Rainy Day Thoughts

My mind travels across the ocean to the homeland of my grandparents—to the city of Kyiv in the Ukraine. They emigrated in the early part of the 20th Century due to political and religious reasons and to seek a better life in America. The people of the Ukraine now in the early part of this 21st century are also seeking a better life—a better life in their country. They are staying, fighting and dying for their beliefs.


A Debt Ceiling Holds Our Economy Hostage

If Congress doesn’t raise the ceiling, one of the political parties threatens to bring our economy to a halt. That is not a sensible way to run a government. That’s why only the US and Denmark have a debt ceiling set at an absolute amount rather than as a percentage of GDP like other developed countries.


Book Review: How the Irish Saved Civilization

The book is chock full of interesting information, if only the reader could easily grasp it. The writing is competent but unnecessarily complex, convoluted, and confusing. There are great gems in this book, but it takes hard work, mining and excavation, to separate what is precious from the dreck.


…Stills, Nash & Young

Three names, three syllables—but something is missing. Another last name with two syllables that makes this musical foursome  complete.


An Insider's Look at Congress with Former Rep. Jim McDermott

For more than 40 years, Jim McDermott has worked tirelessly on behalf of the people of Washington State. As a state legislator, he helped pass laws that offered healthcare to unemployed and low-income Washingtonians, the first such program in the nation. In the United States Congress, he continued to be a much-needed voice for his most vulnerable constituents. Across America, you'll find families that are better off because Jim McDermott was fighting for them.

 – President Obama in 2016 on Congressman Jim McDermott’s impending retirement.


Creating Chaos is not an accident but a strategy

The Republicans' chaotic process for choosing the House Speaker was the first open skirmish in the war to take down the establishment. Kevin McCarthy won the battle, but the fight for power to control the future of the Republican Party, as well as our current form of government, is far from over.


JANUARY 2023 MAGAZINE

Welcome to 2023! What does it mean to make your mark? Check out Debbie Kiederer's company, ChalkDust Consulting. Explaining what ChalkDust does to those of us who are not technically savvy is best described by the types of glitches that we encounter on ecommerce sites.  We’ve all experienced frustration when we’re unable to buy what we want without a site throwing out error messages, or we can’t find the product that we want, or there is a disconnect between the website’s messaging and the types of products that are actually offered for sale. We get so frustrated that we give up and go shopping somewhere else...


Debbie Kiederer: Making Her Mark

This past fall Debbie Kiederer celebrated the 21st year of her company, ChalkDust Consulting. The company focuses on digital technology, ecommerce and tool selection for enterprise clients in Beauty/Fashion, the nonprofit sector, or for companies selling consumer products. ChalkDust is able to work successfully with a company of any size, so long as the relationship is highly collaborative, innovative, and committed to achieving excellence.