The year 2018 was full of many big events – fires and natural disasters; terrorism; political upheaval and change; triumphs on playing fields and in science and exploration. The stock markets rocketed upwards, and in the past few weeks have tumbled downwards, causing a lot of anxiety and trauma; but patience is no less a virtue now than it was last year, and the wise investor will not be panicked by bad markets just as he should not be in euphoria over good ones.
By John Shaffer This is the last Sentinel for 2018, and as we look ahead to 2019, we also can check the rear-view mirror to review the year now drawing to a close. As far as the newspaper goes, our biggest event was the sale of the paper. We could not have done for thirty years what we did without the the community, and we hope that you continue to provide the same levels of cooperation, support and guidance to the new owners that you gave to the old ones. The transition from one owner to another always brings with it some changes, some growing pains, some nostalgia, and some differences; but the Sentinel has been around since 1871, and each successive owner did things a bit differently from his predecessor, but the paper continued to grow and to thrive with fresh ideas and outlooks and perspectives. We are appreciative that the community embraced us as it did and gave us the opportunity to learn and grow and be a part of your lives. We know you will be as kind and understanding with the current owners.
The year 2018 was full of many big events – fires and natural disasters; terrorism; political upheaval and change; triumphs on playing fields and in science and exploration. The stock markets rocketed upwards, and in the past few weeks have tumbled downwards, causing a lot of anxiety and trauma; but patience is no less a virtue now than it was last year, and the wise investor will not be panicked by bad markets just as he should not be in euphoria over good ones. By John Shaffer ~ editor@myweeklysentinel.com It wasn’t that many years ago, back in 2002 during the G W Bush presidency, when Attorney General John Ashcroft was ridiculed for “censoring” the statue of “The Spirit of Justice” in the Hall of Justice in the US Department of Justice. It seems the statue (a classic sculpture with breasts exposed) was to be in the background of a photo-op and the Attorney General’s office was concerned over the sniggering that would inevitably come from the progressive left were there to be a “topless woman” (aluminum, not actual flesh) in the same picture as the A-G. So, rather than relocating the photo-op, the office purchased some $8,000 for drapery to cover the 18-foot tall statue.
Well, the Attorney General was in a no-win situation. The statue was covered, so there was no embarrassing photo, but instead of enduring some mild sniggering, Mr. Ashcroft was excoriated as a puritanical bluenose with no appreciation for the finer things in life (statuary, that is, not undressed women). Let us flash forward to 2018, when the progressive left that was prepared to smirk and scorn at Mr. Ashcroft now seeks to ban the song Baby, It’s Cold Outside, because it is either sexist or encourages bad behavior, etc. BY JOHN SHAFFER The nation is mourning the death of George H W Bush, 41st president of the United States. He passed away at age 94, and surely was one of the last of his kind, and he was unique. He took flight training with Ted Williams (the future Baseball Hall of Famer) and as a member of the 1948 Yale College World Series baseball team, shook the hand of Babe Ruth (another Hall of Famer), shortly before Ruth’s passing later that year. The “Walker” in his name comes from the same man as “The Walker Cup,” awarded in international golf. Mr. Bush is the last World War II veteran to serve as President (along with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford. President Carter entered the Naval Academy in 1943 but the war ended before his class graduated in 1947); and except for his son, who served in the Air National Guard, Mr. Bush was the most recent US President with military service. George H W Bush was a successful businessman, Chairman of the Republican National Committee; US Congressman; Ambassador to the United Nations; Director of the Central Intelligence Agency; Vice President of the United States; and in 1988 was elected President. No vice-president since has succeeded to the office. He received over 48 million votes in that election; when he lost the presidency four years later he received about ten million fewer votes, losing to Bill Clinton, who received nearly 45 million both times he won the office. His 1988 victory was the last “landslide” presidential election (claims of the current President notwithstanding). In other words, Bush went from very popular to very unpopular in a brief period of time. Why was this, and, of equal consequence, why is he “popular” once again, now that he has passed?
|
Local ColumnistsFind articles by date or topic through quick links below. Categories
All
Archives
March 2020
|