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I killed a whale. Also, I played golf in the snow.

I’ve been reading Slate and listening to Slate’s podcasts for about 15 years. Though I’ve had the honor of appearing regularly on two of the podcasts, I’ve always dreamed of writing for Slate. For years, The New York Times and Slate have been my white whales.  Yesterday, I killed one of those two whales. I…

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Anatomy of a friendship: Shep

In a recent interview, someone asked me how I’ve met some of my closest friends, and it occurred to me that although the path to friendship is oftentimes as simple as “I worked with the guy” or “She was a friend of my wife,” sometimes the path is far more unexpected, circuitous, and odd. Take,…

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A bit of unsolicited, surely unwanted advice for my millennial friends

I have, on occasion, offended a millennial friend by making a gross generalization about their generation. I know that generalizations can be annoying, inaccurate, and offensive. I know that I should avoid them whenever possible. For that, I apologize. But here’s the thing: I am a member of Generation X. When I was in my…

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Robbery fail leads to great cheer and a smidgen of empathy

As the victim of a violent, armed robbery that began with bricks through the windows of a McDonald’s restaurant and led to a lifetime of post traumatic stress disorder, this video gave me some cheer.  As a human being who understands that not all decisions are made in a vacuum and a person’s worst decision…

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“Once or twice” is the sign of a lie

I overheard someone say on a plane last night say he had visited Africa “once or twice.” I didn’t believe this person. I almost never believe someone who claims to have done something “once or twice.” There’s a big difference between doing something of significance (like visiting Africa) once or more than once. Had the…

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My daughter’s art features an unusual and unexpected element

We were thrilled to find our daughter’s piece of abstract art was hanging at the front of her school, in a position of great prestige.  Then we noticed the top right corner of her piece, which appears to feature two cocktails.  Anytime an alcoholic beverage appears on the work of a third grader, you have…

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The President of the United States relied on scripted empathy

Just in case you missed it, a Washington Post photographer managed to take this picture of the notes that Trump was holding while speaking to the parents of victims and survivors of gun violence in America’s schools.  Note #5 on the list: “I hear you.” This is real. It’s also terrifying. Trump must rely on scripted…

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Americans want greater gun control. Lawmakers do not.

When it comes to gun control, I have good news: Americans are united. In the most recent Quinnipiac poll: 97% of Americans support universal background checks.83% of Americans support a mandatory waiting period on all gun purchases. 66% of Americans support a ban on assault weapons. In short, support for greater control has now hit a…

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They couldn’t play tic-tac-toe because of bandwidth.

Yes, this is absolutely the worst game of tic-tac-toe every played. The fact that this all happens in front of thousands of people is even more embarrassing.  But it’s also an outstanding demonstration on the nature of bandwidth.  Every human being has a certain amount of bandwidth available to them at one time. Some people…

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Meet Antony Borges: American hero and a boy who has done more to curb gun violence in America than all of Congress.

Here is 15 year-old Anthony Borges, who was shot five times while protecting 20 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students by holding a classroom door shut to prevent shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz from entering. Anthony Borges has done more to protect students from gun violence than every single member of Congress plus the President combined.…

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