Talking to America

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To Heal a Broken Soul
Last week, the global governing body for track and field announced that athletes who win gold medals at this year’s Olympics in Paris will receive…
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Jack Kelly
6
I’m Being Followed by a Moon Shadow
Before joining the great trek to see the total eclipse on April 8, I thought it worth chiming in with a few thoughts on these erratic celestial…
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Jack Kelly
6

March 2024

The Red and Blue of Politics
Dashiell Hammett, the creator of Sam Spade and the Thin Man, was a giant among writers of hard-boiled crime fiction. In a 1929 novel, he included this…
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Jack Kelly
3
The Yipee-ki-yay Adventures of the Ten Cent Millionaire
There are few myths in American history as enduring as the saga of the Wild West. The cowboy-and-Indian skirmishes and high-noon dramas of characters…
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Jack Kelly
4
The Very Light Craft of Hope: An Irish “Agitator”
Those who include themselves among what W.B. Yeats called “the indomitable Irishry” need neither great men nor a fifth-century saint to serve as models…
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Jack Kelly
3
A Cash Register Dressed Up for a Circus: The Luck Machine
This week, the price of the Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency, rocketed to a record high of nearly $70,000 for a single coin. This virtual “investment” returns…
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Jack Kelly
5
Heroism and Injustice: The Man with No Name
The first American hero of World War II — the so-called “good war” — was a man named Doris Miller. He performed his exemplary act on the morning…
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Jack Kelly
3

February 2024

No Experience in Modern Times: The Inventive American Mind
Americans have long been fascinated by innovators. From Thomas Edison and Henry Ford to Bill Gates and Steve Jobs we have seen our lives shaped by the…
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Jack Kelly
4
We Aren't Aunt Jemima Women: Dorothy Bolden’s Vision
To most of us, they are invisible. They harvest and prepare our food, clean our homes and make our lives easier. They often struggle with low pay and…
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Jack Kelly
6

January 2024

Ginseng, Volcanoes, and the Crooked Paths of History
Historians love to put the past in order. They trace the trends and movements in politics, economics, and society that shape events over time. That’s…
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Jack Kelly
5
What Ever Happened to Benedict Arnold? Life After Treason
1. Why did Benedict Arnold switch sides during the Revolution? Many historians have speculated, none has found a definitive answer. The fact that we’re…
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Jack Kelly
1
By God, They Nearly Killed Me: Medical Secrecy in High Places
The brouhaha over U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s secret hospital stay for cancer brings to mind a medical incident from an earlier era. During…
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Jack Kelly
3
© 2024 Jack Kelly
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