Am I the only person in the state who thinks Gov Malloy’s plan for tolls and gas taxes makes sense? Probably. But let me try once again to overcome the usual objections and explain why Malloy’s plan is fair and necessary. TOLLS ARE TAXES: No, tolls are users fees. Train fares aren’t taxes, are they? If you don’t want to pay a few pennies a gallon more for gasoline, don’t … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Why I Support Malloy’s Plan for Tolls, Gas Taxes
Columnists
Reading Uncertainly? ‘Patrick O’Brian: A Life Revealed’ by Dean King
This is a confession of an addict. In early 1993, I was urged by a long-time sailing friend to begin reading a series of novels by Patrick O’Brian about an English skipper and his shipboard surgeon set in the Napoleonic Wars. I did. By now I’ve read – three times, no less –all 21 of the famous Jack Aubrey-Stephen Maturin novels, plus six of his other books, plus King’s 2000 … [Read more...] about Reading Uncertainly? ‘Patrick O’Brian: A Life Revealed’ by Dean King
Letter From Paris: Book That Wins France’s Top Literary Prize Raises Chilling Questions About WWII History
Coincidence or not ? The prestigious French literary Prix Goncourt came out came just a few weeks before the election of 31-year-old Sebastian Kurtz as chancellor of Austria. Many would say that election marked another step by the European Union along the road toward nationalism. The topic of the novel is the Anschluss. With devastating sarcasm the author, Eric … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Book That Wins France’s Top Literary Prize Raises Chilling Questions About WWII History
Talking Transportation: “Getting There” Malloy’s Transportation Cuts
Fare hikes, rail service cuts and a freeze on transportation projects. As he promised in December, Governor Malloy announced them all in January. Rail commuters and highway drivers are justifiably outraged, but they should direct their anger not at the Governor or CDOT but at the legislature. WHY NOW? This funding crisis has been years in the making, exacerbated 20 years … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: “Getting There” Malloy’s Transportation Cuts
Welcome to Betsy Groth, our new ‘Family Wellness’ Columnist!
We are delighted to welcome Betsy Groth to our stable of writers today. She is an APRN, PMHS – BC and a pediatric nurse practitioner with advanced certification in pediatric mental health. She is a counselor, mental health educator and parent coach in Old Lyme and will be writing a monthly column for us on 'Family Wellness.' In this introductory column, she explains the … [Read more...] about Welcome to Betsy Groth, our new ‘Family Wellness’ Columnist!
Letter From Paris: The Seine is Flooding … Again
The Paris floods crested Friday, Jan. 26, at almost six meters, therefore slightly lower than in June 2016 . They did not even make the 'Top 10' among the most destructive floods of the past 100 years. The monster flood of 1910 saw the river's level rise eight meters and 60 centimeters. However, the inhabitants in the communities upstream from the city, who have been … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: The Seine is Flooding … Again
Reading Uncertainly? ‘Troubles’ by J.G. Farrell
When a world is collapsing all about us, how much are we willing to recognize? J. G. Farrell’s description of a veteran of the World War I trenches going to Ireland to rejoin a young lady he had met only once in London during the War is an allegory on human inertia and lethargy in the face of rapid change. In 1919, Major Brendan Archer travels from London to Kilnalough, … [Read more...] about Reading Uncertainly? ‘Troubles’ by J.G. Farrell
Letter From Paris: Emmanuel Macron Goes to China
At first sight, the January visit of Emmanuel Macron to meet Xi Jinping might have appeared like the futile encounter between David and Goliath. But, in fact, it was a well thought-out strategic move and an illustration of Macron's personal style of diplomacy. Never before had any French president gone to China so early in his mandate. He timed his visit to seize the … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Emmanuel Macron Goes to China
Reading Uncertainly? ‘The Undoing Project’ by Michael Lewis
No, this is not the story of a baseball team savant, who doubted conventional statistics and reused them with extraordinary success (Moneyball). It is not a personal disclosure of the seamy underbelly of financial markets (The Big Short; Flash Boys; Liar’s Poker). Rather, it is the story of learning how our minds work, of behavioral economics, and of the unusual and highly … [Read more...] about Reading Uncertainly? ‘The Undoing Project’ by Michael Lewis
Legal News You Can Use: Divorce and Splitting Retirement Accounts
Suisman Shapiro Sponsored Post — When Connecticut couples divorce, one piece of property they may need to divide is a retirement account. This might be what is known as a qualified plan, including a 401(k), or it might be an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or another non-qualified plan. There are different regulations for dividing these types of accounts. With a … [Read more...] about Legal News You Can Use: Divorce and Splitting Retirement Accounts
Talking Transportation: Will the Real ID Act Disrupt Travel?
Something like 1.73 million Americans board airplanes ever day. And each of them must go through a very necessary screening by the TSA, the Transportation Security Agency. But beginning in late January 2018, a lot of passengers will be denied boarding because they don’t have the right kind of ID. You can thank (or blame) the Real ID Act passed by Congress in 2005 after … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Will the Real ID Act Disrupt Travel?
Reading Uncertainly? ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ by Amor Towles
“By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration – and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour.” This is the theme of a compelling, engrossing, and forever cheerful … [Read more...] about Reading Uncertainly? ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ by Amor Towles
A la Carte: Dive Into Dips on New Year’s Eve
If New Year’s Eve plays out as planned, I will either be at home alone or with friends, or with other friends at their houses. I will have spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my family in Massachusetts. Often I fly off to California the that day or the day after, but because my LA daughter and her husband will be in Arizona for two or three days, and because I have to … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Dive Into Dips on New Year’s Eve
Letter From Paris: Deaths of Two Icons Leave a Nation in Mourning
From Les Invalides to the Champs Elysees, intense emotion grips France at the passing of two iconic personalities. Within 24 hours France lost two familiar figures: Jean d'Ormesson, 92, man of letters, and Johnny Hallyday, 74, the popular singer who, for almost 60 years, enthralled millions of fans. The intensity of the emotions was incredible. For a week, politics, wars, … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Deaths of Two Icons Leave a Nation in Mourning
Letter From Paris: A Six-Month Performance Review for Emmanuel Macron
Six months into his mandate, French President Emmanuel Macron has been working at a dizzying pace to fulfill his campaign promises. Hubert Vedrine, former minister of foreign affairs and expert in international and strategic affairs, made the following comment : "Emmanuel Macron immediately embodied the stature of a chief of State. " "The French people are impossible to … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: A Six-Month Performance Review for Emmanuel Macron