The Soulless Design World of Instagram

I love beautiful surroundings, and until the last two years, I looked to Instagram when seeking inspiration for my home. No more. The aesthetics of home design from major industry players has become predictable, boring and soulless. The question is, why are we accepting ugly, bland or conformist styles as something we must emulate and admire? The late great Roger Scruton, a rare intellectual conservative … Continue reading The Soulless Design World of Instagram

Today’s Youth Want to Return to the 1950s Family

Over the past several years, the media has reluctantly reported on studies of the unhappiness of the modern American woman. Cultural writers commenting on the phenomena pepper their commentary with words like “alarmed” and “concerned” and appear to be perplexed that young women today are rejecting feminism and actually longing to be full-time homemakers and mothers. In fact, the longing to be a full-time homemaker, … Continue reading Today’s Youth Want to Return to the 1950s Family

Black Friday Is a Black Eye on America’s National Culture

I have always disdained Black Friday, but my rancor for this consumer-driven, marketing monster that demands we spend money on a certain day each year has grown into full-blown loathing. What used to be a one-day event to spur sales so that retailers could end the year in the black has morphed into at least a week of pre-Black Friday deals. The relentless messaging through … Continue reading Black Friday Is a Black Eye on America’s National Culture

Grinch Cancels Christmas in New Hampshire Town

Right on time and as predictable as the sunrise, two disgruntled and offended citizens complain about a Christmas tree lighting ceremony and decorations in the small town of Durham, New Hampshire. Also predictable, the town council immediately caves to these lone curmudgeons and cancel Christmas. The news piece, which was reported on at The Gateway Pundit, barely deserves the keystrokes I am affording it because … Continue reading Grinch Cancels Christmas in New Hampshire Town

America’s Turkey-Eating Tradition Under Assault

The environmental Nazis and killjoys on the left have a hard on for destroying America’s traditional Thanksgiving holiday. In a HuffPost article, The Environmental Impact of Your Thanksgiving Dinner, author Alexandra Emanuelli laments that our travel to be with family is increasing our carbon footprint and killing the planet. “Four people flying a 600-mile trip is the equivalent of 10 times the CO2 emissions of … Continue reading America’s Turkey-Eating Tradition Under Assault

The Value of Civics and a Good Book

I am about to out myself on how old I am, but it’s all for a good cause. Civics classes went away sometime during the 1960s, which means that, although I will be turning 57 next month and was born in the 1960s, by the time I reached middle school and high school, civics classes had been completely replaced by social studies classes or bits … Continue reading The Value of Civics and a Good Book

When Will American Television Serve Us Red Meat

When I discovered the British television series “Happy Valley,” a Netflix television series filmed in bucolic Calder Valley, West Yorkshire in Northern England, it immediately struck me how disparate the heroines of the show are as compared to how American matrons are portrayed on television—if at all. Television and cinema is a virtual desert for women of a certain age. In “Happy Valley,” we are … Continue reading When Will American Television Serve Us Red Meat

It’s Not Amore Hitting Your Eye, It’s a Big Pizza Pie

When a moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore                                                                              —Dean Martin   Is it any wonder that crooner Dean Martin likens love to a big pizza pie? Not in my book. Next Saturday, February 9, is National Pizza Day, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day, but pizza I … Continue reading It’s Not Amore Hitting Your Eye, It’s a Big Pizza Pie

Longest U.S. Hiking and Biking Trail EVER Is Almost Here

Imagine being able to hike or bike across the nation from Washington, D.C. to Washington State without a car in sight. Outdoor enthusiast David Burwell did just that more than 30 years ago in 1986 when he co-founded the Rails to Trails Conservancy (RTC) and, as they say, the rest is history. After more than a year and half of analysis of more than 34,000 … Continue reading Longest U.S. Hiking and Biking Trail EVER Is Almost Here