Monthly Archives: September 2011

Obama’s Policy on Israel and Palestine

Posted on September 23, 2011 by hessd

How shall we approach the decades-long standoff between Israel and Palestine?  In our rush to establish one position or another, we blow right by the general questions which the positions purportedly address.  Any set of comparable positions lines up on … Continue reading →

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Djokovic Plays Erikson, Round 7

Posted on September 19, 2011 by hessd

I hate to abandon Roger Federer after so long, but since he lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, I will have to examine Erikson’s Stage 8 with Djokovic in mind.  He is the one who actually made it to Stage 8.  … Continue reading →

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Love and Savvy

Posted on September 17, 2011 by hessd

I haven’t actually read the book Women Who Love Too Much, but when I saw it on the shelf, I knew I didn’t want to.  The person who made up that title—I understand that it might not have been the … Continue reading →

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Federer Plays Erikson, Round 6

Posted on September 17, 2011 by hessd

It has taken me a little while to recover from the semifinals.  Even if you don’t follow tennis, you probably know now that Novak Djokovic won the U. S. Open and since you know how tournaments work, you know that … Continue reading →

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Federer Plays Erikson, Round 5

Posted on September 10, 2011 by hessd

In the musical, 1776, John Dickinson of Pennsylvania objects to the wording of Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, which was before the Second Continental Congress for debate.  Jefferson had referred to King George as a “tyrant.”  King George, Mr. Dickinson … Continue reading →

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Reading Year (RY) 2012

Posted on September 9, 2011 by hessd

You can have conflicting short-term and long-term goals, right?  I want to lose weight over the longer term, but I want that milkshake RIGHT NOW!  With that in mind, the sentiment I want to begin with today might not be so … Continue reading →

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American Exceptionalism

Posted on September 8, 2011 by hessd

I got a late start on the current discussion of “American Exceptionalism.”  When I was in grad school, there was some talk about it.  The idea at the time was that the U. S., unique among the Western powers, had … Continue reading →

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Federer Plays Erikson, Round 4

Posted on September 8, 2011 by hessd

Roger Federer had absolutely no trouble with Juan Monaco last night.  Did Monaco have a bad game?  Did it start too late?  Is Roger finally getting focused on the tournament?  He had better start to get focused, because he has … Continue reading →

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Federer Plays Erikson, Round 3

Posted on September 5, 2011 by hessd

The first week of the U. S. Open tennis championship is drawing to a close and we won’t know anything more about my guy until Monday, when he will be playing Juan Monaco of Venezuela. If you have not been … Continue reading →

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Federer Plays Erikson, Round 2

Posted on September 2, 2011 by hessd

I’ve been using Roger Federer’s progress through the U. S. Open to pursue my idea that Erik Erikson’s famous set of developmental stages can be thought of as a tournament in some ways.  To compensate for the fact that there … Continue reading →

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