Virtue Signaling

Virtue Signaling

If I was a betting man, I’d put money on “virtue-signaling” to be Oxford’s word of the year for 2017.  You’ve probably noticed it, even if you haven’t heard the term.  When a celebrity is outraged about an issue and co-ops an awards ceremony to express disgust or...
The Messenger

The Messenger

It was a sequence of events that left me feeling caught up in something beyond my control, wondering what just happened. It’s a true story from when I lived in Haiti. A fellow (I’ll call him KT) in our village always seemed a bit unhinged. The rope he used for a belt...
We Have Songs

We Have Songs

Singing and playing the banjo were not what first brought fame to Steve Martin. His public career began in comedy in the 1960’s when he worked with the Smothers Brothers and Johnny Carson.  Music was part of his stand-up routine, but in the last 15 years or so Martin...
Grace Under Pressure

Grace Under Pressure

Winning Nobel and Pulitzer prizes for his life’s work was inevitable for Ernest Hemingway. He was by all accounts a brilliant scoundrel.  He was a master at developing characters with the code hero traits of honor and courage.  It was Hemingway that popularized the...