Pain and Hope

Pain and Hope

In 1898, a German scientist believed he had discovered the Holy Grail of pain relief.Heinrich Dreser, who worked as a chemist for Bayer – the corporation that had created a remarkable new drug called aspirin – was hoping to synthesize a painkiller that wouldn’t lead...
Leadership 101

Leadership 101

What’s the most pathetic / head-scratching / cringe-worthy verse in the Bible?There are numerous candidates.  But one of the finalists has to be Exodus 32:24, where Aaron, Israel’s first high priest, abandons all leadership responsibility and accountability...
Birdwatching

Birdwatching

Eugene Schieffelin meant well.  All he wanted to do was honor his favorite playwright.The German-born immigrant – and Shakespeare obsessive – yearned to introduce to America all the birds mentioned in the Bard’s plays. At great personal expense, he imported...
Missing the Adventure

Missing the Adventure

When I was 10 years old, the coach of my summer softball team spoke to me some of the most heartening words I have ever heard.“You have been chosen to be on the All-Star team. And the other coaches and I have been talking, and we want you to be the starting pitcher.”...
The Scream

The Scream

Journalist Arthur Lubow called it “an icon of modern art, a Mona Lisa for our time.”If The Scream is representative of the spirit of our age, then we live in a deeply unsettling period of history.    The Norwegian artist Edvard Munch never concealed his...