by Matthew Friedman | May 18, 2020 | Commentary
I ran a half-marathon yesterday in the early morning light, all by myself. After 13.1 miles, and more than 600 feet of climbing on the roads that snake ever upward through the fells north of Boston, I staggered to the door of my apartment building, thirsty, tired and,...
by Matthew Friedman | Apr 19, 2020 | Commentary, Politics
Now that Bernie Sanders has dropped out of the Democratic primary and endorsed Joe Biden, the choice facing voters in November will almost certainly be between the former vice president and Donald Trump, barring any unforeseen developments (incapacity, a rebellion at...
by Matthew Friedman | Mar 17, 2020 | Commentary
“Just purchased 4 rolls of toilet paper, kinda feel like Indiana Jones.” My friend had just returned from shopping the bare shelves of a suburban Chicago supermarket like an action hero for the essentials to survive a plague. “It’s eerie and quiet out there,” joked...
by Matthew Friedman | Mar 8, 2020 | Commentary, Politics
Elizabeth Warren has faced entrenched sexism at every turn in her personal, professional, and political life. It is what turned her once-promising presidential campaign into an uphill slog against the misogyny deeply rooted in the soil of American culture. It is the...
by Matthew Friedman | Jan 1, 2020 | Commentary
Do you remember when 2016 was “the worst year ever,” and we looked forward to the possibilities offered by 2017? Leonard Cohen, David Bowie, Prince, George Michael, and Carrie Fisher all died in 2016, in what seemed like quick succession. It was an incalculable loss...
by Matthew Friedman | Dec 13, 2019 | Commentary
Wednesday, December 11 – or 13 Kislev in the Jewish calendar – felt unbearably surreal. I felt as if a waking nightmare had mobilized my darkest terrors as I traveled home, trapped on one delayed flight after another, to sit shiva for a beloved and respected uncle....