Michael Jackson died.  Oh, you heard?  Farrah Fawcett also passed away.  You might have missed that one, since her death occurred earlier on the same day and was therefore quickly subsumed by the Jackson coverage in the print media and on the cable news networks.  The latter immediately became consumed with Jackson’s life story, […]

            Having been honored as a selection for Oprah’s Book Club and having received strong reviews from critics (among them, Janet Maslin of the New York Times) and authors (with Stephen King topping the list), David Wroblewski’s first novel, “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle” went on to become a best seller last year.  Sadly, it […]

            Throughout his first five months in office, Barack Obama has been dealing with one crisis after another.  To date, his presidency might be the most challenging since Franklin Roosevelt’s, if not Abe Lincoln’s.  While he hasn’t had to face anything like the Great Depression or the collapse of the union, he did assume office […]

            When I wrote this column nine years ago, my parents had just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. In recent years, the joys of marriage are becoming increasingly available to a new group of couples: those who are gay.  And, since that advance in our society is more than overdo, I again offer my ode […]