A month ago, Carol and I went to the Paley Center for Media in Manhattan for a panel discussion on “The Media’s Role in Combating Antisemitism: Next Generation Digital Storytellers.” The speakers were fascinating. Tova Friedman is a Holocaust survivor…
I have come to a fork in the road and I must take it
I am embarrassed. I don’t have an excuse. My friends don’t understand what’s wrong with me. I moved from Atlanta to Brooklyn eight years ago. I’m a baseball fan who, inexplicably, hasn’t chosen between the Mets and Yankees. This is…
Time management, soul management
I hope reading this column is a good use of your time, and I hope writing this column was a good use of my time, because you and I waste a lot of time. We turn on the TV out…
Flight delays and other thought-provoking interruptions
Whenever we travel, one person usually does the worrying about staying on schedule. This helpful, often misunderstood person is a compulsive clock-watcher. This has been a rough summer for people who still wear watches and for Delta, which canceled more…
A preacher takes a screenwriting class
written by Brett Younger FADE IN 1 INT. KITCHEN – DAY 1 A couple sitting at their kitchen table in a Brooklyn brownstone have just finished two pieces of birthday cake. Sixty-three burnt candles have a plate of their own….
‘Baby, you’re a firework!’
Do you think arriving at 9 p.m. for fireworks that begin at 9:25 would be early enough? If you do, then the New York Police Department would like to have a word with you. We could have guaranteed ourselves seats…
The church’s guide to atheism
Some days, church people might as well be atheists. They say they believe in God, but they live as if God does not matter much. They do not pray that often, read the Bible that much or care for hurting…
Why I didn’t talk about love at my son’s wedding
When Graham and Alyssa asked me to perform the ceremony, I took it as a compliment, even though it also was a cost-cutting decision. They probably thought I would use my 10 minutes to talk about love. Ministers love talking…
The truth about lying
Somebody is lying. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin examined 116,366 lies told by 632 participants over 91 days. Participants self-reported their lies, which raises the question, “Wouldn’t liars lie about lying?” Maybe that’s why the statistics around lying are…