by Jeff Maisey | Nov 3, 2015 | News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham Let’s talk about the word “nigger.” It’s been in the news, after all, ever since a Newport News history teacher was suspended late last month for saying it in class. In case you missed the story, the teacher was trying to explain why some people...
by Jeff Maisey | Sep 16, 2015 | News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham You should be grateful for the weeds you have in your mind because eventually they will enrich your practice. ~ Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. Now that the summer of 2015 has come and gone, I find myself reflecting on the last...
by Jeff Maisey | Aug 26, 2015 | News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham If a nation expects to be ignorant and free…, it expects what never was and never will be. ~ Thomas Jefferson. Last month in this space, I wrote an essay called “History Lessons.” My inspiration for doing so was the mass of misinformation...
by Jeff Maisey | Jul 18, 2015 | News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery.~ Mississippi’s official declaration of secession, 1861. Some years ago, I wrote a book about the Civil War. I had recently moved to Norfolk, so my publisher arranged some...
by Jeff Maisey | Jun 10, 2015 | News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham So we saunter toward the Holy Land, till one day the sun shall shine…into our minds and hearts, and illuminate our whole lives with a great awakening light. ~ Henry David Thoreau. Some years ago I read a wonderful little book by Bill McKibben,...
by Jeff Maisey | Jun 1, 2015 | News & Views, Robotham
By Tom Robotham Recently I sat down to a lovely brunch with someone at 456 Fish, one of my favorite Norfolk restaurants. As I was savoring my first bite of Eggs Benedict, I noticed that my companion hadn’t yet lifted her fork. Instead, she was blessing her...
