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1938
This essay was inspired by a brilliant book with a quirky, but accurate title: “One Day, Everyone will have always been against this.” Published in 2025, the author is Omar El Akkad. ** Lacking the requisite skills, I have made no attempt to differentiate speech patterns among the various participants in this essay. The setting […]
Vodka Anyone?
*According to the “Uvalde Leader-News,” 37 of the 64 local law enforcement officers who responded to the May 24, 2022 Robb Elementary massacre are still working locally; at least nine have been promoted. *On January 5, former Uvalde school district officer Adrian Gonzales goes on trial in Corpus Christi, Texas, accused of child endangerment and […]
Beth Macy
To Beth Macy: This is a fan letter, inclusive of a number of touchpoints, some trivial but fun, others close to being substantive — all prompted by reading “Paper Girl.” I grew up in West Henrietta, New York, a one traffic light town a few miles from where your photographer is a professor, RIT. […]
A Bit of Fiction: Fade to Black
Midafternoon on a chilly November Saturday, it was this close to being strike three, finito to the low probability fantasy of a somewhat addled brain, when a young guy rode his undersized bike into the playground at Locust and York streets in Towanda, tossed his backpack to the ground, and proceeded to swing like a […]
Meet an Illegal Alien Day
Let’s say that Bill, Richard, Joe and Tom –average white Americans — had dinner at Bill’s house. They are polishing off a slice of chocolate cake with their coffee and for some inexplicable reason (or perhaps there was a television talking head in the background) the conversation moved past football and the cost of living […]
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE AR-15!
Comprehensive Gun Reform: No! IT’S ALL ABOUT THE AR-15! Okay, a bit of sarcasm in the title to the left — or is it simply a comment on the current political reality. And there is a recognition that more deaths come from other types of guns, but maybe a focus on the AR-15 assault […]
It Never Changes
Whether “they” read David Brooks or watch Fox News, at the end of the day, their emphasis is on self: family, comfort, safety, access to good food, the ability to travel without hindrance. On occasion, the bigger picture may be discussed, leading to a few comments on what “others” should be doing, those unnamed […]
A Bit of Fiction
If the two highway legs were equal, taking the hypotenuse would save time compared with the right angle legs. But rarely is that the case. Instead, as in the instance relevant to the story, the hypotenuse is slower because of a few traffic lights, geography, and various sights – all of which make it more […]
MADE in Dover: A Look Back
Judge, social worker, lawyer, policeman, entrepreneur, teacher, engineer — virtually every profession is represented by members of the MADE in Dover program that was based in the Baker Opera House some thirty years ago. MADE stood for “Make a Difference Educationally.” In conversation, it was simply referred to as “MID.” For each of the eventual […]
Therapy 101
If there are days when I don’t even want to do what I want to do, doesn’t that seem like a rather good sign of being frustrated about a bunch of things — or at least it means I should expunge various items which clog up my muddled mind. (TRIGGER warning: sarcasm ahead.) A couple […]