The Boston Marathon Bombing Lockdown…as it happened. I’m posting my Facebook updates from April 18-19 here to my blog….things scroll away so easily on Facebook, but I would like to remember what happened on this day. It all began in the late afternoon on April 18 when the FBI posted their surveillance pics…
Boston is my city. I was born here. I’ve lived here for most of my life. I’ve never run the Boston Marathon, but I’ve been a spectator along the sidelines many times over the years, cheering the runners on, offering them water. I studied and taught at Boston College, the university on the peak of…
While the world takes note of the passing of the great Margaret Thatcher, I couldn’t help but feel a pang when I heard of today’s other celebrity death: Annette Funicello. She was only a few years older than I am, and the news of her passing transported me back to my childhood. I think many of…
Finally, President Obama has announced his support for gay marriage. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/us/politics/obama-says-same-sex-marriage-should-be-legal.html?_r=1&hp
I was in my senior year at college on May 4, 1970 when four students were shot and killed by the National Guard during a demonstration against the bombing in Vietnam and Cambodia. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young recorded this song about the event.
Hillary and Bill Clinton gave great speeches at the DNC — rousing, intelligent, persuasive, and most of all, generous. They were both more gracious to the Obama campaign than I could have been….but fortunately I’m not in the business of politics. Usually, I’m not particularly interested in politics or politicians, almost all of whom I…
Joe Biden? Ok, he’s a nice guy, and experienced, but… Biden the plagiarist? Biden, whose own attempts to win the nomination have been greeted with yawns from the voters in the past? Biden, the Clarence Thomas enabler from the Anita Hill hearings? Way to go, Barack — is this seriously going to get you the…
As a lover of the country of Turkey, I’ve been following the recent tug of war between the secular forces and the elected parliamentary leaders of the AKP (Ak Partesi), which includes members who are observant Muslims. Both Prime Minister Erdogan and President Gul are AKP members, although Gul’s prospective presidency nearly caused a military…