Dr. Val’s question slammed me. My talk at Books & Books in Coral Gables last Friday had been progressing smoothly. I was humbled that over a hundred people had taken time out of their full days to come and hear me speak about my new book, Raising Healthy Kids in
Can you even imagine anything worse than your annoying job? You know the one I mean. That job you go to every single, stupid day with the insensitive boss and the inept subordinates. The job that requires you to bring work home to finish at night and on the weekends,
The University of Pennsylvania accepted 3551 students this year out of 35,788 applicants. The ratio, of about 9.9%, is simple to explain arithmetically-one kid in ten got admitted-harder to process emotionally if you are one of the nine who was not. If your family member got the “we’re sorry; there
When a poor child is abused, the neighbors hear about it; the walls are thin, the community small. When a wealthy child is abused, the neighbors don’t know because their houses are too far apart. There are those who suggest that there is a qualitative difference between the kind of
Every day during Spring Break, Victor painted lines on the athletic field and changed air conditioner filters at his school. Then he painted a potting shed and two dugouts before moving on to paint a fence around the perimeter of the institution. Although Victor–at age 16–was not a member of
After years of kicking around auditions and struggling to survive waiting tables, Oscar gets his big break. It’s a small part admittedly-actually only one line-but for the first time, he has the chance to act in a real show. On Broadway, no less. Oscar attends every rehearsal and practices his
What is the one sound that resonates more than any other? What is the one sound that no one can ignore? What is the one sound that makes everyone respond viscerally, at the deepest level below conscious awareness? A jet engine is annoying, loud, disturbing, unpleasant. Firecrackers going off can
In 1962, James Meredith became the first Black man to attend the University of Mississippi. Just prior to Mr. Meredith’s enrollment, the Governor of Mississippi, Ross Barnett, tried to convince the president of the United States that Meredith should not be allowed to matriculate. The governor, representing the opinion of
The son of a farmer has done a service–saving the kingdom from invaders, perhaps, or slaying a particularly recalcitrant dragon–and the king is grateful. The king insists that, as repayment for his heroic deed, the farmer’s son accept a gift, any gift he desires. Gold, jewels, land, wealth beyond imagining
An attractive 30-something bank employee approached me as I stood in line at the teller window yesterday. “Interest rates have never been lower,” she began without preamble. As our previous interactions had never exceeded conversations of the “Nice day” variety, I was intrigued by her wide-eyed enthusiasm. “There has never
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