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Who is the Mr. Jones of 2019?

Looking back at key foreign policy events of 2019, a line from Bob Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man” popped into my head: “Something is happening and you don’t know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?” Back in the day, there was much debate over whom Dylan had in mind. But “Mr. Jones” soon came to symbolize folks who remained oblivious to the seismic cultural shifts of the 1960s. So who is the Mr. Jones of 2019? In one sense, “Mr. Jones” could be all of us, as the jumble of foreign policy spikes sped by too fast for the pattern to become clear. But America’s gradual ...

The people who put a smile on her face

This is definitely the time of year when we need fewer frowns and more smiles. Here is my shortened list of people who make me smile. John Legend, the composer, musician and singer, makes me smile. He is from my hometown of Springfield, Ohio, and he continues to “give back” with free concerts, unhailed good deeds and a beautiful performing arts theater. My best friend from kindergarten, Jeannine, who supervised his homeschooling as a school administrator, said he remains one of the brightest and politest students she ever encountered. Oh, and by the way, People magazine just named ...

A year-round gift for children

During World War II, American Relief for Norway sent donations overseas before the holidays to feed malnourished children living under Nazi occupation. When Dwight Eisenhower became president, one of the first things he did was start Christmas food packages for nations suffering in hunger. Ike made this a year-round program called Food for Peace, which has saved millions of lives from hunger. Congress should take action this holiday season to further this tradition of feeding the world’s hungry, especially malnourished children. Both parties should unite and pass the Global ...

The town that wouldn’t let itself be passed by

EVERETT, Pa. For the past two years, items on layaway for over 200 families at the Walmart here have been paid for by some generous soul who won’t reveal his or her identity. Last year, this modern St. Nicholas paid off $46,000 in items placed on layaway by local residents. This year’s total was $40,000. Nestled in the narrows between the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River and the Tussey Mountain ridge of the Appalachian Mountains, Everett was originally called Bloody Run. Like many frontier towns with peculiar names derived from dubious tales, the townspeople, through a ...

Grieving for loved ones who paid ultimate price

“There’s a grief that can’t be spoken. There’s a pain goes on and on. Empty chairs at empty tables Now my friends are dead and gone.” — Marius, from the musical “Les Miserables” “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” Andy Williams reminds us over tinny speakers in crowded shopping malls. It may be wonderful for the majority, but for those whose fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers or children have died in Iraq and Afghanistan there is a void this Christmas, and Christmases to come, that can never be filled. It is the same in every war. Memories of ...

Apple store the default church

During this season of heightened giving and concern for mankind, I’ve considered my own Chicago neighborhood of Streeterville and how it fosters a sense of community. I notice many people walking dogs and stopping to chat with each other, and people being nice to their doormen and retail clerks. But we have no real epicenter of community in Streeterville. And related to that point, there are no permanent houses of worship in Streeterville, except for hospital chapels and the occasional satellite church service. Our sense of community revolves around high-rise living and commercial ...