Monthly Archives: October 2016

Customer Reviews

“What It Is Like To Like,” by Louis Menand. The New Yorker, 6/20/2016. (Book review of You May Also Like, by Tom Vanderbilt.) Menand’s review discusses the many, often subtitle, reasons we prefer, say, Hershey’s kisses over M&Ms, but here … Continue reading

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National Geographic’s Afghan Girl

Back in 1984, National Geographic published on their cover a photo of a young Afghan girl, Sharbat Gula, a refugee in Pakistan. She was staring at the camera with the greenest green eyes I have ever seen with an intense … Continue reading

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Insomnia

“Middle-of-the-Night Insomnia Blues,” by Andrea Petersen. The Wall Street Journal, 6/28/1026. When my grandfather was 80, he told me he had trouble sleeping. I often saw him dozing off throughout the day. “What time do you go to bed?” I … Continue reading

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Poor Cher

Eventually, in all of our lives, we see our youth receding into our past.  “Come back,” we call.  “We were a great team together.  We had such fun.  Just stay a little longer.  It doesn’t have to end like this.” … Continue reading

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The Changing Porn Industry

“Lights. Camera. Action.” by Katrina Forrester. The New Yorker, 8/26/2016. In the 1950s, we snuck off to the TROC burlesque. We secretly passed around “art” magazines of nude models posed in dark, empty studios, with their pubic hair crudely airbrushed … Continue reading

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Death Rituals In Judaism

“Watching Over My Grandmother,” by Bari Weiss. The Wall Street Journal, 2/18/2016. My own mother was basically wise, but sometimes not—basically kind, but sometimes not. She missed on Judaism which she dismissed as inferior to Presbyterianism simply because she did … Continue reading

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Ocean City Boardwalk Replacement

This Internet view of the Ocean City boardwalk at 9th Street, looking toward the Music Pier is usually full of people, runners, cyclists, and families out for a stroll. Now, it is empty and barely recognizable. No people, none at … Continue reading

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Clowns

Clowns are big in the news recently as young teenagers are scaring people by dressing up as creepy ones.  Many of us, deep down, are already afraid of clowns, so their job is easy. One thing has always bothered me … Continue reading

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Advice For Donald Trump That He’s Never Heard Before

Why do we chose presidents based on the appeal of their personalities? That has got to change.  My advice for Donald Trump is to quit pretending to be Mr. Nice Guy. Trying to prove to everyone that you are a … Continue reading

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Signing

With all of the concern about hurricane Matthew, our TV channels were full of news conferences that had a signer for the deaf standing beside a politician at a lectern. Anytime you switched to a channel and saw a signer, … Continue reading

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