When a bunch of 20-year-olds live next to one another in close quarters, mischief will invariably appear on the scene. In the famous Great Battle of the Dorm, tear gas became the predominant weapon. For us chemistry students, making this kind of odious substance was a breeze. There are many chemical compounds that will…
When people, who are old enough to remember, are asked to name the one individual who contributed the most to the downfall of communism, many will answer “Ronald Reagan”. While President Reagan certainly deserves much credit, I would like to submit four other candidates for the top spot: John, Paul George and Ringo. In the…
My Colleagues in the Messenger Office The two and a half years I spent doing messenger work turned the German college professor into a Manhattan street urchin. Occasionally, I would ask myself: “So where is the life of glamor the Russian English professor had hinted at during my interview in Moscow?” Perhaps it…
7AM, the alarm rings. One look out the window and I really do not want to get up. There is a driving rain outside and the temperature is hovering around 40 degrees. ‘This will be a tough day’ I think ‘but I got to go – if I don’t show up in bad weather,…
I wrote this piece for my daughter when she was 16 years old and a struggling teenager. At the time, she did not know about my past and my decision to defy the KGB and risk capture by the FBI for only one reason: To be with her and to take care of her. Today,…
An Egregious Purchase – Shoes With Laces on One Side! Unfortunately, all the available funds could not buy an upgrade for my mother’s sense of fashion. She continued to fancy herself the plain Jane from the country. She persisted in dressing down, but worst of all, she still made sartorial decisions on my behalf. Thank…
