Time to Think

The Changing Climate By Hank Silverberg I spent a lot of time with my grandchildren over the long holiday weekend. Both are preschoolers, and if they stay healthy, they will both live well into the second half of the 21 st century.    The day after Thanksgiving when most people were shopping, traveling, or playing with the grand kids, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a new 16- hundred-page study on climate change  https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/   that took two and a half years to complete. It concludes that Greenhouse gas emissions, global temperatures, sea levels and super storms are trending upward. It was dumped on a news day when few were paying attention, for a reason: the current administration in Washington doesn't like it.                 Last year, 2017 ranked in the top ten warmest years ever recorded globally, and in the bottom ten of coolest years. California, which has been ravaged by forest fires this past mon

Another Look    By Hank Silverberg It was groundbreaking television in 1972. Norman Lear’s “All in the Family”looked at many social issues, from menopause to equal rights to racism. Carol O’Conner’s masterful portrayal of Archie Bunker put a comedic edge on some of the nation’s biggest problems. It entertained us while at the same time teaching us all a lesson or two.   One particular episode has remained forever in my mind. Sammy Davis Jr. ends up in a cab that Archie is driving for extra bucks, and Davis leaves his briefcase behind. He then must go to 704 Howser Street, Archie’s house, to pick it up. There is a great deal of good comedy in the episode and a fantastic assessment of Archie's bigotry by Sammy Davis Jr. The scene's ending with Davis kissing Archie on the cheek got the most attention,  but one other part of the exchange stands out.   Here is the dialogue involving Gloria (Sally Struthers), Sammy Davis Jr and Lionel Jefferson (Mike Evans),

    R-E-S-P-E-C-T                                              By Hank Silverberg Respect is something you earn. It does not come automatically with a title like President of the United States or White House Correspondent.     Much has already been written and broadcast this week about the confrontation between President Trump and CNN Correspondent Jim Acosta.   Mr. Trump has long expressed his disdain for both Acosta and his network, so the hostility should not come as a surprise to anyone. But the forum, the White House briefing room during a news conference, produced a disgraceful sideshow.  First let me say, having covered events in Washington for two decades, I have been involved in many news briefings where one reporter oversteps the boundaries and dominates the questioning. The general rule is, one question, one follow-up and then it moves on to someone else. You hope to get a second chance to ask another question later on. What you don’t expect

Message from the voters By Hank Silverberg                                      Here we are on the verge of another election. A lot has been written about the message voters will send in Tuesday’s election. Will it be a rebuke to President Trump for his words and actions over the past 18 months?   Will it turn the country away from its tilt to the right? Will it make any difference on major issues like gun control, immigration or health care? Will it matter at all?         No one can answer that right now, nor will they be able to on Wednesday when we know most of the results. (mostly because many close races may take a week or so to play out). But as the results come in, we can look at voter turnout to get some idea where America is going. Participation in this type of mid-term election has been historically low.   People tend to vote more in presidential elections than in the off years, even though the people we send to Congress or the statehouse have more impact on