In the 1960s, my friend Lynn taught for two years in a rural community in South Korea, surrounded by rice fields. Homes and buildings had no central heating, no indoor plumbing, only occasional electricity, and modest school supplies for the children. Lynn was in South Korea as a Peace Corps volunte...

A collaboration with the Westfield High School Journalism Program

“Does that little boy have a face?” I kidded my husband last Sunday, as we waited for a table at a weekend brunch spot. A three-year-old boy caught our attention. He sat with his mother and her friend, his face hidden behind a waffle. His eyes, nose, chin, and mouth, even his hair, were invisible, a...

A collaboration with the Westfield High School Journalism ProgramRecently, it feels as if every time I watch the news, there is a new controversial story about ICE raids, arrests, protests, etc. This government agency, which is supposed to protect its citizens, has been the leading cause of panic in...

Last month, outgoing Attorney General Matthew Platkin pulled what appeared to be a last-minute, attention-grabbing rabbit out of his hat when he levied a civil lawsuit against the Township of Clark and its Police Department.The suit, filed just days before Mr. Platkin finished out his appointment, a...

In a year of a Doge-induced precipitous job loss in my immediate family, emergency open-heart surgery for me, and the discovery of colon cancer in a beloved family member just before Christmas, I’ve found myself grasping onto the ledge of life, staring down into an abyss.Reading The Correspondent, V...

A collaboration with the Westfield High School Journalism Program

What happened to reason, logic and the rule of law? We fear that they are all out the window as politics have devolved along with the rise of social media. Because of the algorithm, everyone is allowed to exist in their own echo chamber, and the ability to have reasonable, rational conversation has ...

A collaboration with the Westfield High School Journalism Program

In my last column, I shared the story of a patient who obsessed about having hit a pedestrian near my office, despite no evidence that she’d done so. The recommended treatment for these ruminative thoughts and accompanying checking behaviors is to stop seeking reassurance and learn to soothe oneself...