I've put off writing this piece for a long time. The subject is sensitive for a number of reasons. But given the things going on both here, in Europe and the Middle East these days, perhaps it's time to visit this subject, although I'd be the first to admit the example I'm presenting isn't the …
Going to the Mat with the Town of Palm Beach for Religious Freedom
Temple Emanu-El hangs tough: In an Aug. 10 letter to lead code enforcement officer Rob Walton, attorney Marvin Rosen - a past president of the synagogue - stated: “any attempt by the town to limit, through its zoning code, the number of worshippers that can be accommodated in a house of worship would constitute an …
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The Palm Beach Way of Exclusivity is in the Animal Kingdom, Too
And why not? Wild bottlenose dolphins bond over their use of tools, with distinct cliques and classes forming over decades as a result of their skills, scientists have found. The communities, which have been compared with societies such as the Bullingdon Club in humans, mean the aquatic animals share their knowledge only with those in …
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The Importance of Keeping the Riff-Raff Out
Club memberships have been a part of my family tradition since the Gilded Age. Although it isn't one of our more prestigious memberships, my business membership in Sam's Club is doubtless one of the more useful. One of the nice perks with such a membership is the ability to get in and get your shopping …
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It's Always Something with a House of Worship, and That Includes a Synagogue
Temple Emanu-El and the Town of Palm Beach go to the mat on another absurd "code violation": Temple Emanu-El must reduce the number of seats in its auditorium by more than half, or obtain Town Council approval for the 542 seats that it has. In a July 12 code violation notice, the town informed the …
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A Geologic View of Old Florida and its Coral Reefs
While reading Grabau's 1913 Principles of Stratigraphy, I came across this fascinating description of the geology of Florida and its coral reefs. This is for the most part a summary of expeditions in the early 1850's by two of this country's pioneering geologists: Louis Agassiz and Joseph LeConte. In addition to the outline of the …
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When It's Fashionable to be Cynical
Like now: President Obama spoke today at a campaign rally in Durham, New Hampshire. "You know, it's fashionable right now for people to be cynical. We go in cycles like this and right now a lot of people are saying "Oh, America is doing terribly" and "What are we going to do?"... Being cynical, however, …
The Important Difference Between Inexcusable and Unforgivable
I recently read a Father's Day article from a man well-known in men's ministry circles, who described the importance of forgiving his father for certain things, as his father had to do with his father, and so on. One of the commenters launched into a bitter diatribe about his nasty Broward County divorce, about how …
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Living the Sermon on the Mount, Episcopal Style
Notre Dame's Gary Gutting doesn't think much of the real import of the Sermon on the Mount: The Sermon on the Mount, however, does not offer a clear view of what makes for a good life. Many seem to think Jesus is saying little more than be nice to everybody. Others see a call to …
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The Church of the Palm Crosses Becomes the Church of the Double Cross
Today is Palm Sunday, when we celebrate Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an entry which turned sour very quickly for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, then back to the supreme triumph of the Resurrection. For those who experienced it the first time, it was at least an emotional roller-coaster; our attempts to recreate the experience …
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Positive Infinity 