Category Archives: Culture

Of immigrants, education, fighting and mobsters

Posted on August 6, 2026 by Naomi

Long, long, long before my encounter with a classic schoolyard bully, my grandfather Jacob took ship from Paris to Boston. At fourteen years old, he was escaping the strictures of Judaic Orthodoxy — which he had reckoned was unhealthy, especially … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime & Punishment, Culture, Immigration, Religious fundamentalism, The Facts of Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Match King’s Son

Posted on July 28, 2026 by Naomi

Tommy was his name. His father made millions of, and in, matches with which to light a fire or a cigarette, packed in those little boxes we all had in our kitchens. The Match King’s princeling was blond, loud and … Continue reading →

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The Hero and The Heel

Posted on July 21, 2026 by Naomi

In the past half year alone we’ve witnessed two populist heroes, one of them mighty, felled by their history of sexually abusing women. The mighty one was the late Cesar Chavez; the lesser one, Graham Platner. Chavez was revered as … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Culture, How I Learned The Facts of Life, Human rights, political campaigns, Politics, The Facts of Life, The god problem, War on women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Hero and The Heel