Monthly Archives: March 2025

A Rant, Being a Dutch Uncle, and Trump’s War on the Undocumented

Dear Nephew, Forgive the letter format, but it’s easier for me to type with all ten fingers than just my thumbs. Before I begin, I want to be transparent about my feelings regarding immigration. In 1936, my father and his … Continue reading

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Cherry Blossoms, The Garden State, and Presidential Role Models

People often get the wrong idea about New Jersey. The image they conjure when the state’s name is mentioned is that of the New Jersey Turnpike between the George Washington Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing, which offers stunning views of … Continue reading

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The Whataboutism Poll

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Anniversaries, Going Brazilian, and Gratitude

Thirteen years ago today, I met Elaine. I was on an eighteen-day cruise up the coast of Brazil with a transatlantic passage that would make port in Morocco, Portugal, and Italy. It did not start well. My first dinner partner … Continue reading

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The Brazilian Constitution, Mar-A-Lago and the Democracy of the Beach

Brazil’s democracy is among the youngest in the world. After decades of a repressive dictatorship, supported in part by the U.S., Brazil adopted its current constitution in 1988. It did not hold its first presidential election until 1989. Despite its … Continue reading

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The Smoking Snake, My Dad, and The Forgotten Lessons of The Greatest Generation

My wife met my father for the first and only time in the last month of his life. Three months earlier, I had met this gorgeous, smart, funny woman on an eighteen-day cruise up the coast of Brazil, with a … Continue reading

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Jardim Itanhangá, Carnival and Washington DC

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Jardim Itanhangá, Carnival and Washington DC

We live in a quiet neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, nestled in the shadow of Pedra da Gávea—the world’s tallest coastal monolith (2,769 feet)—and a cone-shaped granite dome (whose name I don’t know and, apparently, neither does anyone around here. … Continue reading

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