Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
Taking a stand against pollution The world is being overcome slowly and steadily by pollution in many forms. One of the worst and most threatening is the non recyclable use of plastics. Plastic bottles are finding their way into our oceans and breaking up into plastic particles that are being eaten by the fish that…
Arab Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Remembering back to the 1960s when Arab Americans had hope for freedom and racism in America was focused elsewhere. Thanksgiving was a feast in Arab American homes in the 1960s and 1970s before politics, hatred, racism and Israeli violence created a refugee crisis By Ray Hanania Thanksgiving is a special holiday…
Cable and subscription TV are cheating the consumer We pay a lot for subscriptions to Hulu, Netflix and cable TV providers like Xfinity and DirecTV, so why can’t we get what we were promised? Access to great basic programming and a commercial free experience? By Ray Hanania One of the appeals of subscription television is…
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Lifetime Senior Passes to National Parks increased The Federal government increased the cost of the Lifetime Senior Pass on August 28, 2017 from $10 to $80 to help cover the costs of rising administration of Federal Parks and properties. The Lifetime Pass allows a senior and his or her family to enter a Federal Park…
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Why did Blade Runner 2049 do so bad at theaters? Movie Review: Blade Runner is a science fiction film based on the 1968 novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by SciFi author Philip K. Dick. The lead character is Rick Deckard whose job as a “Blade Runner” is to terminate (retire) old replicants (bio-robotic…
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Switched from Western Digital to Seagate for better storage I was forced by the poor quality of the Western Digital hard drive I purchased to switch to a new system using Seagate Hard Drives and I am glad I did. I had two WD Hard Drives, the MyCloud 8 TB hub and a 4 TB…
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Orland Park Commission to salute Veterans The Village of Orland Park Veterans Commission has three important dates for the community to remember — October 6, November 5 and November 10. Friday, October 6 is the last day to add a veteran’s name to the village’s memorial in time for this year’s Veterans Day observances. Veterans…
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and 16 of his Democratic colleagues introduced legislation Wednesday Sept. 13, 2017 to guarantee health care to every American by expanding and improving Medicare.
“Today, we begin the long and difficult struggle to end the international embarrassment of the United States being the only major country on earth not to guarantee health care to all its people,” Sanders said.
“At a time when millions of Americans do not have access to affordable health care, the Republicans, funded by the Koch brothers, are trying to take away health care from up to 32 million more. We have a better idea: guarantee health care to all people as a right, not a privilege, through a Medicare-for-all, single-payer health care program.”
57% of Americans Have Less Than $1,000 in Savings Millennials are more likely than other generations to have nothing saved, while adults 65 and older are more likely to have $10,000 or more in a savings account. In Illinois, 39 percent of residents have no savings, the GoBanking Survey shows More than half of Americans…
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Painful to watch news reports on flooding The reports of the massive flooding in Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey are depressing and remind me of floods that slammed Illinois in 1996. Flooding is so much more damaging to regional populations and governments are not equipped to handle it. By Ray Hanania Flooding isn’t like a…
Is the school year starting too soon? It’s the beginning of August and my son is already consumed with figuring out his high school schedule and buying his books and schools supplies. Isn’t that too early for young people to stop enjoying summer vacation and worry about school? By Ray Hanania When I was a…
RTA approves projects for Seniors and disabled RTA Board Approves Projects to Benefit Seniors and People with Disabilities The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) Board has approved funding for twelve projects through the federally-funded Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities program. The RTA will administer a total of $14,936,856 million, including $8,756,052 in federal…
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On Medicare, Democrats Shouldn’t Trust Trump Guest Op-Ed. Former Congressman cautions Democrats who plan to support changes to Medicare not to do so By Ron Klink President Trump doesn’t understand or care about healthcare policy. He recently suggested that health insurance costs just $12 a year. And he fervently supported the GOP’s Obamacare repeal plan,…
Witnessing the total Solar Eclipse in 1963 I have great eyesight in part because on July 20, 1963, my father showed me the proper way to view the total eclipse of the sun that took place that afternoon. By Ray Hanania My eyesight is great, in a large part because I didn’t look up at…
40 % of seniors have no assets for retirement AARP and Ad Council Launch New PSA Campaign to Empower Millions of Americans to Get on Track for Retirement. The Campaign Introduces an Interactive Digital Experience that Breaks Down the Challenge of Saving into Simple, Achievable Steps Two in five households headed by Americans age 55-64…
Midnight Flight, the online book on race in Chicago An online book that explores the memories of a challenging time in Chicago when race was the dominating factor driving and influencing people’s lives. 1968 and 1969 were difficult times in Chicago and my book “Midnight Flight” offers one perspective on what that experience was like,…
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1967 was a tragic year in Illinois: Tornadoes Hit Illinois 50 Years ago, Belvidere and Oak Lawn Published in the SW Newspaper Group Feb. 9, 2017 By Ray Hanania This year is the Golden Anniversary of one of the most tragic years in the lives of many Baby Boomers who still remember that far back…
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Skimming through the Obits and life The obituary section of the old more informed newspaper era was an obsession with my father back in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, the newspapers are anorexic but the Obit section is still growing strong. And, I understand why my father paid attention to it so much now that I…