A personal Earth Day fable inspired by Greta Thunberg. — Every comb I’ve ever owned showed up at my doorstep a couple of days ago. It was a sunny, crisp Spring morning in Indiana, and I had just stepped outside with my cup of coffee. There they were on the stoop, looking up at me expectantly. “Good morning!” they shouted…

Battling COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy with Personal Testimonials — I’m typically not big on promoting my picture online. It’s not that I’m against social media; I’m not like the more reclusive members of my family who make J. D. Salinger look like Pewdiepie. …

One man’s crusade to tackle the norms of phubbing and distracted walking — It’s no secret that most people can’t handle their technology. Take digital watches. Back in 1978, author Douglas Adams commented that the earth’s “ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea.” As a child at the time, I took umbrage…

Memoirs of an 80s Nerd and His Literary Conspirators — I am not a regular consumer of user-generated content, so I was tickled to learn of the latest trend on TikTok: sea shanties. When I first heard about it on NPR, I was immediately transported back to my youth. …

Radically Redefining the American Holiday Calendar — American Jews have many wonderful winter traditions. We light candles, sing songs, recite prayers, visit family, give gifts, fry foods savory and sweet, and kvetch about the December Dilemma. …

The Strange Reverse Politics of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain — Any casual student of the American democratic experiment would be forgiven for believing that our country’s wacky electoral college system is an accurate description of state identity. Every four years, the TV networks depict the electoral college map with clearly defined blocks of bright blue and red. …

A Hot New TV Drama Coming to My Imagination Near You — When I was a little boy, I wanted to be a scientist, mostly because both my parents were scientists, and I understood the career path. I loved science, I loved visiting their research labs, and I presented kick-ass projects at the local science fair. At no time in my youth…

Is there a better way to review vegan restaurants? — I am done with black bean burgers. Over. Finished. Kaput. Sure, early on in my vegetarian life, finding a black bean burger in a standard Americana restaurant was a coup. It was an actual vegetarian meal, not simply a weak combination of salads or sides. Black beans were almost exotic…