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
Category: Politics
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
A Groundbreaking Study
Class or race? A recent NY Times article (here) really caught my eye. It is about a massive study of 20 million subjects and shows the impact of race and gender (link to the actual paper here) by analyzing U.S. Census and IRS data. The summary is that African-American males face very significant challenges, even
His Last Speech
The night before he was killed, MLK, Jr., gave a speech. Here is an excerpt. His last few lines are particularly poignant. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life; longevity has its place. But, I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to
‘Intelligence Matters’
What if you were the analyst who every day briefed President George W. Bush? What if you were the person whom the President called right after the 9/11 attacks happened? What if you were the Acting CIA Director for President Obama? Well, we are in luck because Michael Morell has done all that and has