Published in The Memoirist·Jun 22Member-onlyHe Pointed A Gun At MeI was 11 years old at the time. Trust me. You don’t know the paralyzing fear of a child even before any shots are fired. — The first time someone pointed a gun at me I was 11 years old — about the same age as the kids in Uvalde, Texas. “Go outside and find something to do,” Mom had commanded. Evidently, I was being a bother, which must have been the case often because this…Gun Violence5 min read
May 20Member-onlySoup To BoltsHere’s what food company Campbell and automaker Ford can teach us about sticker shock, and how little the experts know about inflation. Sometime in the early 1970s, I was helping my mom unload the groceries. She didn’t have to ask. I enjoyed being in the kitchen and soaking up her…Inflation6 min read
May 9Member-onlyOther People’s AngerTake a breath. Those online insults might make you laugh. Facebook went live in 2004 essentially fulfilling the grand promise of social media, which has roots back to the advent of Morse Code in 1844. What took two centuries to develop needed just two decades to implode. This is not…Social Media6 min read
Published in The Memoirist·Apr 26Member-onlyMy Old SchoolA church disclosure identified my former high school guidance counselor as a predator. It’s been 50 years — and now it’s personal. — After so many revelations of priests abusing children, I should not have been surprised to find my old guidance counselor named in a church mea culpa. I attended Catholic schools for 16 years. …Predator Priests6 min read
Published in The Press Box·Apr 22Member-onlyBaseball Has A ‘Hog’ ProblemHere’s how the legendary motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson is dealing with issues related to its aging customer base — and why MLB should take the hint. — Major League Baseball has a Harley-Davidson problem: its primary customers are old and getting older. In both cases, this has been evident for at least a generation and yet neither has landed on a solution. At least Harley, whose beefy motorcycles are known as “hogs,” is trying.Sports6 min read
Apr 1Finding Humor In The SlapThe conversation around Will Smith’s smack on Chris Rock has moved swiftly from sort of funny to deadly serious. It’s a minefield for pundits. I had a different take on The Slap. But you won’t read it here because the story of the 94th Oscars has moved quickly from shock…Will Smith Slap3 min read
Mar 19Member-onlyBumping Into RussiansAt the airport. In the lobby. Suddenly I’m hearing Russian conversations all around me during my stay in Dubai, giving the war, for me, a new dimension. I don’t speak Russian. But I know Russian speak, and I’ve been hearing more of it here in Dubai, where I have been…Ukraine War5 min read
Mar 8Member-onlyYou Can Go Home, After AllRural states are cutting taxes to capitalize on a stampede out of high-tax states. More low-cost places to live is good news for retirees (among others). You can’t go home again, the Depression-era novelist Thomas Wolfe declared. But maybe you can — and should. Maybe you already have. In large…Retirement Living4 min read
Feb 16The Real Reason Truckers Are UpsetVaccine requirements at the border are only a small part what’s bugging them The 18th century philosopher Adam Smith probably said it first, and doubtless his words have been repeated often. They reached my ears early in my career as a reporter — after I had reluctantly agreed to take…Freedom Convoy4 min read
Feb 12A Tough QuestionWhy an unexpected inquiry rendered this career tweener speechless, and how I regained my voice This essay was first published on Nextavenue.org My dad bowled. I played softball. These were the only men’s groups I ever knew. So, I had no idea what to expect when my new friend Oliver…Retirement Living7 min read