Author Archives: Ted Block

Don’t know much about history?

Here are two must reads to help set the record straight. Zinn: “A People’s History of the United States” and Cohen/Murrow: “Rethinking America’s Past” Commentary November is such a busy month, perhaps the busiest of them all. For the November issue of my community’s monthly magazine, The Breezes, I wrote a column about how jam-packed theContinue reading “Don’t know much about history?”

Where have you gone Buster Posey? The nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

Commentary Or at least San Francisco’s lonely eyes! Note: My guess is that this story will be of limited interest to most Around the Block readers. But since I don’t get paid based on the number of readers I have, I’m posting it anyway. Oh, yeah…I don’t get paid in any event. Also, apologies onceContinue reading “Where have you gone Buster Posey? The nation turns its lonely eyes to you.”

The Red Flags of January 6

Commentary Remember the last “Red-Flagged” terrorist attack? I do. The Washington Post just published an in-depth article titled, “Red Flags,” with the subhead, “As Trump propelled his supporters to Washington, law enforcement agencies failed to heed mounting warnings about violence on Jan. 6.” The story tracks the events leading up to the January 6 attackContinue reading “The Red Flags of January 6”

With the passing of Colin Powell, Trump shows how low he can go

Commentary Trump’s mean-spirited statement about another American hero was not completely unexpected. But it did lead me to consider some things. Amidst the obituaries detailing Colin Powell’s unsurpassed career as an American hero and the accolades from both colleagues and adversaries alike, came this one, which unfortunately, was not “fake news:”

October in NYC was great…

Commentary …but I had to share one more thing This is a re-issue of the post “October in NYC was great…but” to fix a glitch in the video playback. I apologize for any inconvenience. I posted an Around the Block yesterday about Covid-19 vaccine passports and how well the verification system seems to be working in NewContinue reading “October in NYC was great…”

October in NYC post — technical issue

There seems to have been a technical issue with the last post, October in NYC was great but… The link to the embedded video was not visible to some readers. I am working on the problem and hope to have a fix soon. Once fixed, I will re-issue the post. Sorry in advance for anyContinue reading “October in NYC post — technical issue”

October in NYC was great except…

Commentary …I’m vaccinated but I live in Florida and don’t have a Covid vaccine passport Sharon and I spent a few days in New York City last week; we hadn’t been back to NY since before the pandemic.  We visited the Yasoi Kusama installation at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. It wasContinue reading “October in NYC was great except…”

“Cancel Culture” has taught us that Christopher Columbus and Robert E. Lee have one thing in common…

Commentary …they were both lousy at their jobs. But Columbus outdid Lee in sheer ruthlessness. Today is “Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” the holiday formerly, and in some places still known as “Columbus Day.” Or, in the New York City school system, “Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous People’s Day.” While on Fifth Avenue in NYC the Columbus Citizens FoundationContinue reading ““Cancel Culture” has taught us that Christopher Columbus and Robert E. Lee have one thing in common…”

American Exceptionalism is over. Was it really ever a thing?

Commentary A Times’ newsletter gave me the opportunity to review my feelings about the concept of American Exceptionalism. What’s your take? The subject of today’s New York Times’ “The Interpreter” newsletter is “American Exceptionalism.” In the newsletter, the authors, Max Fisher and Amanda Taub ponder, “Changing American attitudes about their country’s role in the world.”Continue reading “American Exceptionalism is over. Was it really ever a thing?”