Let There Be Light

by Carol A Westbrook On the first day of creation, God said. “Let there be light,” according to the Bible. In most major religions, God creates day and night, the sun, or light itself on the first day. To the ancients, the sun was God Himself–the Egyptians had Ra, and the Aztecs, Huītzilōpōchtli.There is something divine…
Where in the World Are You?
Halting the Drug Overdose Crisis: A Doctor’s Prescription

by Carol A Westbrook “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning” has been replaced by “Here’s a bottle of oxycodone. Don’t call me for a month.” Two million Americans are addicted or dependent on opioid drugs. Last year, 72,000 of them died of overdoses, usually by accidentally taking too high a dose of…
My Father’s Tools
Voting in the Heartland
What are you? Being Ethnic in Chicago
by Carol A Westbrook "What are you? You're Polish, aren't you?" I asked a friend, whose blonde hair, blue eyes and broad face gave her away. Only in Chicago would this question not be taken as an insult, but as an invitation to discuss one's ethnicity. Most everywhere else, " What are you?" would be…
Me Too? Not Me
Thank you for the Christmas Present
by Carol A Westbrook Did you give any Christmas presents this year? Or Hanukkah or birthday presents? Did the lucky recipients send you note by post, email, text, or at least a phone call? No? Well where, then, are their manners! Yes, where, actually, are their manners? It is true that our lifestyles have changed…
It’s About Time
by Carol A Westbrook Apples… colorful foliage…Halloween….pumpkin spice latte…There are a lot of things we love about fall, but setting our clocks back is not one of them. Every year in early November, 300 million of us, in every state except Hawaii and Arizona, "fall back" an hour from daylight saving time (DST) to standard…
We Are All Immigrants
On Labor Day we celebrate the contributions of the hard-working people who helped build our nation. Many of them were immigrants who fled war, religious persecution, and poverty. As a matter of fact, most of us have immigrant root; ironically, this this is one of the most defining aspects of being American.
It’s a Kodak Moment — But Will it Last?
Why We Should Repeal Obamacare and not Replace It with Another Insurance Plan: Thinking Out of the Box for a Health Care Solution
The Chickening of America, or Why We Don’t Eat Fish (But Could Eat More)
Will the End of Obamacare Mean the End of Cancer Care?
At the Crossroads
The Little Engine(ering School) That Could
It’s different for college grads today than it was when I went to school. Life after graduation is not at all certain, and college grads may not be settled in a career until they are close to forty! King’s College plans to offer an engineering baccalaureate. Will it make a difference to the job prospects, and to the community?