A few days ago, I happened to be talking to a guy named Fred Biletnikoff. Fred used to be very good at catching footballs for the Oakland Raiders in the Sixties and Seventies. Then, he had a little help at it. Fred always had this stuff called Stick Um on his hands. It was orange, [...]

A couple of Sunday mornings ago I scanned the front page of the New York Times and noticed immediately that something was strange and different: There were three stories that made me smile, and feel optimistic about the future. This was way beyond the usual quota of smiley stories on the Times’ front page, which, [...]

The poison-ivy on the fingers of my right hand a few weeks ago was a welcome sign; the little blisters told me that it is spring, and I am playing golf again. This is an annual rite, and I celebrate it: every year, as the fairways thaw and the flags re-appear like perennial flowers and [...]