Author: David

Don’t misunderstand. I am in favor of information. When I am in a canoe on a river, for example, I like to be informed as to whether or not there is a dangerous waterfall up ahead. “Hey, you there in the canoe! There’s a dangerous waterfall up ahead!” The information

The opposite of red is not blue. The opposite of dog is not cat. The opposite of Dartmouth is not Colby. And the opposite of hyper-controlling authoritarian parents is not bourgeois-decadent, spoiled rotten, out of control, snotty-nosed, non-compliant kids who expect to make a lot of money in their first

“Cui Bono?” means “who benefits?” Before giving advice consider whose interests are being served. Especially when talking to 20-somethings. Try to determine if the listener is going to benefit from your guidance. As always, consideration of time, place, and occasion are useful guides. Lastly, make every effort to consider whether

Having not won a gold medal in the Olympic marathon for four years, of course Abebe Bikila triumphantly crossed the finish line first in Tokyo in 1964. Bikila beat Basil Heatley (of whom more later) by just over four minutes. Winning an Olympic marathon by over four minutes is likely

I wasn’t there, but it is my understanding that Paul Simon performed in front of about half a million people in Central Park not so many years ago. I also wasn’t invited to any of the recording sessions for “The Sounds of Silence” or “Still Crazy after All these Years,”

Two people napping in adjacent seats on an airplane are not “sleeping together.” Nor does having given birth to a child define you as an adequate parent. “Staying awake together” and having kids is complicated. Babies know precisely what they want and articulate that information in a straight-forward, shrieking manner. Parents know

Growing up I frequently spent the night at my best friend’s house. Andy and I were friends at the elementary school, were both besotted with the Gemini missions, liked tossing the football. Although neither of us had any notable athletic prowess, the lazy South Florida afternoons melted away pleasantly enough.

Astrophysicists looking for life in other solar systems search for planets in the “Goldilocks Zone.” Assuming that water is necessary for life as we know it, scientists suggest that planets too close to their suns will have water only in the form of steam and that planets too far from