v:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO POINTS IN NOT ALWAYS A STRAIGHT LINE I continue to work my way through Eric Hoffer’s “The True Believer,”
NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER As I wade into my 75th year, I admit I’m not doing much complicated cooking. So, on a rainy afternoon, recently, I culled through my recipe books, determined to be rid of most of them. My progress was slow as the collection was encrusted with memories
OUTRAGEOUS THOUGHTS ON SHARING I am revisiting Eric Hoffer’s work of the 1950’s, “The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements.” Though it is 60 years old, the ideas are as relevant and fresh as if a paint can had been opened and its contents thrown agai
A LIFE OF FAME OR IMMORTALITY — WHICH MATTERS MOST? The other day, an acquaintance, learning my third novel, “Trompe l’Oeil,” had been accepted for publication, asked what writer my work most resembled. For a moment, I didn’t know how to answer. The question was
THOUGHTS OF STEW AND THREE CORNERED HATS There have been several novels written about teenage rebellion, “Catcher in the Rye” being among the most famous. But the impulse to strike out on one’s own, to establish one’s identity begins early, long before adolescence kick
ODE TO A HUMORIST Humorists are folks with a good eye for hypocrites, posers, and truth benders and who can be relied upon to bring the offenders down a peg or two with a few rapier words. In my political life I received a few good lickings from my detractors and if it was done well,
A NEW JOURNEY BEGINS Sunday, May 22, 2011 marked the end of the first year of my blog. The entries are 300 in number rather than 365 as I write 5 days a week and I took two book tours during which time the blog fell silent. Still, I marvel at the effort and rewards of reaching out to
ENTERING THE TWILIGHT ZONE Yesterday, I wrote about doppelgangers, shadows of our potential other selves, the theme from Henry James’ short story, “The Jolly Corner” (blog: 5/18/2011). After my experience today, I wonder if there is a word for meeting one’s past as a p
THE CLOAK OF INVISIBILITY IS MORE THAN FICTION Recently, I met Gloria Steinem at a television interview and had an opportunity to ask her a question. It was one I’d been thinking about for a while and was unable to resolve. If, I asked, President Obama were considering a national po