Chances are you’ve seen excerpts from the Rev. Al Sharpton’s eulogy for George Floyd on Thursday. It was a tough and compelling exhortation to white America to “get your knee off our necks.” But it was also singularly optimistic. Sharpton repeatedly invoked Ecclesiastes 3:1, which says “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven,” and suggested that this may finally be the time when it’s possible to put an end to racial injustice at the hands of police officers . . .
Author: Paul Knight
Becoming, by Michelle Obama
I just finished reading Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming. My friend Kaye gave it to me as a gift when it first came out, and I finally picked it up two weeks ago after it had been on the bestseller list for 75 weeks. I thought it would be…okay. It seemed like a book I should read, especially since it was a gift. But it was, in a word, wonderful . . .
“Please Stay on the Line to Take a Brief Survey”
I guess one of the benefits of having a blog is that it gives you a place to vent your pet peeves. Here’s one of mine.
Almost every company these days that has a customer service line uses a voice-mail system that, in theory, routes you to the right person (or robot) to address your particular issue, but more often than not first takes you on an automated tour of hell . . .
So the Shit Has Hit the Fan
When I started blogging a week and a half ago, I wasn’t thinking in terms of doing political commentary. I imagined writing mostly bits of whimsy, like how flummoxed I sometimes get about when to use a comma, or how my wife can somehow makes friends with a toll collector in the time it takes to make change. And then George Floyd was killed and all hell broke loose, and now it seems as if it would be tone-deaf to post light-hearted musings on a blog . . .
Beyond a Failure of Leadership
I was as dismayed as anyone when Donald Trump was elected president, but while I was unhappy at the prospect of the policies I expected him to implement, and the judges he was likely to appoint, the thing that most concerned me was the prospect that the country was likely to face a true crisis at some point during his presidency, and he would completely fail to lead us through it. That fear was realized with the Covid-19 pandemic, and now it’s being realized again in the wake of the killing of George Floyd . . .
Protests and Riots
A non-violent nationwide protest against the killing of George Floyd would be extraordinarily powerful, and unlike the recent riots would be beyond reproach. Where is Martin Luther King, Jr. when we need him? Oh, right…never mind.
I’m One of the Lucky Ones
Hardly a day goes by that I don’t find myself noting how fortunate I am when it comes to the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on me. It’s really pretty incredible. If I were keeping a gratitude journal, I would have no trouble filling it up . . .
What This Blog Is For
I thought about starting a blog for a long time. There was a whole range of considerations that stopped me, none of which have changed. What led me to finally start blogging was getting clear on what I would be blogging for . . .
Managing the Risk of Covid-19 Infection
Things are starting to open up, but the coronavirus hasn’t gone away. That means that each of has to decide where to draw the line between reducing the risk of being infected vs. reclaiming our lives.
This morning my wife went to get her hair cut. . .
How to Host a Funeral on Zoom
I acknowledge that the title of this post is presumptuous. This is actually one way to host a funeral on Zoom. But it worked well enough that I feel good about recommending it . . .