Surrounded by books in a well-trafficked bookstore, I sat down to coffee with a former student.  We’ve been meeting this way for many years.  By now, he is in his early 70s while I am staring down at 87.  Happily, we are both in robust health, and I always look forward to our con

A friend of mine took a series of tests to determine her mental decline as she aged. Happily, for her, the tests were comforting.  Even so, I admired her courage.  What she’d done was like poking a sleeping bear with a sharp stick.  If the news hadn’t been good, how would she h

Reading the news these days is like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer and trying to enjoy it.  Threats to human existence lie all about us. The one plus in the West is the existence of a free press. Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited

The Fools in Town Are on Our Side, a mystery novel by Ross Thomas, is not only a good read but carries a great title. Today, it could serve as a slogan for the Republicans Party. Two of its leading lights are behaving in a manner that justifies the idea. Testifying in a suit against h

Lately, I’ve wondered if the human brain is capable of living up to its democratic ideals. What raised this question was an article I’d read about bone development in a child’s hand.  At the age of three, a youngster is unable to hold a pen because he or she lacks sufficient bo