Facets of Our Lives

My godmother had a birthday last week, turning 65 years old. As she's gotten older, my mother has begun to be more conscious of people dying. My godmother is fine, of course, but my mother was worried that she would not be notified if something were to have happened. Despite having been friends for nearly 50 years, there aren't many people left who would know to call my mother if my godmother passed away. But this is not a problem unique to the older set. Thanks to the internet, I was able to reconnect with someone I'd not spoken to, at that point, in 15 years. In catching up, I learned that he had almost died a few years before. Aside from being relieved that he had survived, I realized how devastated I would have been if I had not re-established contact in time. And unless I now specifically directed him to make some sort of arrangement, I might not find out if something happened to him even now. We are all connected yet disconnected. Not to be morose, but if I we...

Two days ago, Representative Anthony Weiner of New York admitted that he had sent "inappropriate" photos of himself to a female college student in Washington state over Twitter . I am not sure why we're all surprised by this, nor am I sure why the United States or the American media are apoplectic over this. Millions of people -- literally millions -- have sent some form of risqué image of themselves to other people. Every new technology has been sexualized whenever possible, especially over the last two centuries. Pornographic photography is as old as photography itself, and once cameras became cheap enough to be available to the masses, people sent self-images to the objects of their sexual affection. The internet is just faster and a lot less private. But I can't get upset at little (or not so little) Anthony for being as human as the rest of us. "But he's a married man!" Do you think he is the first married man to do this? He's not even t...