by Jeff Maisey | Aug 20, 2026 | News, News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham In early June, as my 70th birthday approached, I purchased a new piano. When it was delivered a day later, I felt like a kid on Christmas morning. To understand what it meant to me, you need to know some personal history. When I was growing up, my...
by Jeff Maisey | Jul 24, 2026 | News, News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham I’ve never cared much for the Fourth of July. As a child, I associated it with the incessant noise of illegal fireworks and kids I knew who’d been maimed by them: a boy who was missing three fingers because an M-80 had blown up in his hand and a girl...
by Jeff Maisey | Jun 14, 2026 | News, News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham Recently I began reading The Anxious Generation, by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt—a book that explores the dramatic rise in mental illness among teens, beginning around 2010. He makes a compelling case that the chief cause is the proliferation of...
by Jeff Maisey | May 22, 2026 | News, News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham Now that another academic year has come and gone, I find myself reflecting on the future of American higher education. The challenges facing colleges and universities, after all, are formidable, and there’s every indication that they will grow more...
by Jeff Maisey | Apr 19, 2026 | News, News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake… by an infinite expectation of the dawn. – Henry David Thoreau As I approach the age of 70, I’m growing more acutely aware of my diminished capacities. The physical limitations are especially...
by Jeff Maisey | Mar 15, 2026 | News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham On March 25, the Yankees and the Giants will kick off the 2026 baseball season. The next day, the other 28 major league teams will join the action. Normally, I’d be excited about this. As I’ve noted in this space before, baseball is my favorite sport,...
