A Slack Tide: The Space Between
This is a piece about nothing. On this day, I find myself in between — in a space of nothingness, void of ideas and passions, fears and anxieties, delights and goals. I’m not happy or sad, frightened or exhilarated, bored or entertained. It’s not a bad place to be exactly, but sort of disconcerting. We’re used to being either pushed or pulled in one direction or another. We’re rarely just sitting still.
Read full storyI Don’t Like Kids
It’s like trying to wrestle a greased pig while simultaneously trying to teach it algebra. I don’t like kids. It’s not something one is supposed to admit in polite society. People get upset and take it personally. “I love kids,” they will tell you.
Read full story‘Finch’ is a Sad 21st Century ‘Short Circuit’
SPOILERS (we're not kidding) The 1986 movie “Short Circuit” starring Steve Guttenberg and Ally Sheedy, might have been a cultural touchstone, but it was a stupid movie. Critics called it, “Amiable and good-natured but also shallow and predictable, Short Circuit is hardly as deep or emotionally resonant as ET — though Johnny Five makes for a charming robot protagonist.”
Read full storyIn Defense Of Sentimentality
What do you do when antipathy is more compelling than sentimentality?. In a 2013 commencement address at his alma mater university in western Australia, comedian and composer Tim Minchin urged the graduating students to define themselves, by what they loved, not just by what they opposed.
Read full storyAmerica’s Prosperity Gospel
The true nature of the American Dream and the difficulty of communicating simple solutions to complex problems. You’ve no doubt heard the story about the high school student who mowed lawns and tended to the school garden so that he could pay off the lunch debt of poor students. We think of it as a nice human-interest story about compassion, hard work, and generosity, but we miss the underlying revelation that the richest country in the world can’t afford to feed its children.
Read full storyHave A Little Faith In Me
Thoughts on being alone, the nature of manhood, and the timeless music of John Hiatt. I’ve always said I enjoy being alone, that I revere my quiet time. As a general rule, I don’t require a lot of human interaction. I prefer solitude over excitement, and recharge myself by being able to process the world on my own. In a nutshell, I prefer to be alone — or so I’ve always told myself.
Read full storyThe Medieval Barbarism Of American Justice
The land of the free. The home of the brave. The leader in incarceration and in the top ten for executions. A few weeks ago, shortly after taking power almost effortlessly after two decades of war against the most powerful military in the history of the world, the Taliban in Afghanistan announced their plans to reintroduce barbaric punishments such as the amputation of the hands of thieves, public hangings for blasphemy, and other less than modern approaches to criminal justice.
Read full storyThe Appalling Kindness of Ted Lasso
Hannah Waddingham, the veteran British actress known mostly for her stage work, had just won her first prime time Emmy for her role as Rebecca Welton, the prickly but vulnerable professional football club owner, in the surprise hit show Ted Lasso. She was standing next to Bret Goldstein, also a writer on the show, and who was also holding a statuette of his own for his role as Roy Kent, the oft-angry, but aging captain of the club.
Read full storyCricket Denton Announces Her Candidacy For Upper Township Committee
SEAVILLE, NJ — Cricket Denton, a lifelong resident of Seaville, and an ardent community leader, is officially announcing her candidacy for Upper Township Committee. Cricket is no stranger to public service, having been raised by Cherie Denton, an Upper Township school teacher and single mother, Cricket was taught the importance of philanthropy at an early age.
Read full storyThe Personality of Ring Tones
There was a time when all ringing phones pretty much sounded the same. There might have been slight differences between your home phone and your office phone, but the sound of a ringing phone was fairly universal. Then came the cell phone, and soon after, the ability to choose your own ring tone.
Read full storyDemocrats Look To Regain A Foothold in Middle Township With Quanette Vasser-McNeal
The Middle Township Committee is controlled by Republicans since losing Michael Clark’s seat in 2019 and maintain a slight edge in registered voters within the competitive township.
Read full storyWhy Cape May County Has The Best Beaches
It’s our greatest natural resource because we pay to keep them that way. You could argue that there are any number of reasons that the beaches here in Cape May County are some of the best in the world, but we’re not going to. Let’s assume we start with amazing natural resources that have given us perfect sand, moderate water temperatures, and reasonable waves. The reason we have the best beaches in the world is because we pay for someone to take care of them. We do this through the sale of beach tags, among other things.
Read full storyLet The Children Play
The Parenting Advice You Need If You Want To Raise Independent Children. Fifty-two is not that old really, even though I am now decidedly middle-aged, but since we raised our kids when I was especially young, it’s hard for me to imagine raising a child today. If I had a deficit of patience back then, which I most certainly did, I have infinitely less of it now. Being consumed with my own career, and having come late to the party of raising children I had no part in creating, I was often bewildered at how I had come to live with these small, messy humans.
Read full storyEscaping Your Destiny
It’s a story that’s been told and told again in our family. I think we tell it because it so accurately reflects who we are as a people in a way that trying to describe our little clan could never do. It’s a symbol of our love, arrogance, ego and empathy, all rolled into one.
Read full storyLove Is The Answer
In the movie A Beautiful Mind, John Nash gives his Noble Prize speech and explains that despite all his mathematical searching, and throughout his struggle mental illness, it was love that made life worth living. Love was the answer to the question.
Read full storyAre Luxury Appliances Worth The Hefty Price-Tag?
One man’s epic tale of how the highly anticipated birthday gift of a Viking Professional range went from gastronomic glory to never-ending nightmare. We all have a vision of Vikings with their blonde hair and blue eyes, maybe a braided ponytail, a long beard, and a helmet with horns. They carry swords, wear fur, and travel on ships. When they come to your village, they destroy everything they don’t steal, before running off with your women. At least that’s the usual story.
Read full storyI Believe In America
America has historically considered itself to be a theocratic society controlled by a secular government, but we are now facing a crisis where faith might either be our saving grace or ultimate undoing.
Read full storyThe Disney Queue Of Vaccinations
There is a natural inefficiency to the vaccination program in America that is likely intentional even if accidental. I used to do a bit of consulting work for the Disney Corporation, an organization that practically invented waiting in line, or as the British like to call it, the queue. In the old days, the good people at Disney learned that if people could see how long a line was, they wouldn’t stand for it, or in it. But if you snaked the line through various areas, meant to allow you the feeling of progress, maybe gave you different things to look at, eventually, you’d be too far in to turn back, and you’d wait in lines longer than you would otherwise. You could, in effect, pack a lot more people into the park than the rides could possibly accommodate.
Read full storyFingerpainting Into Middle Age
We lose our nerve as we age, there is no getting around it. Not you, you say. Maybe so. Momentum is a wonderful thing and if you’re already moving, it’s not so hard to keep it going. If you’re a hardcore traveler and you just keep traveling, it’s probably easier to survive on forward momentum. But if and when we stop, and sit down, say for a few decades, it’s really hard to start running again.
Read full storyRed Flag Warning In Effect For Cape May County
A New Jersey firefighter remains hospitalized after battling a wildfire in Lakewood, NJ. Cape May Court House, NJ | Monday, March 15, 2021 — The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for most of New Jersey, including Cape May County, which will remain in effect until 5pm EST. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are expected due to a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and dry fuels. Any fires that develop may quickly get out of control and become difficult to contain.
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