How Am I Better Off?
It is a standard question, often dominating political discourse, only taking a rear seat when international escapades and domestic corruption are the front-page stories. In any case, the question occurred to me when I saw ICE forcibly apprehend the guy who had recently done my roof. Carlos had fixed the roofs for many in the […]
School Drones: Another Chapter in the Book of Insanity
I can picture it now: you beseech your local Congressman, “please lift the age for buying an AR-15.” After reminding the pleading parent about the Second Amendment, he casually notes that “your child should be okay. Your school has a drone system. “ Before getting to the drone specifics, let me wander a bit, helps […]
The Circle of Life
The Circle of Life, 2026 In the country I still on occasion refer to as “home,” even though my entire life is now thousands of miles away and I have no immediate desire to return, we have something that could be called a “Toxic Stew.” It is the unhealthy combination of power, money, drugs, and […]
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 […]