Long Read
Why Not Polygamy?
Polygamy is a criminal offense throughout the Western world. Would making it legal be progress?
Roya Hakakian and How to Speak About What No One Wants to Hear
I. Roya Hakakian is an American writer from Iran who commands a distinctive ability to speak about large and horrific events in a chipper tone that appears to underplay the horrific quality and, by apparently underplaying, ends up subtly underlining. It is an artful tone. It is cagey, charming, disarming,
Get Ready for the Return of the Abortion Novel
The abortion novels that proliferated in the late 1960s were filled with characters who are forced by carelessness and circumstance to make the most agonizing of personal choices.
Deterrence After Ukraine—A Critical Analysis
On February 24th, Russia invaded Ukraine with the explicit goal of eliminating its existence as an independent country. Why was Russian President Vladimir Putin not deterred by the risk of a response from the West/NATO? This question requires a review of the fundamentals of conventional deterrence, neglected by the
The Transmogrification of Harvey Weinstein
I was a good friend of Harvey Weinstein during his early years as a concert promoter, before he became Harvey Weinstein, movie mogul. We subsequently drifted apart, and while Harvey went on to find astronomic success in Hollywood, I worked as the chief psychologist at the Massachusetts Treatment Center for
Autism or Encephalitis? My Son’s Misdiagnosis and Our Family’s Season in Hell
One night in August 2021, at around 2am, my husband and I were awakened by the sound of laughter coming from our son’s bedroom down the hall. I went in to check on him. Our five-year-old, “Leo,” was awake and running around the room in circles, plowing into toys
The Land Where Angela Davis Is Queen
In the immediate aftermath of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, the Chancellor and the Executive Director of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at my alma mater, the University of California, Santa Cruz, issued a joint proclamation condemning the verdict. It began with this: We are disheartened and dismayed by
The Schenker Controversy
In the realization of my plan, I will not permit myself to be distracted by anything in the world, and it is my conviction that the truth, however anybody may try to assault, ignore, or otherwise abuse it, will nevertheless prevail. ~Heinrich Schenker Located in the Neue Israelitische Friedhof [the
