Governing Bodies
Amidst the many controversies that the IOC (International Olympic Committee) governing body dealt with leading up to the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, one that has not garnered as much attention is governing the bodies of transgender athletes. For the first time in Olympic history the IOC has ruled to allow trans-athletes to complete according to […]
The Heart of the Matter
President Obama came to Dallas to help heal the broken hearts of family and friends of the five police officers murdered by a gunman at a Black Lives Matter rally. His opening words of comfort addressed the character of each of the slain policeman, naming them and speaking about them each as men of valor, […]
Old Friends
Many years back I was in contact with an elementary school classmate who I had not seen in years and suggested to him that we organize a reunion of our 8th grade graduating class, there were 90 of us and it would have marked 30 years. We began to track people down but quickly found […]
Garment of Faith
Abigail, Aishatu, Amina, Asabe, Awa, Awagana, Blessing, Christiana, Christy, Comfort, Confort, Deborah, Docas, Eli, Esther, Falta, Fatima, Febi, Filo, Gloria, Glory, Godiya, Grace, Hadiza, Halima, Hamsatu, Hana, Hanata, Hanatu, Hasana, Hauwa, Helen, Ihyi, Jinkai, Juliana, Jummai, Kabu, Kauna, Kume, Kummai, Kwadugu, Kwanta, Ladi, Laraba, Liyatu, Lugwa, Lydia, Maifa, Maimuna, Mairama, Margret, Mary, Maryamu, Monica, Muli, […]
Polar Opposites
Perhaps human beings will always need contrasts to appreciate the fullness of life: Light and dark, holy and defiled, life and death. Perhaps that is why we characterize knowing something thoroughly as knowing it “inside out.” The brilliant film Inside Out, which after many watchings I know “inside out”, portrays the inner workings of our […]
Statute of Limitations
“I felt a connection to these people. In an odd way blood calls—their suffering from so long ago called out to me and I felt a needed to do something for them—I just didn’t know what to do.” As Jay Sanchez reports, a lawyer admitted to the bar of New York State, his interest in […]
Prison Break
The greatest prisoner release is about to take place this coming year in the United States. It will exponentially eclipse the number of pardons by any President, including the record setting 248 prisoners that President Obama has either commuted sentences or pardoned from their drug convicted incarcerations. This greatest prisoner release about to take place […]
Camera Shy
The word “umble” itself has no dictionary definition yet there appears to be a root meaning that connects the following 10 words: Bumble. Crumble. Fumble. Grumble. Humble. Jumble. Mumble. Rumble. Stumble. Tumble. Umbling in one form or another connotes a humbling experience—one you have to lift yourself up from—from thoughts that are a jumble, to […]
The Highest Opinion
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan agree 93% of the time on cases brought before the U.S. Supreme Court (the only higher concordance between Supreme Court justices is Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor at 94%). While Ginsburg and Kagan, liberal women justices, have agreed with Justice Antonin Scalia far less (70% and 74% respectively) they were […]
Tumbling Walls
Man is a great wall builder The Berlin Wall The Wailing Wall of Jerusalem But the wall most impregnable Has a moat flowing with fright around his heart A wall without windows for the spirit to breeze through without a door for love to walk in. These few lines of poetry by the South African […]