Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Measure of All Things

Posted on 09/09/2020 by

Pat Barker’s 1992 novel, Regeneration, is about many things. The futility of war, the assumptions of Freudian psychotherapy, the defacto caste system of early twentieth century Britain, the absurdity of England’s attitude towards homosexuals. An anti-war novel without a single … Continue reading →

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Two-Way Affirmative Action

Posted on 09/03/2020 by

  Recently, I completed a survey from Beth Israel Lahey Health, the mother ship of Mount Auburn Hospital, where I volunteer three days a week. It was a simple, two question survey from the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Career … Continue reading →

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Pool Paddle

Posted on 08/26/2020 by

  A few years ago a friend of mine was minding his sister-in-law Adelaide’s son for the afternoon. The day was hot and sticky, so Mike took five-year-old Zach to a local pool. When it was time to go home, … Continue reading →

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Measuring Experience

Posted on 08/19/2020 by

Toni Morrison once told Hilton Als that being a black woman writer is “…richer than being a white male writer because I know more and have more experience.” (The New Yorker, October 27, 2003). Immediately upon reading that phrase, I … Continue reading →

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August Recess

Posted on 08/12/2020 by

I received an email ripe with despair from an activist mentor the other day, her festering rage deflated by exhaustion and lost hope. Instead of rallying her to carry on, I took a different tack. Told her to take a … Continue reading →

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The Long Blue Line

Posted on 07/29/2020 by

“It shall not be lawful for any negroe or other slave to carry or arme himself with any club, staffe, gunn, sword or any other weapon of defense or offence, nor to goe or depart from his masters ground without … Continue reading →

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STOP Trusting Polls

Posted on 07/22/2020 by

Independence Day is in the rear-view mirror. Labor Day looms, and with it, the final laps of this Presidential marathon. Biden leads nationally by eight percentage points. Biden and Trump are tied in Wisconsin. Biden widens gap in crucial Pennsylvania. … Continue reading →

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Painting Our Pandemic

Posted on 07/15/2020 by

““E pluribus unum,” a magnificent ideal, thuds on “unum” every day throughout the land.” That sentence, in Peter Schjeldahl’s magnificent review of Edward Hopper: A Fresh Look at Landscape (The New Yorker, June 8&15 2020), stopped me short. Not just … Continue reading →

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Four Years On, What Trouble We Have Wrought

Posted on 06/03/2020 by

  I set up my constellation flag today with a heavy heart. Four years ago I pedaled throughout this country and found strength in the goodness of the people I met. Tonight, city after city I visited tremble with protests, … Continue reading →

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Summertime…

Posted on 07/02/2019 by

…and the living is easy. The Awkward Poser is going to take a break from his ruminations. I wish you all a warm and happy summer. I will be back come September. In the meantime, be kind to yourself and … Continue reading →

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