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March 01, 2008
Death: the great leveler
Two recent Saturdays of mine have been devoted to funerals. A lot of people profess to hate funerals, but I come from people who regarded one's presence at funerals as a command performance.February 23, 2008
Necessary evil-
My father (a doctor but not a surgeon) loves that old joke that there is no such thing as unnecessary surgery. Either the patient needs it or the doctor needs it. The joke has acquired more relevance in my life of late.February 20, 2008
Differentiating discriminatory behavior
Is there a double standard or just plain discrimination-February 15, 2008
‘Rehab’ drives one to meditation
February 12, 2008
Obama supporters ready to smile
If the results of New Hampshire's primary turned out the way I had anticipated, there would have been a smile on my face not seen since this time in 1989. If you don't recall or weren't around back then, it was about this time of the election season that Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder was inaugurated as America's first black elected governor.February 09, 2008
Confronting change
When my son was about four years old, he truly hated to hear any raised voices. He didn't much care why they were raised.February 07, 2008
City needs to tap into its potential
A thumbs-up, thumbs-down assessment of newsmakers here and beyond:February 02, 2008
The costs of living
In a radio interview I heard recently, a man told of going out to buy an HDTV because his friends would not want to come to a Super Bowl party at his house unless they were able to see the game in high definition.January 26, 2008
Secret shovelers
When it snowed last week, I got out my little square point shovel and made a path no more than ten inches wide from my front steps to the city sidewalk.January 19, 2008
Going home again
Somewhere, I ran across the statistic that 40 percent of people over 60 are helping their children financially, and less than 20 percent are being helped by their children. I personally know of three people over 50 who have moved in with a parent.January 12, 2008
Losers sometimes win
One thing this presidential election is going to produce is more losers than we have ever had: Democratic losers, Republican losers, even a libertarian loser. This may be the only positive thing to come out of a two-year slog to choose a new president. It is just possible that the losers will do more for this country than the winner.January 05, 2008
Cracking wise
I come from a family that gives books as gifts. Every Christmas and birthday I can count on getting at least one or two.December 22, 2007
Parts of Christmas magic remain unknown
It was my secret. For decades no one knew that as a child I had tiptoed down the stairs in the wee hours of Christmas morning, plugged in the big blue lights on the Christmas tree and surveyed whatever I could see by their dim illumination.December 14, 2007
An Open Letter to Religious Leaders of All Faiths around the World
We need an intervention, and it simply is not working any longer to send soldiers or politicians to do this job. We need you.December 08, 2007
Taking time to skip through leaves
Last week I saw a student skipping. I hardly ever see anyone skip. Girls aren't allowed to skip once they reach puberty, and boys are pretty much discouraged from skipping altogether.December 02, 2007
Council can fix city bond mess
The city has itself in a fine mess. The solution, however, is far simpler than the quandary over what precisely happened on Election Day and in the weeks leading up to it.December 01, 2007
Power beyond might and money
I asked my students if they had heard of the 16-page letter, "A Common Word Between Us and You," sent by 138 Muslim clerics to Christian leaders around the world. They stared at me blankly.October 20, 2007
Who’s to blame- Look in mirror
The summer after I graduated from college I went on a trip to Europe with 59 other college students. None of us was an experienced traveler. Few of us were fluent in any language other than English, so when we found ourselves in international airports where we could not even understand when flights were announced, we were a nervous bunch.October 06, 2007
Shining light on lies of enemies
I might have numbered myself among those who questioned Columbia University's decision to invite Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak had it not been for an experience more than 40 years ago at Wake Forest University. In today's atmosphere it is hard for me to believe that such an event ever happened, but it did, and I was there to witness it.September 29, 2007
A transient society loses its home place
Larry offered to show me around the house his wife, Mary Ann, had inherited from her parents. She had known for years it would be hers one day, but until her parents died, she couldn't imagine why she would want it. She no longer lived in the area. This part of West Virginia is so remote it would take you an hour to drive to the county seat. But once it had been home; seven children grew up in this little house. Larry and Mary Ann decided to return for their 25th wedding anniversary.September 27, 2007
Village elders must lead young blacks
To raise children in today's society, I think U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton is right. As she says in her book, "It Takes a Village." Her point is especially true in regards to African-American youths.September 22, 2007
Vick outrage doesn’t fit his crime
It was a little over a month ago that news about former Virginia Tech and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and his role in a dog-fighting ring was all over television and in newspapers.Obits evolve in changing times
When change comes to the Shenandoah Valley, you can be pretty sure there has been a sea change in American culture. People here thrive on tradition. They have a deep and abiding suspicion that the past holds more promise than the future. So I sat up and took notice when obituaries changed the way they listed survivors of the deceased.September 01, 2007
Teaching offers rewards, frustration
My first job out of college was teaching junior high social studies in Charlottesville. It was hard work.August 11, 2007
Too much noise, not enough sound
August 09, 2007
Hypocrisy discrimination and Michael Vick
August 04, 2007
News for profit
August 02, 2007
African Americans love/hate relationship with the government
July 28, 2007
Who are the Chosen People
July 26, 2007
