Author Archives: thebookofworks

I believe I got my strong reluctance to indulge in personal insults from two very different communities with whom I have had strong ties. The first, from age about 6 till 13 was made up of my neighborhood friends in … Continue reading →

An online friend named Shafir Sabbag sent me three questions about Alfred Wallace, the co-discoverer of evolution independently of Charles Darwin. I found the questions thought-provoking, and after writing my answers, decided it might be worth posting on this blog. … Continue reading →

When I was told to choose between you and a thief, like the crowd in Jerusalem, I chose the thief to live and you to die. Like the Roman soldiers, I mocked you as you walked to your death, I made … Continue reading →

A few of my readers might recognize this piece. It was first published in a now defunct chat site, ten years ago. It is daytime, but the sky is dark, storm clouds race and pour down thunder. The landscape is … Continue reading →

I don’t mean in the flesh; Luca has been dead and gone for a long time. But have you heard of him? An important individual was Luca. I am descended from him, and so are you. And everyone else, and … Continue reading →

There are some really strange things about the universe that science has uncovered in the past century, and among the strangest is the behavior of tiny particles such as protons and photons. Quantum entanglement is the phenomenon where two particles … Continue reading →

No tree. No presents. No bells and no holly. The house was dark when Tommy got home. It was Christmas Eve, but there was no sign of that in the house. Just another stupid day, as his father always said. … Continue reading →

I believe in a God who answers prayers, and who interacts with me on a personal level. I also believe that God is the creator of all that exists. We don’t know how God created our universe, or even what … Continue reading →

Towards the end of my academic career, I was appointed to be an academic member of an NIH Special Review Committee tasked with evaluating about a half dozen grant applications submitted in response to a “Request For Applications (RFA)” from … Continue reading →

Seventy five years ago, on a dark and stormy Halloween night at about 3 AM, a baby was born. To the surprise of all, the baby was a boy. This was surprising because the mother and all her cousins and … Continue reading →