The mental health of Americans has deteriorated considerably during what has been labeled this “perpetual COVID-19 pandemic”. We examined the dimensions of and some of the reasons for that decline in our blog preceding this one citing “identity, individuality, and isolation” as mental health variants, which, in the long term, could have greater negative consequences for our country than the Delta and Omicron variants. We concluded that piece by … [Read more...]
Articles
Frank blogs regularly for the Huffington Post and writes occasional columns and articles for publications such as the International Business Times and The Economic Times of India.
Frank writes on a wide variety of topics that are critical to shaping the future of America and the American dream and to making the United States and the world a better place. These include: Business; education; poverty and inequality; politics and public policy; immigration; manufacturing; innovation; leadership; citizenship; and social commentary.
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America’s Mental Health Variants: Identity, Individuality, Isolation
Mens sana in corpora sano. This well-known Latin phrase translates as “a sound mind in a sound body.” In 2022, neither America’s mind nor body is all that sound. David Brooks wrote some insightful columns in the last half of 2021 that relate to the current mental state of our nation and its citizens. In one posted on January 13, titled “America is Falling Apart at the Seams”, Brooks cites the dramatic increases in traffic deaths; teachers confronting “disruptive … [Read more...]
Remembering Nobel Laureate Khorana
The failure to recognise the contributions of Khorana this year . The origin of the PCR test, one of modern medical science’s best tools in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, traces its beginnings to Khorana’s foundational research on the ribonucleic acid gene. Har Gobind Khorana was an Indian American who shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine and was awarded the National Medal of Science in the United States (US). His 100th birth anniversary passed … [Read more...]
Harry Reid, John Madden, Betty White: American Originals
As 2021 drew to a close, Harry Reid and John Madden died on December 28, and Betty White died on New Year’s Eve. All three were American originals. Reid and Madden were bookends with completely different personalities. White was one-of-a-kind. Their stories are uniquely American and help tell the evolving and multifaceted narrative of our American experiment. We need to hear and remember them in order to continue this experiment on its upward trajectory. We … [Read more...]
The Island States of America: Is that this country’s future?
The opposite of left is right, the opposite of right is wrong/ So anyone who’s left is wrong, right? Those are lyrics from a song that the brilliant Stephen Sondheim wrote for his 1964 musical Anyone Can Whistle. In 2022, because of the polarization in this extremely divided country, the lyrics for a current song titled Whistlin’ Into the Wind might go something like this: If there is only the right and only the left, there is no … [Read more...]
Yearend Reflection: Let’s love, Not Hate One Another
Social cohesion within countries has been slowly eroding for some time; social media has accelerated that erosion. In a few days, the curtain will fall on one of the most tragic years in the history of independent India. Not since the dark days of partition in 1947 have the nation’s streets witnessed death and misery of such a magnitude as they did in 2021. Compared to many other parts of the world, 2021 began on a somewhat optimistic note for many Indians. The … [Read more...]
Democracy summit: A first Step for Renewing Democracy Worldwide
On December 9-10, United States (US) President Joe Biden convened the first Summit for Democracy virtually. Roughly 100 leaders participated in the summit. The main goal for this forum was to bolster democracy worldwide at a time when it has retreated in many countries, including in the US. The summit had three major themes: Fighting authoritarianism, tackling corruption, and promoting human rights. Why did the Biden administration convene this event? What necessitated it? The first … [Read more...]
Holiday Wishes for a Troubled but Promised Land
As this trying year winds to a close, America is a troubled land. Because of that, we felt it was appropriate to review and renew our holiday wishes from last year. Our holiday wishes in 2020 focused on remembering and wishing. They follow. As we enter this holiday season, it is essential to remember that America, this immigrant nation, has been and is a promised land for so many. President Barack Obama remembers. That is why he titled his memoir A Promised … [Read more...]
Word Of The Year: Critical Race
Our word of the year is Critical Race. That’s not critical race theory, but critical race. We will explain the distinction and the reason for our selection in a moment. Before we do, let us list our three other possible choices for this year. They were: Woke — or should that be “still asleep”? Freedom — or should that be “free dumb”? Democracy — or should that be “autocracy”? Seriously, 2021 was a crazy and convoluted year in which rationality was abandoned, the Big … [Read more...]
Post-Glasgow, India should become a leader in the green energy drive
The United Nations climate change conference ended in Glasgow, Scotland, November 13, more than a day later than scheduled, with an agreement to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level. Among other measures, the conference also broadly agreed to: eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, phase down coal power and end deforestation. In addition, it urged rich nations to offer financial assistance to developing countries to help with their transition from fossil fuels to … [Read more...]