From the category archives:

Society

Authentic Manhood

Walking through my old neighborhood, I noticed one of my old friends, Vando, walking toward me.
“What’s up, man,” he said as we shook hands. A few years had passed since I had seen Vando, but his weathered face made it seem as if it were decades.
“Nothing much,” I replied. “What’s been up with you?”
“Same ole, [...]

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Mean Girls

My daughter, Nee, is such a sweet little girl: pretty, smart, and well-mannered. She is also painfully shy and finds it difficult to make friends. That’s why it breaks my heart that most of her “friends” have turned out to be mean girls.
One day Nee and her friends are all happily playing Ring-Around-The-Rosey. The next [...]

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Marriage is For White People

In 2006, The Washington Post published an op-ed essay by writer Joy Jones with the provocative headline “Marriage Is for White People.” The headline didn’t reflect Jones’ views; it repeated what one of her students told her when she taught a career exploration class for a predominantly black group of sixth-graders.
If you look at the [...]

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Talking About Alcohol

My wife, K, and I had to have a talk about alcohol with our 8-year-old daughter, Nee. We realized that Nee was quite naïve about the topic after she attended a wedding reception. While waiting in line to get some hors d’oeuvres, Nee noticed another line and asked K what the people were waiting for.
“They’re [...]

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Wednesday Wisdom:A Legacy of Financial Security

Life was a lot simpler when what we honored was father and mother rather than all major credit cards. – Robert Orben
In order to feed our insatiable consumerism, many of us turn to credit cards. Unfortunately, this cash substitute has lead to massive consumer debt and has contributed to our current economic crisis. Total consumer [...]

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Martin Luther the King

The other day, my daughter, Nee, who is in second grade, was complaining to my wife, K, that her school has shown the same documentary on Martin Luther King, Jr. since she was in kindergarten. Nee attends a private Christian school that has an African-American population of about 2%. We worry about the diversity of [...]

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A Special Thank You to The Troops Serving in Iraq

I would like to take a moment to thank our brave troops who serve and protect the United States of America.
Since I’ve been in Iraq, I’ve had the opportunity to talk to a few soldiers and marines and to see them in action. Many of these troops are 18 or 19 year old kids who [...]

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Hurricane Ike: The Aftermath

Things are still crazy in Houston. Most of the city is still without power and many of the streets are impassable. Thanks to a cold front that arrived Sunday, temperatures have been in the 70s, so people have not had to suffer blistering heat.
Mayor Bill White ordered a week-long curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 [...]

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Surviving Hurricane Ike

We have survived Hurricane Ike. I’m thankful that no one was hurt and that we suffered minimal property damaged. Many Texans were not so lucky.
I wrote an earlier post about our hurricane preparations. Things were fairly calm then. As the day progressed, the situation quickly deteriorated. My house was full of people – my family [...]

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Hurricane Ike Approaches

I hate hurricanes. I was born and raised in Texas and have also lived in Florida for several years, so I’ve dealt with these storms all of my life. Every June through November, I, along with millions of Gulf Coast residents, go into high alert. But no matter how many hurricanes you’ve experienced, you never [...]

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The Day That Changed the World

Today the nation remembers the horrific events of September 11, 2001. On that day, seven years ago, I was serving on a jury for a personal injury case. Since I arrived at the courthouse two hours early, I decided to get some breakfast. I arrived at the mall just as the second plane hit the [...]

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Murderer: A New Definition of Manhood

I am not a murderer. I have never killed anyone, nor do I intend to. But a little boy made me feel as if I should, if I am to be a real man.
I met him at a basketball court where several young ballers came to play. Running up and down the court to the [...]