Roxanne Tellier – Empathy and a God in Our Own Image

The holiday season is a good time to think about our interactions with other people. We really want to make our loved ones smile, so we’ll do as much as we can to please them. We search out gifts for giving that we think will delight our friends and acquaintances, hoping to strike that balance between spending too much or not enough. And, in the best case scenario, we find it in our hearts and pocketbooks to donate a little to those who have less than we do; some of us will do that because we think it’s right to share what we have with others, while some will do so because donations can be written off on next year’s taxes. Either way – our donations and caring will have some impact on those in need.

Nadia Elkharadly: The Reality of Reality TV

I realized as I sat down to write this column that I’d written two very serious columns back to back.  I’m not a very serious person, or at least I try very hard not to be, so, frankly, I figured it was time to tackle a far more inane subject, one that’s near and dear to all of our hearts: Reality Television!  I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I’d had a brief brush with that television phenomenon that is sweeping the globe.  I won’t go into specifics about the show I did, mostly because it’s kind of embarrassing, but also because if you really want to watch it, it’s not that difficult to find and you, my lovely readers, are surely up to the challenge if your urge to see it is so great.