THE FAMILY OF MAN In 1955 Edward Steichen was curator for a collection of photographs from around the world that were to be exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art. The purpose was to celebrate the best examples of this creative medium. What it achieved was far more. Steichen gave to th
WHAT DREAMS MAY COME Washington Irving is credited with authoring the classic tale, “Rip Van Winkle,” the story of a man who escapes unpleasant circumstances by sleeping through them. Similar stories can be found in various cultures from ancient Greece and China to later tales
WHERE ARE THE MEN? Many books have been written about social injustice. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” comes to mind in the struggle against slavery. Alan Paton’s, “Cry the Beloved Country” documents similar conditions for the blacks living u
OUT OF AFRICA AND IN INTO ONESELF I’ve recently finished reading Alexander McCall Smith’s eleventh book in “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” series and was stunned to read his description of the Africa veldt. As his central character steps out of her van to look
THE SNAKE IN THE GARDEN Christopher Hitchens is an English author and journalist whose work spans 40-years. Currently he’s put the promotion of his memoir, “Hitch-22,” on hold as he struggles with a virulent form of esophageal cancer. In the June edition of “Vanity
THE POETRY OF LIFE I rose early this morning to take my park walk, wanting to be home in time to meet with my gardener. At that hour, I had the place to myself and sauntered along, admiring the rain that had begun to fall and the pearls it deposited on the dusty leaves of the Rhododen
THE ENEMY WITHIN I read a curious article in the Yahoo news (5/24/11) recently about a Canadian couple who was refusing to divulge the sex of their 4 month old child, hoping to allow the infant to develop without suffering a gender bias. Not long after, I came across a report that sai
SCRAPS OF LIFE ON A TELEPHONE POLL The telephone poles on my way to the park are often plastered with posters. At the busy intersections most of them advertise entertainment events but as I move deeper into the neighborhood, the messages are of a personal note. A poster is a literary
A READING STATE OF MIND Authors write books in a mood and about moods. I suppose that’s why I have several tomes lined up beside my armchair with bookmarks sticking out of them. Some take me into realms of thought; others are an opportunity to kick back and allow myself to be take
THE TWO SIDES OF METAMORPHOSIS Recently, I met a group of friends for lunch. The day was warm and pleasant and there was much friendly chatter at the table for we hadn’t seen one another in some time. It felt good to be in their midst. They were contemporaries who’d worked in coun