader is having to learn US geography — in particular, to look at a blank map and write in the correct name for each of the states. I think that’s great. I love maps and geography. But that’s a lot of states. I’ve been sharing with him a number of ways I’ve somehow…
Your Halloween pumpkins don’t have the same old boring designs. Get some pumpkin stencils and carving! You can make some amazing stuff, including Star Wars pumpkins or for Twilight fans, Edward and Bella. How about Jay Leno? The Kool Aide guy? A Cylon pumpkin? Some tips and links, below. Like many, I’ve been carving pumpkins…
Did you realize the US Census doesn’t count Americans who live abroad? It was pretty annoying to me last time. I wanted to be counted! More important, when there’s not a good count, in turn there’s less representation and support for the rights of Americans abroad. Some new numbers are in. According to an ACA…
Apparently, some people believe President Barack Obama wants to turn the United States into a socialist country — with fears that this would be a terrible step in the wrong direction. Fair to say, most people with these fears have never lived in a socialist country. I have, in Britain, for 12 years. I thought…
I love America. But am I “pro-American?” Until recently, I had no idea my “pro-hood” was in question. Now I have the McCain-Palin campaign suggesting I don’t live in “real” America or that some parts of America are more “heartland-like” or “patriotic” than where I live. Knock it off. It’s not right. The American people…