The Trump campaign unleashed a torrent of news stories about sexual harassment and abuse of women by men. As Rebecca Solnit points out in her book of essays on the topic, "Men Explain Things to Me," male aggression against women is a long-standing feature of... Continue
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I walk into the store looking for a purse, determined to find just the right one -- the one that holds everything, yet reflects who I am! Why is this subject so important? Could purses tell us about ourselves? Why am I either squeezed into... Continue
I recently went back east to attend my 50th high school reunion. I've attended other reunions; the 20th and the 40th, so I've had contact with some classmates over the years. This time, however, quite a few former students showed up who have never attended... Continue
I’ve been told that when I was a baby, I had large, luminous eyes that garnered admiration from family, friends, even strangers. People would look intently and comment. Then one day my eyes became watery, exuding a pus-like discharge. My alarmed mother made plans to... Continue
Can we get insight about people by noticing their hair? Maybe I’m having a wild hair day here, but you can’t help wondering: why does Donald Trump wears his hair that way? Can you imagine running your fingers through that sticky jungle? And why is... Continue
The 2016 Presidential election has been like a giant national MRI, which has exposed the decayed structure of American democracy like a flash exposure going off in a dimly lit basement room. It has been deeply demoralizing to witness the abysmal level of civic consciousness... Continue
TRIGGER WARNING: I'm about to go all Jungian on you. If actualizing your archetypes causes you difficulty, you might choose to stop reading here. Are you in touch with your inner Ares? Donnie Trump sure is. And Hillary's inner Athena? She'd be nowhere without it.... Continue
When I was eight both of my grandfathers were sixty, which in 1956 actually was old. They were already stoop-shouldered and mostly liked to sit shirtless in lawn chairs in the hot sun for hours, smeared with sun tan oil. They wore suspenders and their... Continue
A glance at the school district’s report of its 2016 performance on statewide testing reveals the sad shape of our schools. But if leaky roofs and broken air conditioners are bad, the less-than-standard educational output – what manufacturers might call their “scrap rate” -- is... Continue
In 1943, my father exchanged his iceman’s uniform for a suit and tie. Union Ice Company was having financial difficulties, and Dad had enough sense to get out of the cold. Offered a management position with Sprouse Reitz, he had the option of running a... Continue