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‘You look great’ is about perception

National Columnists

I was sitting in the waiting room of a doctor’s office last week when someone I hadn’t seen for many years came in. When he saw me, he said “Bob! How are you? You look great!” I don’t look great. Since I last saw him, my hair has turned from gray to white, and there’s far less of it. My skin has gone blotchy. The bags under my eyes have gone from brown to blue. And my wattle has become the size of a bullfrog. “You look great, too, George.” I lied. George looked about a hundred years older than I remembered him. Why do we feel compelled to say “You look ...

Trump plays Mr. New York Christmas

National Columnists

Fifth Avenue swarms with tourists grinning at the fabulous scene as retailers cash in on the cheer. Christmas in New York is a Rockettes kick line of store windows awash in fantasy and light spectaculars. But something is missing from the big show this year. That would be Donald Trump. In truth, the president hasn’t made much of a Gotham showing in years – striking, given how hard he once worked to make Christmas in New York all about him, before he moved on to making the world all about him, all the time. Sure, Trump Tower still looms over Fifth and just a few steps from the ...

Service dog program needs to continue

Letters to the Editor

Capt. Ryan Moss (Ret.) Jud Service dogs create an improvement in life when it comes to living with PTSD. I have had my service dog, Major, for over 5 years. During that time, I have gone from not being able to go shopping alone, not participating in family life or events, not being part of community groups, and not being able to hold a full-time job to someone that is able to walk into a store and not think twice about it because I have a partner by my side. I am able to more actively participate not only with my son’s life by getting involved with things that he enjoys but also ...

Removing Irish son’s name on park on hold

National Columnists

Belfast-born, Dublin-raised Chaim Herzog was a son of Ireland, through and through. Educated at Irish colleges, fluent in Irish and with an Irish brogue he carried with him through life, Herzog was a rugby star and a boxing champion. His father was the Chief Rabbi of Ireland, dubbed the “Sinn Fein Rabbi” for his support of Irish nationalism. With Ireland unwilling to oppose Hitler, Herzog joined the British Army to fight the Nazis. He was a war hero, landing at Normandy, fighting in Belgium, the Netherlands and in Germany itself and helping to liberate the Nazi death camp at ...

Slouching toward open season on Jews

National Columnists

Jews celebrating Hanukkah were just slaughtered by Muslim gunmen on an Australian beach, in an imitation of the October 7 massacres. An inert Europe is canceling Christmas celebrations out of fear of threats of violence from Muslim minorities. In the West, when an Islamist shoots a Jew, politicians often offer two bizarre remedies: gun control or a task force to tackle Islamophobia. To catalog all the recent violence against Jews in the Western world would fill a book. We know the causes. Anemic Western leaders – politicians, college presidents, media grandees, and celebrities ...

Why science can’t disprove virgin birth

National Columnists

If you aren’t a Christian, the Christmas story can seem as far-fetched as Santa Claus. Billions of people will celebrate Christmas this Thursday. It’s much more than a reason to decorate and spoil your kids or grandkids. It celebrates the birth of Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem to Mary and his earthly father, Joseph. Jesus was no ordinary child. He was the fulfillment of the prophecy found in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel,” which means “God with us.” Isaiah 9 ...