In the last year of my mother’s life, we talked a lot about the state of the world. Mom was born in 1928. Can you conceive the changes she saw in her eighty-five years? She asked me over and over why people did the things they did, and I told her that it was because…
My meandering belligerence
June 19, 2014
About fifteen years ago, I used to listen to music on the radio. Easily the most annoying song in heavy rotation was “Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen.” I couldn’t escape it. Someone produced a brilliant parody that I can’t find, but it contained the words “my meandering belligerence.” Someone must feel that way about my…
A monster turns on its creators
April 28, 2014
By now you’ve probably heard that Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was allegedly taped telling his mistress to not bring black people to the games and to not post photos on Instagram of herself with black men. The woman goes by several aliases, including V. Stiviano. She’s said to be part black and part…