LESSONS OF MY 81ST BIRTHDAY 

Wednesday, thanks to genetic good fortune, I turned 81 and became, as I am wont, reflective about life and death. I’ve outlived my father, Morris, who died at 80. I’m grateful to be of sound body and mind, although part of my personality remains 15. Carolyn will tell you, it takes a sense of humor…

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THE FOURTH, NEIL DIAMOND AND ME 

Who cried three times during a Broadway touring musical about the pop songwriter-singer Neil Diamond?  Recently, Carolyn and I saw “A Beautiful Noise” about Diamond’s career and emotional challenges. And yes, the one who cried was me. Let me explain, particularly since today is the Fourth of July. One of the show’s first songs was…

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DISHONORING THE FLAG 

A military parade in Washington will mark Flag Day tomorrow when Donald Trump again dishonors the Stars and Stripes. I love our flag. At its best, it stands for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness—and equal treatment before the law—for everyone. The parade supposedly will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. I have…

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WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE 

Today marks the eighty-first anniversary of D-Day, the Normandy invasion to reclaim Europe from Nazi Germany. Our troops displayed incredible courage. How sad, then, that a veteran of a later war revealed cowardice as a U.S. senator. Joni Ernst, R.-Iowa, graduated from Iowa State and, through ROTC, was commissioned a second-lieutenant in the Army. In…

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ANTISEMITES “PROTECTING” JEWS 

The Trump administration boasts about protecting American Jews from antisemitism and anti-Israel attacks. The truth is just the opposite. Jews have been called “the canary in the coal mine.” Attacks on Jews warn that a society is giving way to ethnic autocracy. Other minorities soon will be assaulted.  This canary smells the scent emanating from…

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DEVELOPERS ARE CIRCLING MY NEIGHBORHOOD 

Will my neighborhood in San Francisco’s Richmond District undergo NIMBY-YIMBY warfare? Or will common sense prevail? A while back, the Little Sisters of the Poor closed St. Anne’s Home, which housed retired nuns. They put up for sale the six-acre property, a 10-minute walk from my house. The site fronts on upscale, leafy Lake Street…

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PLATO, COMICS AND COMPETING AMERICAN VISIONS 

The Greek philosopher Plato and several comic-strip characters can tell us where America should be going. Plato wrote of numina and phenomena. Numina represent the ideal. Phenomena attempt to express the ideal in physical or other form. Plato used a chair as an example. The ideal chair can’t be seen. Real chairs, whatever their design, are attempts to…

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DEMOLITION DERBY 

My neighborhood is full of home-improvement projects, including my own. What I see says a lot about today’s American government. Most homeowners and landlords maintain or upgrade their properties. New owners often make major renovations. On my daily walks, I see up to two dozen subcontractors providing electrical and plumbing services, hardwood floors, windows, sheetrock,…

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ANTI-CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION 

On February 6, Donald Trump signed a head-scratching executive order about religion. From section 1: “It is the policy of the United States, and the purpose of this order, to protect the religious freedoms of Americans and end the anti-Christian weaponization of government.” The executive order further states that, “the previous Administration engaged in an…

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LIFE IN THE SLOW LANE

Some people are quick about things and respond to life in the moment, but I live life in the slow lane. When you do that, you learn to laugh at yourself. After all, other people are laughing at you. So, how slow am I? I’m so slow, I get dizzy watching paint dry and grass…

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FIRE LESSONS 

I live in San Francisco, but the fires in Los Angeles County are personal.  My son Yosi lives in South Pasadena. To his north, the Eaton Fire destroyed much of Altadena. Thankfully, the threat to untouched South Pasadena has greatly diminished. The challenge now is recovery and lessons learned to guide it. Can Altadena, parts…

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FIVE CRUCIAL NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS 

The New Year’s morning terrorist attack in New Orleans reminds us that the world seems to grow darker, but I have ways to brighten my soul.   I take tragedy in New Orleans somewhat personally. My son Yosi used to live there and played drums and fiddle with two bands. Carolyn and I visited a number…

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MEMORY’S FRAGILITY 

Last Saturday marked a momentous occurrence in American history, yet no one seemed to remember. Perhaps you have to be at or near my age, 80, to commemorate December 7 as Pearl Harbor Day. On a Sunday morning in 1941, Japanese planes bombed the U.S. naval base in Honolulu, Hawaii, and nearby Army Air Force…

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A BIRTHDAY, A MARRIAGE AND HEALING 

My wife Carolyn turned 77 last Tuesday, and we’ve been married 55+ years, both of which I address to a fragmented America. Carolyn proudly proclaims her age. Many people fudge theirs, hoping to prove they remain strong physically and mentally to get that next promotion, job or desirable partner. Vanity plays a role. The legendary…

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15¢ A SLICE 

Inflation, a prime issue for Donald Trump voters, took me down memory lane. A (small) 14-inch pizza (eight slices) from my neighborhood go-to, Village Pizzeria, runs $21-$31. When I was a kid in 1950s New York, a slice of cheese pizza cost 15¢  Hamburgers in my Queens neighborhood also cost 15¢. Then Hamburger Train—a model…

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