Author Archives: Tom Lewis

How I Learned to Live with the Mobs

By | |
9 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

I have made the acquaintance of several mobs during my career as a reporter, and have observed them closely in their native habitat. I am not talking here about crime families, but about large groups of demonstrators, protesters, and/or rioters. Since they are playing such a large role in our national discourse these days, I thought I’d share what I’ve learned. 

The first thing I learned about them was that when they are assembled, they morph into a single creature that has its own identity, temperament and judgment. It will proclaim its identity and demonstrate its temperament, one need only watch. Protests have changed the country’s administration greatly. For instance, rising major protests to maintain DUI laws in Southern California strictly against the government had a great impact on the citizens to avoid unnecessary incidents and accidents related to drugs. My guess is that if you calculated the average IQ of the participants, and divided by 2, you’d have a pretty good handle on the judgment part. Continue reading →

Buying A House in this Economy

By | |
Comments Off on Buying A House in this Economy

In today’s economy, the decision to buy a house is a significant one, influenced by various factors ranging from market conditions to personal financial circumstances. As prospective homebuyers navigate the complexities of the real estate market, it’s essential to understand the current economic landscape and make informed decisions that align with their goals and priorities.

One of the key considerations for buying a house like looking into new home communities in GA in the current economy is market conditions. With historically low interest rates and a limited inventory of available homes, buyers may find themselves in a competitive market where multiple offers and bidding wars are common. It’s crucial to be prepared to act quickly and decisively when the right opportunity arises, whether that means having financing pre-approved or being flexible with your search criteria.

Another factor to consider is affordability. While low interest rates can make homeownership more accessible, rising home prices may present challenges for some buyers, particularly first-time buyers or those with limited financial resources. It’s essential to carefully evaluate your budget and financial situation to ensure that you can comfortably afford the monthly mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, and other associated costs of homeownership.

Additionally, buyers should be mindful of economic indicators that may impact the housing market, such as job growth, inflation, and consumer confidence. A strong economy with low unemployment rates and robust consumer spending typically bodes well for the housing market, while economic downturns or uncertainties may lead to fluctuations in home prices and demand.

Despite the challenges posed by the current economic climate, buying a house can still be a smart investment and a rewarding milestone for many individuals and families. By staying informed, being financially prepared, and working with knowledgeable real estate professionals, buyers can navigate the complexities of the market with confidence and find the perfect home to suit their needs and lifestyle.

In conclusion, buying a house in today’s economy requires careful consideration and planning. By understanding market conditions, assessing affordability, and staying informed about economic indicators, buyers can make informed decisions that set them up for success in their homeownership journey. With the right approach and mindset, purchasing a home can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience, providing a sense of stability and security in an ever-changing world.

The Agony of Victory

By | |
9 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Why is this man smiling. Does he think winning is a good thing?

As I try to imagine what’s likely to befall us in the coming months, there’s a group I’m increasingly concerned about — a group in addition to the sick, the uninsured, the unemployed, the homeless, the bankrupt ( If you have unsecured debt like medical bills, you can consult an attorney to help with filing your chapter 7), all of whom will surely suffer greatly. I’m worried about the Democrats. 

I think they’re going to win the election, and for weeks and months afterward will be on a terrific high — the Prince of Darkness gone, decency and competence restored to the White House, our country no longer the laughingstock of the world. What I worry about is what happens when it dawns on them that it hasn’t made any difference. Continue reading →

Meanwhile, Back at the Apocalypse Ranch…

By | |
25 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

California firefighters confront a threat that probably isn’t in their contracts — a fire tornado.

We’ve all been preoccupied of late with the pandemic, which has taken over our lives whether we catch it or not, and no wonder it has bedazzled us. Contrary to what you might have read in incoherent rants on Twitter, this is the worst public health emergency in modern  history, has precipitated the worst economic emergency since the Great Depression, is threatening to take down our health care system, our education system and the 2020 election, if not the whole country.

So don’t feel at all guilty about being preoccupied. But as a public service, I want to bring you up to date on what else has been happening all this time that we’ve been preoccupied, to reinforce the old adage: remember it always seems darkest just before it gets completely black.

California is burning in more ways than one. It’s on fire — as of yesterday, 92 wildfires were ravaging 200,000 acres across the state, having destroyed nearly 200 structures and having forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes despite fears of contracting the coronavirus in shelters. None of the fires was contained, and the state was able to field only 30 of its 77 firefighting crews, because the state prisoners who provide most of the manpower are sick with COVID-19. Conditions were so hot and dry near Lake Tahoe this week that fires there spawned fire tornadoes (for the first time in its history, the National Weather Service included the probability of fire tornadoes in its official forecast.) Continue reading →

November 3, 2020: Election Day or Execution Day?

By | |
21 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

It is becoming more difficult every day of this long, hot summer to avoid the possibility that the United States of America may not survive the 2020 presidential election.  The existential threats gathering around us are so numerous and ugly, our governments at all levels are so incompetent, corrupt, and stupid that a critical mind searches in vain for a reason to expect a reasonably good outcome. The stress on our entire society is so extreme that the glue that holds us together, that keeps us civil, is breaking down and when it is gone instead of civil people we might well have civil war.  Continue reading →

Why Cosmetic Surgery is Beneficial

By | |
Comments Off on Why Cosmetic Surgery is Beneficial

Cosmetic surgery, once considered a luxury reserved for the rich and famous, has become increasingly accessible and popular in recent years. While some may view it as purely superficial, cosmetic surgery offers a myriad of benefits beyond just enhancing physical appearance.

