German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke to the Bundestag, or German parliament, recently and warned of the dangers of “extreme speech,” which she described as speech that violates human dignity. According to Merkel, expression has limits. “Those limits begin where hatred … Continue reading The Day Angela Merkel Stood Still
I’ve had a feeling for most of 2019 that something ominous was about to happen. I wasn’t sure what it would be, but I knew it wasn’t going to be nice. In fact, I’m still not sure and the year … Continue reading Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop
I went to a business seminar the other day about the future of work. The speaker, a woman with a Tony Robbins headset who was billed as a “futurist,” explained how artificial intelligence and automation will make our lives easier, … Continue reading The Plight of the Krell
I have been house sitting for the past few weeks for friends who went on vacation. They live in a nice, four-bedroom house with a spacious yard and pool. My main job consists of caring for two dogs, taking out … Continue reading Living in Glass Houses
During the 1960s and until her death in 1972, my grandmother took boys into her home from Willowbrook State School on Staten Island. The school served intellectually disabled children but had a horrifying reputation for its treatment of those placed … Continue reading “McNamara’s Boys”
“Wipe that smirk off your face!” I can’t tell you how many times I heard that growing up, but I can tell you it was never good. What followed would vary from a stern look to a whack in the … Continue reading In Defense of Smirking
We’re approaching the end of baseball’s World Series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals and one thing is certain. Never has there been such a display of beards and bling in one place for a sporting event since … Continue reading Major League Beards & Bling
