ArcaMax

It’s hot this summer.

It’s so hot in Washington that Republicans and Democrats are sharing air-conditioned cabs.

It’s so hot in New York City that Mayor Mamdani is allowing citizens to turn thermostats down to 77 degrees.

Regrettably, it’s so hot in Europe that millions of people are suffering.

The World Health Organization reports ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- The fact that the United States is celebrating its 250th birthday has me feeling nostalgic for a long-forgotten time when Republicans were different people with a whole different set of beliefs.

I miss the good ol' days when self-described conservatives praised immigrants for their optimism and hard work, supported those with ...Read more

Tyrades! by Danny Tyree

I now understand my late mother’s quest for stress avoidance.

For years, she and Uncle Doug maintained a daily phone chat. Inevitably, they would broach subjects that got on their last nerve, necessitating a multi-day “time-out.”

Following in Mom’s footsteps, I recently decided to do a weekend detox from X (...Read more

Editor’s note: A version of this column was distributed in 2024.

I miss watching the spectacular fireworks display at Eddie Gabor’s house every Fourth of July.

Eddie was my grandmother’s companion the last 20 years of her life until she died in 1988.

Widowed in her late 40s, she struggled for years to pay the bills and raise her six ...Read more

“I’m confused, Grandpa. I thought July 4 was the day our country declared independence from King George III of Great Britain.”

“Actually, according to ConstitutionFacts.com, that's not so, Junior. The Continental Congress declared independence from Great Britain on July 2, 1776.”

“Then why do we celebrate our independence on the ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Never mind Kansas. What's the matter with JD Vance?

That's a question that I suspect many Americans are wrestling with right now. Just about every time the vice president opens his mouth, he can't help but stick both feet in.

Vance has no filter, empathy or tact. He spits out whatever pops into his head, and it usually lands ...Read more

Tyrades! by Danny Tyree

“Keep a-knockin’, but you can’t come in.” - Little Richard

Seemingly timed to coincide with the release of Steven Spielberg’s movie “Disclosure Day,” the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) has ratified updated protocols governing how scientists evaluate, verify and announce evidence of ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- The Obama Presidential Center -- which bills itself as a "one-of-a-kind destination featuring exhibitions, gardens, and public spaces" -- is now welcoming visitors to its 19.3-acre campus on the South Side of Chicago.

Unlike other presidential libraries -- which display personal exhibits and store physical records -- the Obama ...Read more

His neck and underarms were swollen. His skin itched, particularly on his arms. Sleeping at night was impossible.

His symptoms started when he was 50. Though he had been fit and healthy all his life, he had contracted chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- There is a saying among Vietnam War veterans that goes something like this: If you were there, no one has to tell you what it was like. If you weren't there, there's nothing anyone can tell you to make you understand what it was like.

The same goes for losing your father. If you know, you know.

What you know is that the first ...Read more

Tyrades! by Danny Tyree

“The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you’ve got it made.” - George Burns

My son Gideon (the recent grad) hopes for some productive job interviews soon, so I couldn’t help noticing a Facebook “reel” from an outfit called Talk Right English.

“Smart Phrases That Make You Sound ...Read more

Editor's note: A version of this column was distributed in 2024.

In 1974, when I was 11, I flushed an apple core down the toilet.

My father had remodeled our basement into a wood-paneled family room with a powder room.

Always looking to save a buck — he had six kids to feed on one income — he bought the cheapest toilet he could find.

It ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- You remember that book you started but didn't finish? Or the home project you began but never wrapped up? You moved on. But there was this nagging sense of unfinished business.

That's how I felt when I read a devastating article in The New York Times on March 18 alleging that the late Cesar Chavez -- leader of the United Farm ...Read more

There was no way I was going to let a breakaway soccer opponent score on me while my dad was in the stands.

Memories of my experience as my high school’s starting goalie are coming back to me this week as the United States hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup — something we have not done since 1994.

Back then, Americans had little interest in ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Commencement season transports me back two decades to a graduation speech I was honored to give at a university in my native Central California.

And, as the dad of three young humans -- ages 21, 19, and 16 -- this time of year also inspires me to think about the life skills I want my kids to have and show prospective employers in...Read more

Tyrades! by Danny Tyree

“Ask Dad, HE knows!”

That’s the message on the Sweet Caporal cigarette ad hanging in Mr. Gower’s drugstore in the holiday classic “It’s A Wonderful Life,” and children since time immemorial have followed that credo (no matter how many times spoilsport Mom has scolded, “Don’t follow that credo – you ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Republicans need a new mascot that is more in sync with their current vibe.

Like a crying baby. Instead of competing with Democrats for beer-drinking blue-collar voters, Republicans could corner the market on Americans who prefer whine.

As part of Generation X, nostalgia for the 1980's comes with the territory. Better music. ...Read more

Long live one of America’s finest creations: the drive-in theater.

One of my great drive-in memories dates to 1969, when my parents took my five sisters and me to see “Herbie the Love Bug” in our Plymouth Fury III station wagon.

As the blue sky fell dark and the film projector began rattling behind the concession stand, black-and-white ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Here's a political postcard from California, where the scenery is beautiful, but the election choices are grotesque.

It makes for a depressing vibe. ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, whose show broadcasts from Los Angeles, picked up on it.

"Here in California, we have a real toss-up in the races for governor and for mayor of L.A...Read more