“Paul here”
How I miss hearing those words. That was the way my friend Paul always answered the phone. He died recently after a long bout of … Read more
Community
Costermonger times
I recently came across a passage from Shakespeare’s play “Henry IV, part 2” that offers a wise commentary on life today. Falstaff is speaking: “Virtue … Read more
The intimacy of commerce
Intimacy, the connection of one person with another, is an antidote to the alienation that is epidemic in our society and to the growing tendency … Read more
Homelessness
As with most Americans I have moved several times in my life—from Oklahoma, where I was raised and went to college to San Francisco where … Read more
Labels and tribalism
The other day, a close acquaintance of mine, whom I like despite what I know of his political views, used the term “damned liberal” in … Read more
Memorial Day 2020
For a century after its inception, Memorial Day was observed on May 30 as a way to remember the dead, particularly those who had died … Read more
Fish and Whistle
The songwriter John Prine died recently at age 73 from the novel corona virus. His death marks the loss of an American treasure. I have … Read more