My collection of essays, The Cheese Toast Project (ISBN: 978-0-9848913-4-4), is now available in print at online booksellers, and in print and Kindle versions at Amazon.com. The essays are about family, writing, music, drama, religion, politics, and history. Early drafts appeared on my blog, Raised by Wolves and have since been revised and expanded.
Category: Human Nature
President Trump
Back in the 1990s, on his show TV Nation, Michael Moore urged voters to nominate a ficus tree as a candidate in local elections. His point was that a tree would be as responsive to voters' needs as many of the candidates. The sad part is people took him up on the offer and actually … Continue reading President Trump
Working for a Living
I've often been told I need to be more proactive, particularly at work, but on the job, I tend to be the opposite, waiting for something to happen, then reacting to it. So far, this strategy has served me well throughout my professional career, while those who counseled me otherwise are no longer around. Admittedly, … Continue reading Working for a Living
Free Will
A central tenet at the heart of many philosophies and religions is the notion of free will and how much it guides our daily existence. Are we free to choose our own course in life, or have our lives been written ahead of time by some unseen heavenly entity and we are merely following … Continue reading Free Will
Rise of the Know Nothings
Americans frequently exhibit a dangerous bias toward experts. The more educated and informed one is, the less likely one is to be trusted in this country. We see evidence of this in schools, in business, and most particularly in politics. The newcomer, uncompromising and untainted by years of corruption or back room deal making, always … Continue reading Rise of the Know Nothings
Strange Bedfellows: Politics in Post-Rational America
Part of the trouble with our current system of governance is that it takes so long and costs so much to gain and retain office, that only someone comfortably wealthy or in the pocket of wealthy business interests can afford to run. Factored into the equation is the tremendous amount of scrutiny most public figures, … Continue reading Strange Bedfellows: Politics in Post-Rational America
Real Bible Studies: Genesis, Abraham and Abimelek
After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the bible is pretty much done with Lot and his nameless daughters, until their descendants, the Moabites and Ammonites start hassling the tribes of Israel many generations later. One wonders why Lot didn't just drop in on his uncle, given the special relationship Abraham seems to have with … Continue reading Real Bible Studies: Genesis, Abraham and Abimelek
Failing, to Succeed
I have a saying, "Hank Aaron didn't hit a home run every time." It's my way of reminding myself that for every success, there are a thousand less than perfect outcomes. In fact, failure is much more common than success. The term "trial and error" best sums up the practice of implementing a strategy, observing … Continue reading Failing, to Succeed
Minds of Their Own
Many years ago, when I was in high school, I saw a film talking about Ibsen's A Doll's House, which contained a quote from Ibsen on why Nora leaves at the end. While I don't recall the exact quote, he essentially said that once he knew the character, he knew leaving was her only course … Continue reading Minds of Their Own
The Carvings on Stone Mountain
Anyone walking up the trail to the top of Stone Mountain is familiar with the various carvings people have made over the years, some more than a century old. I decided to do some research on Ancestry to see what information I could dig up on some of the more interesting ones. All photos were … Continue reading The Carvings on Stone Mountain