Novel looks at the Rust Belt, composed by an American doctor
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My Favorite Book As of 2025
My favorite book is not the Bible. Nor is it Gone with the Wind, which I’ve heard is popular as
The One Thing Jimmy Carter Taught Me
If Jimmy Carter hadn’t lived a hundred years, I would have missed the obvious. When he started his presidency, I
My Wife’s Spanglish Sucks
The Western Hemisphere is where languages go to die—and get reborn as something that irritates Europeans. Take Spanglish for example.
How I Ended Up Near a Ditch—Again
It’s not very glorious living near a ditch. And when the ditch is filled with brown water, having no use
10 Fun Facts About Panama
You may be wondering how some rando who writes about the US thinks he has the right to take on
The Forgotten President I Suddenly Remembered
Saying the forgotten president is giving myself too much credit. Never-learned-about would be a better descriptor. I mean, besides Washington,
Confronting the Presidents: Read It!
Before buying Confronting the Presidents, I had to confront myself. Bill O’Reilly, after all, was the political commentator who, for
The Night I Loved the US—Again
The night I loved the US again had started early. Around these parts, somewhere near Canada, there is no other
The 10 Best Things About Being American
A lot of hurtful things have been said about Americans—blubbery and dopey are a couple words that come to mind.
My Human Experiment
I was thinking about doing a human experiment. It was going to start with a huge chunk of land. There
How Being a Nephrologist Jaded Me
Being a nephrologist, I reminded myself, was my choice. It’s just that, as I looked into her eyes, I couldn’t
The 2026 Great Lakes NFL Preview
Who would come to a random blog by a part-time doctor about the Rust Belt for an NFL preview? No
The Other Guy Who Hates Free Trade Agreements
Where others see an apocalypse, I prefer to look for logic. And that which drives Trump 2.0, as chaotic as
My Favorite Song From Rochester (NY)
Some nepo babies get a real estate empire or worldwide fame. Others get a blog post about a favorite song
Indian Man Found Wandering Along Lake America
In a shocking turn of events, on August 30, 2026, authorities in Rochester, New York, reported having seen what looked
When Dolly Parton Held My Hand
Dolly Parton, the legend, was there for everybody. That includes me, the wannabe coastal elite with the superiority complex. It
I’m a Hipster in Dad Shorts
Sometime around 2012, the hipster thing reared its ugly head. Two years earlier, I had moved with the family to
How New York’s Data Center Ban Kills Upstate (Again)
Yeah, yeah—I know it’s not really a data center ban. It’s a moratorium barring state approvals of hyperscale data centers
How New York State Is Digging Its Own Grave
The beauty of New York State, if one sticks around long enough, generally results in anger. In Upstate New York, it’s
Dear Tennessee: Who Are You Anyway?
Dear Tennessee: I know what it’s like to be misunderstood. I am from the Rust Belt, after all. But