One of the primary benefits of cosmetic surgery is improved self-confidence and self-esteem. Many individuals undergo cosmetic procedures with the help of experts such as this plastic surgeon in Ft Lauderdale, FL to address physical insecurities or imperfections that have long plagued their self-image. Whether it’s correcting a crooked nose, reducing stubborn fat deposits, or enhancing breast size, cosmetic surgery can help individuals feel more comfortable and confident in their own skin.

In addition to boosting self-confidence, cosmetic surgery like getting a boob job in Hollywood, FL or breast augmentation in Denver, CO can also have psychological and emotional benefits. Research has shown that individuals who undergo cosmetic procedures like getting breast implants in Glenview, IL often experience improvements in overall mental well-being and quality of life. This can manifest in various ways, including reduced anxiety and depression, increased social confidence, and greater satisfaction with one’s appearance and life in general.

Furthermore, cosmetic surgery can have practical benefits beyond just aesthetics. According to experts like Karol Gutowski, MD – eyelid surgery in Chicago, IL, procedures such as rhinoplasty (nose reshaping) or blepharoplasty can improve physical comfort and functionality, alleviating issues like eye problems or difficulty breathing. Additionally, treatments like Botox or dermal fillers like dermal fillers in Hattiesburg, MS can address cosmetic concerns while also providing therapeutic relief for conditions like migraines or excessive sweating.

It’s important to note that while cosmetic surgery like a double chin treatment or vaginal rejuvenation can offer numerous benefits, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution and should be approached with careful consideration and realistic expectations. Consulting with a qualified and experienced plastic surgeon that does plastic surgery in Exton, PA is essential for discussing goals, assessing candidacy, and understanding potential risks and limitations associated with various procedures.

In conclusion, the benefits of cosmetic surgery like vaginal rejuvenation treatments or smart facelift extend far beyond just enhancing physical appearance. From boosting self-confidence and mental well-being to addressing practical concerns and improving overall quality of life, cosmetic surgery can have a transformative impact on both the body and mind. Ultimately, the decision to undergo cosmetic surgery is a deeply personal one that should be made thoughtfully and responsibly, with a focus on achieving natural-looking results and long-term satisfaction.

Fields of Broken Dreams

By | |
12 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Come fly with me, you said. This is gonna be our dream vacation .

Dreams (not the ones that come in sleep, but the ones we hold close day after day) come in various sizes and intensities. From the biggest to the least of them, they beckon us into an uncertain future, giving flickering illumination to features of the landscape right at the horizon of the knowable, letting us know there’s a reason we struggle, a place worth getting to. In America today, dreams are an endangered species.

To start with the biggest and broadest, the American Dream — that if you work hard and play by the rules you can become anything you want to be — is dead. In today’s America, if you work hard and play by the rules you might keep your job flipping burgers, but you’ll need at least one and maybe two other jobs just to afford a place to live. Forget retiring to Florida. As a matter of fact, forget retiring. The good news is, with the pandemic you might not live that long anyway. In America today, it is still true that any young person can grow up to be president — as long as that person was born a billionaire.  Continue reading →

Remembering Magnificent Bastards

By | |
24 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

General George S. Patton directing operations in North Africa. “I’m not interested in dying for my country,” he said once, “I’m interested in making the other sonsofbitches die for their country.”

In one of the best scenes in a remarkable movie — the multiple-Academy-Award-winning Patton — one of the best generals in American history, George S. Patton, is portrayed (by Geoge C. Scott) as defeating the legendary German commander Erwin Rommel (“the Desert Fox”) in a pivotal tank battle in North Africa in 1943. Surveying the smoking battlefield afterward, an exultant Patton roars, “Rommel, you magnificent bastard! I read your book!”  

So Patton must be suspect, right? I mean, reading a book by a Nazi?  Continue reading →

Don’t Simplify the Civil War. It was Complicated.

By | |
11 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

As someone who spent a decade researching and writing about the Civil War,* I am distressed when it is discussed, in what passes for civil discourse these days, as if it were a simplistic comic-book story with superheroes on one side, arch villains on the other, nothing in between, nothing to think about here.

Perhaps you will not agree with me that to understand a civil war, or any war, one must go beyond the reasons given by the leaders who initiated it. (If you do not, you must then believe we went to war in Iraq to save the world from Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction, and I wish you well.) If you believe that thousands of young men in Minnesota, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa and such states voluntarily (at the beginning of the war, the draft came later) left their homes, flocked to their county seats, elected their colonels and marched south hundreds of miles to fight and die only in order to abolish slavery, then I have a slightly used bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. If you believe that Confederate soldiers on the verge of starvation, ill-equipped and -supplied in the face of the Union’s overwhelming strategic advantages, fought on past all expectations only because they wanted to preserve slavery, then the price for that bridge just went up. 

Those who oversimplify the past are condemned to repeat it, because they oversimplify the present, too, and haven’t a clue about what’s going on around them. Let me bring up a few things other than slavery that we must be aware of if we want to grasp what happened to this country in the 1860s. Before it happens again. Continue reading →

Not a Very Good Year

By | |
28 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

“Business has been pretty good this year despite everything. We’re pretty much back to normal, wouldn’t you say, dear?”

Frank Sinatra’s iconic song about “a very good year” will never apply to 2020, which is shaping up to be a very bad year indeed. We (in the mid-Atlantic United States) are like people on a small island, awash in a recent tsunami, facing incoming ranks of equally severe tsunamis, one after the other, as far as any eye can see.

We are, of course, still up to our asses in the first tsunami, the coronavirus pandemic,  which has receded a little bit here but is still rising elsewhere in this very large country. America’s handling of this public-health crisis has been the worst in the world, with the possible exception of Brazil. It is the only country in the world whose leaders have encouraged the politicization of an infectious disease, with one party belittling it as inconsequential, even imaginary, while it has stricken three and a half million people and killed 140,000 (one-third the number of American service members killed in World War Two). Continue reading →