The nineteenth-century humanitarian iconoclast, Clarissa “Clara” Harlowe Barton (1821-1912), is best remembered for providing much-needed supplies to the Union Army during the American Civil War following which she founded the American Red Cross. Although her early life was marred by shyness and timidity, as a young adult Barton determined that if she was ever to … Continue reading “THE BEST CURE FOR DEFIANCE”
If you’re British and of a certain age, you are probably a fan of the irreverent 70’s comedy sketch show Monty Python’s Flying Circus. I was introduced to their zany humor in my early teens. It had been a few years since the original TV shows aired, and at the time the only medium available … Continue reading “I’M HERE FOR AN ARGUMENT”
We all need friends. We all have friends. And we all have something to say about friendship. And yet, defining friendship is far more elusive than you might think. What exactly makes a friend? How does one know if one has experienced true friendship? Socrates urged caution before committing to any friendship but encouraged steadfast … Continue reading “A TRUE FRIEND INDEED”
A couple of days ago somebody randomly sent me a YouTube link for Reverend Al Sharpton’s eulogy delivered at the funeral of Michael Brown, the African-American teenager shot dead three weeks ago by a policeman in Ferguson, a suburb of St Louis, Missouri. Ferguson was subsequently plagued by race riots and looting, as lawlessness raised … Continue reading “THE PURSUIT OF JUSTICE IS ELUSIVE”
(For the SoundCloud audio, scroll to the bottom of the page) Charles Ticho of Hackensack NJ, who died last year at the age of 95, inadvertently had a hand in the founding of Israel’s movie industry. In 1954, he was invited to Israel to assist in the production of the first locally produced full-length feature … Continue reading “ON THE BRINK OF UNCERTAINTY”
Jason Tan is Professor of Policy, Curriculum and Leadership at The National Institute of Education in Singapore. He is also an acknowledged expert on what has become known as “lifelong learning”. Singapore is a world leader in this field and the Singaporean government has pioneered a lifelong learning program for the entire population; its SkillsFuture … Continue reading “NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN”
He looks earnestly at the camera, and falteringly begins his statement: “Klal Yisrael (“the Jewish people”) and the entire world are now confronted by a medical crisis, by a time of distress, the kind of which was never seen before. We must be informed about the facts of this disease and what the expert doctors … Continue reading “WE NEED MORE ABRAHAMS”
We deeply feel the pain and distress that has been caused by the brutal killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis by former police officer, Derek Chauvin, whose primary objective should have been to uphold the law, show concern for justice and human dignity, and to protect human life. Instead, he and his colleagues showed utter … Continue reading “GEORGE FLOYD: L.A. RABBIS SPEAK OUT”
