Constitutional

Today I walked instead of driving. I’m a dedicated walker everywhere but at home. I don’t feel like I’ve been someplace unless I’ve taken public transportation. Subways are my favorite, trains come second, and I can occasionally be persuaded to take a bus. I’m afraid of ending up in the wrong place on a bus, […]

Dear Mr. Romney, I’m So Glad You Asked

Today you announced that you are ready to fix American education. I’m happy for you. What I find confusing is your view of the problem, and the goal of public education. Then there’s your solutions, which, at least in my neck of the woods, seemed designed to create options that most people can’t or won’t […]

Skipping and Fighting: Frequently Asked Questions

Why do city kids fight all the time, especially at graduation? First of all, some of them don’t have much to lose. If you have no hope of going to college (school district unaccredited, for example), and unemployment has hit your community the hardest of any, during terrible times (black unemployment has been double that of […]

Ladies

The day after the art opening, I liked Patti Smith. I loved Smith’s book, Just Kids. I read most of it on the beach in Corpus Christi, Texas, in between minor adventures (like meeting a guy with the most interesting accent of all time, India Indian crossed with Alabama). My head was in crunched together, […]