By Mickey Friedman July 9, 2014 We Americans love TV. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, American men watch 2.69 hours each weekday and 3.67 hours a day during weekends and holidays. Women watch 2.45 hours a week day…
The G Word
By Mickey Friedman July 4, 2014 I got my first real job at twelve. I had tried shining shoes outside the Jerome Avenue subway station, and sold my share of Kool-Aid but wasn’t very good at either. So, after school,…
One Man’s Significant
By Mickey Friedman June 11, 2014 Significant. There are several definitions including “large enough to be noticed” and “very important.” So for one man, what’s significant is noticeable. For another, it’s an important change. The Berkshire Eagle reported that at…
For the Love of Government
By Kurt Kruger June 11, 2014 In late March, 1999, I traveled to Tyumen, Siberia with my — now former — wife to adopt a baby boy. It was and remains the greatest thing I have ever done. Traveling to…
Missing The Point
By Mickey Friedman June 1, 2014 If you want to know what’s wrong with us these days, take a look at the Berkshire Eagle of May 13th. There’s a big two-page story atop The Berkshires, Section B, about a Pittsfield…
The Bear on The Hill
By Mickey Friedman May 13, 2014 I’ve got mice. A friend’s got rats. Congressman Bill Shein just lost a duck to a fox. Mice, rats, tigers, lions, and bears. Everywhere it’s war. Congressman Bill, the most nonviolent of men, had…
Thanksgiving Thursday
By Mickey Friedman May 7, 2014 We of The Best Small Town in America are more than lucky. Because, for us, Thanksgiving comes not just once each year but once a week. That is, if you make your way to…
Me and My Yo-Yo Ma
By Mickey Friedman April 8, 2014 I have a thing for purple. And pigtails. Hers were reddish-blonde. It was like I was in a movie. With a halo of light about her. And even though I was making my way…
Eyes on the Plastic Prize
By Mickey Friedman March 23, 2014 You. Yes, you. Put down that coffee cup for just a minute. And you — with the white wine spritzer. Take a moment, a deep breath. Now give yourself a hand. A heartfelt round…
Do You Still Have My Back?
By Mickey Friedman March 9, 2014 It’s not often I get a letter from President Obama. In big letters on the front of the envelope it asked: “Do you still have my back?” My legal name is Michael but my…