Inspired by a good joke and a stirring play, I offer these remarks, including a rather unorthodox ending: A young man is hitchhiking and gets picked up by a trucker. After thanking him profusely, the young … Read More
“Your mind is like a parachute; it only works when it’s open,” my seventh-grade teacher counseled. That inspiration – and Mr. Rogers’ assurance that he liked me just the way I am – helped me … Read More
“You know who doesn’t care that there’s a stereotype of a Chinese man in a Dr. Seuss book?” Bill Maher asked on Real Time. “China,” he answered. “All 1.4 billion…because they’re not a silly people,” unlike … Read More
In a joke illuminating our divided times, a husband suspects his wife is deaf and decides to test her hearing. While she’s cooking, he stands afar and asks, “what’s for dinner, dear?” Hearing no response, he … Read More
Jews have an interesting leitmotif running through the Passover Seder, conveying its meaning while telling a story that explains the longevity of the Jewish People, and a lesson for all humanity – particularly as the … Read More
If only Pope Francis were in my Buenos Aires taxi last Christmas. I could have used his moral authority (and Argentine-accented Spanish) in negotiating with a driver who’d forgotten the “Golden Rule.” And in witnessing … Read More
“If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” is perhaps the most famous closing argument in American criminal justice history. Decisive in rendering a not-guilty verdict for OJ Simpson, it also summarizes our free society’s … Read More
“First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage,” goes the rhyme. Unfortunately, in large swaths of American society, this rhyme is playing in reverse, with dire consequences for lower-income … Read More
When Gloria Steinem popularized the saying “a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle”, I wasn’t old enough to wear a bra, never mind burn it. However, thanks to that feminist credo … Read More