Author: Lance Garrison
The gay activist David Mixner and Senator Joe Lieberman died last month at the ages of 77 and 82, respectively, and were it not for the coincident timing of their passing, I would have no reason to reflect collectively upon their legacies. Biographically, ideologically and temperamentally, they were very different men, and to my knowledge, never interacted. But I was fortunate to know them both, and after attending their funerals last week, I’ve come to appreciate some important qualities they shared.In the summer of 1993, Mr. Mixner was at the height of his political influence. An old friend, Bill Clinton,…
On a quiet street in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, just a few steps from my back door, is a vacant lot that my wife, Anne, and I share with our neighbors. This patch of dirty ground was once three single-family homes. Bit by bit, rains have washed away the soil, revealing corners of the buildings’ foundations and the occasional broken brick and shard of glass.Anne and I moved into our house in 2013. The neighbors on our street were extremely welcoming. At the time, the block was filled with very good people living among a very bad drug problem.…
After more than two years of brutal, unrelenting war, Ukraine is still ready and has the capacity to defend its democracy and territory against Russia. But it cannot do so without American military assistance, which the United States had assured the Ukrainians would be there as long as it was needed.A majority of Americans understand this, and believe that curbing the revanchist dreams of Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, is America’s duty to Ukraine and to American security. A survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Ipsos found that 58 percent of Americans favor providing economic help to Ukraine…
All the righteous attention to the Trump-branded Bible pre-empted rightful attention to a Trump-branded fragrance, Victory 47. But in the Dean’s Report newsletter, Dean Obeidallah defined the scent’s market: “That cologne apparently is for the man who wants to smell like a cross between cheeseburgers and victimhood.” (Thanks to Stephen L. Mathewson of Albuquerque, N.M., for spotting this.)In The Washington Post, Carolyn Hax turned philosophical: “Every life has some element of frustration, loneliness, rejection, mistreatment, misunderstanding, raw deals, disappointment, disaster and dream-crushing. And after that comes Tuesday.” (Bob Rappaport, Arlington, Va.)Also in The Post, George F. Will skewered the MAGA…
An earthquake. An eclipse. A bridge collapse. A freak blizzard. A biblical flood. Donald Trump leading in battleground states.Apocalyptic vibes are stirred by Trump’s violent rhetoric and talk of blood baths.If he’s not elected, he bellowed in Ohio, there will be a blood bath in the auto industry. At his Michigan rally on Tuesday, he said there would be a blood bath at the border, speaking from a podium with a banner reading, “Stop Biden’s border blood bath.” He has warned that, without him in the Oval, there will be an “Oppenheimer”-like doomsday; we will lose World War III and…
For the stern-minded, pessimism of the intellect can coexist with optimism of the will. “I’m also not a cynic,” Coates wrote in the same 2013 essay. “Those of us who reject divinity, who understand that there is no order, there is no arc, that we are night travelers on a great tundra, that stars can’t guide us, will understand that the only work that will matter, will be the work done by us.”But it should not be a surprise that some of those “night travelers on a great tundra” might incline a bit more than past left-wingers to despair. Nor…
The great American artist was born in 1938 and died last week, but his work transcends time.
You work hard all week, so when the weekend finally rolls around, you want to play just as hard. There’s nothing like a few rounds of golf, a hike in the mountains, or an intense workout at the gym to help you feel recharged.But all of that exercise can cause soreness and stiffness that shows up a day or two later. Don’t get sidelined by muscle pain. Find out the causes and treatments so you can stay on your game. What’s Causing My Sore Muscles?It’s normal to have sore muscles after you work out, play sports, or even do housework, especially…
Whether it’s a problem at work, relationship troubles, or just dealing with traffic, we all experience stress in our lives. But ongoing stress can take a toll on your health. It can also make any health condition that you have feel worse, including arthritis.When your body is under stress, it releases chemicals that can trigger inflammation and pain. So you might be more likely to have arthritis flare-ups when you’re feeling stress.What’s more, stress can increase your perception of pain. “Stress can leave you feeling less able to handle your pain and more easily overwhelmed by it,” says Sharon Kolasinski,…
What would life be like if artificial intelligence solved all your problems? You wouldn’t have to work anymore. You could get any luxury you wanted by raising an eyebrow. Feelings of pleasure would wash over you constantly. Death would become almost optional because you could take on digital form and keep going for a billion years.It sounds awful to me.We human beings dislike our problems, naturally, but if we had no problems to solve, what meaning would life have? How long would we be happy sitting on top of our big rock candy mountains? For me, one long weekend would…