That's my grandfather, Joseph Yves Louis Lehardy. He was a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, to borrow from Churchill. Both he and my grandmother died before I was born, and 4 of their 7 children passed on before my 18th birthday. His family grew up broken apart by hardship and tragedy; ... Continue reading
Blind faith
June 26, 2009 By 3 Comments
When a Fail-Safe system fails, it fails by failing to fail safe. — John Gall, Systemantics: How Systems Work and Especially How They Fail, 1975. "I truly believe Metro is a safe system." — DC Metro General Manager John B Catoe, Jr., quoted in the Washington Post. A "fail-safe" automatic traffic ... Continue reading
Just give us a straight answer
April 19, 2009 By 1 Comment
Jesus never gives a straight answer. Tell us, his enemies demand, Are you the Christ? Frequently, He refuses to answer, and when He gives an answer, He says things like "You have said" and "You say that I am." Maddening.Jesus could have preemptively silenced a century and more of scholarly ... Continue reading
Survival instinct
August 28, 2008 By 2 Comments
[Joe Eszterhas] plopped down on a curb and cried. Sobbed, even. And for the first time since he was a child, he prayed: "Please God, help me."Mr. Eszterhas was shocked by his own prayer."I couldn't believe I'd said it. I didn't know why I'd said it. I'd never said it before," he ... Continue reading
Faith thrives in America
July 2, 2008 By
Is there someone working the levers behind the curtain? Does God exist?According to the latest Pew Forum US Religious Landscape Survey, an ongoing examination of American religious beliefs and practices, 92% of us are betting on the existence of God or a "universal spirit." 7 in 10 are ... Continue reading
It’s all in your head
February 26, 2008 By 10 Comments
It turns out that it's all in my head. The ringing in my ears, that is.For several years now, I've been hearing a persistent tone, 3,950 Hz to be precise, the highest B on a piano keyboard. Tinnitus is usually caused by damage to the ears from loud noises or music. Maybe I listened to Pink Floyd ... Continue reading
Who’s in charge?
December 14, 2007 By
I suppose if you asked any of the candidates for president why he (or she) is running for office, they'd all say they want to change things.It may be the universal first cause for public service. Men and women at every level of government will tell you that they got into politics because they ... Continue reading
Depressed by jazz
November 23, 2007 By 3 Comments
I don't grok jazz.My local PBS station plays jazz at night, and I listen from time to time, hoping that my mother's asparagus theory will win out.(Certain disgusting vegetables, like asparagus, are an acquired taste, according to my mother. She claimed that if I kept choking them down, I'd ... Continue reading
