At a New Year's Eve gathering in Phoenix, a twenty-something kid to whom I had just been introduced looked me over and said, "Man, it must have been cool to have been alive in the…
Posts published in “Essays”
Many Americans labor under the mistaken belief that our legal system functions effectively and fairly. They have confidence in and respect for court personnel, including the judges, and in the efficacy of the judicial process…
While the criminalization of undocumented people in Arizona continues to draw headlines, the actual punishment of workers because of their immigration status has become an increasingly bitter fact of life across the country. The number…
It’s almost impossible to evoke good music in print, especially the dazzling and extraordinary sound of the world’s greatest pianist, Art Tatum. But, that’s not for lack of trying. Here’s a sampling of what fellow…
Imagine having to attend a public hearing at which a psychiatrist to whom you told the unguarded truth discourses on your “anti-social personality disorder.” That was Allan Frankel's plight as his fitness to practice medicine…
“Living Treasures” are those elders in a community recognized as having special knowledge, learned over a lifetime, that they share with others. These folks usually aren’t rich or college educated but they possess a mental…
In December 2005 I was diagnosed with 4th stage squamous cell carcinoma, tongue base, after a young resident at U of Wisconsin medical center noticed two lumps on my neck when I was in for…
When it comes to journalistic achievements in 2010, the elephant in the room is Wikileaks. I’ve seen many put-downs of the materials as containing “no smoking guns,” or as being essentially trivial diplomatic communications to…