Many of us will be tempted to debate  the next Supreme Court nominee. Most of us, including myself, are woefully unqualified to do so. I won’t fall into the trap of pretending to be a Constitutional expert. But as a graduate of middle school civics, this I know: An independent, non-partisan judiciary is, by design, […]

Early this year there was a rash of celebrity deaths, each one followed by an outpouring of emotional personal testimony on social media. It got me thinking. What public figure has touched my life to that level? For whom would I share in the public mourning? I came up with a short list and decided […]

In the classic comedy bit, Sister Mary Elephant begs her students to settle down. Today I am Sister Mary Elephant and I am talking (shouting) to Hillary and Bernie supporters.  “Class. Class! Class!! SHUT UP!!!!” Stop it. Just stop it. Stop vilifying your opponent in this Primary race. You can fight for your candidate without insulting the […]

I love, love, love Wallace Shawn’s monologue in “My Dinner With Andre.” If you’ve never seen the film in its entirety (everyone tells me they’ve “seen clips”) I highly recommend you do. In the mean time, here’s the video of Wally’s seminal speech with text below. The setup: Andre has spent the last hour regaling Wally with […]

Earlier this year when David Bowie died I was caught off-guard by the response. Sure, I knew Bowie was a big star. I also knew he was one of those rare celebrities who earned his adoration in a way I respect – by being a truly innovative and accomplished artist. But here’s my confession. When […]

I am not a fan of homespun philosophy. Homespun “philosophy” is to philosophy what black velvet Elvis paintings are to “art.”  Kitschy and entertaining, sure, but that’s about it. In the days before social media I would encounter homespun philosophy less frequently, in fact, almost exclusively at my sister-in-law’s house where at each visit she […]

I am not too cool for New Year’s.  Many in my circle are all hip and together. They pooh-pooh the idea of taking stock of the past year and looking resolutely forward to the new. We’ve been told by our cool friends that self-awareness of past successes/mistakes and of new beginnings should not be reserved for one day […]

Violence is to be abhorred and resisted, whether it is conducted with fists, knives, guns, or bombs, whether it is in the home, on the streets, or on the battlefield. This is a moral imperative. Therefore, violence as entertainment is to be abhorred and resisted as well, right? I don’t understand how any pleasure can be […]

Sarcastic people are smarter, so are people who sleep late, and if you say “fuck” a lot, you are definitely smarter and cooler than everyone else. On the other hand, waking up early makes you more productive and less of a jerk. And sarcastic people may be smart, but they are generally assholes, so if […]