A friend of mine owns apartments and rents them to college students. Over the decades, he has assembled a large set of properties. He is the manager, too, and has his own team do all the maintenance and repairs. “It’s crazy,” he said. “I can’t find a decent plumber.” He said that he has to
Category: Politics
Bryan Stevenson
A podcast series on my fave list is “Stay Tuned.” I’m behind on my podcast listening, but was able to hear the recent one, which featured Bryan Stevenson, who has spent his life on criminal-justice reform (link here) and his job as an attorney defending minors on death row. I found the podcast to be
The Border Patrol
On the way back from our fly fishing outing, my daughter and I were heading south on I-93. Just below Franconia Notch in NH, there were temporary signs along the road, alerting us to road work up ahead. Soon, traffic slowed to a crawl, which was weird for a Saturday morning when you’re going southbound.
‘Curiosity and the Prisoner’
Atul Gawande is one of my favorite contemporary writers. Complications and Being Mortal are extremely thoughtful books, and I enjoy reading his New Yorker articles. A surgeon and researcher, he has a view on the world that is compelling and thought-provoking. He recently spoke at the UCLA Medical School graduation. The text is here. The
The Human Cost of War
As a college student, I studied a great deal about international conflict. Today, I keep up on current events for fun, and we talk about the news at the dinner table. Over time, you can become immune to the headlines. Another war, another battle, another incursion. Yesterday, I listened to The Daily’s podcast about one
‘The Impossible Dream’
For a rare and very interesting view into how Congress works or doesn’t work, the recent This American Life podcast fits the bill (no pun intended). A journalist for four months trails Senator Jeff Flake regarding his push to get a DACA bill passed. There are many twists and turns, as well as moving goal