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"Luke Ford reports all of the 'juicy' quotes, and has been doing it for years." (Marc B. Shapiro)
"This guy knows all the gossip, the ins and outs, the lashon hara of the Orthodox world. He’s an [expert] in... all the inner workings of the Orthodox world." (Rabbi Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff) LATEST POSTS:
- Scenes from a Documented Life: Mickey Kaus
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- Scenes from the 155 IQ Life
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- Scenes from the Passport Question
- Scenes from Human Resources
- Scenes from the Unsubscribe Economy
- Donny Pauling: The Producer Who Sold His Repentance
- Are There Any Serial Killers In 90035?
- Karl Taro Greenfeld: The Brother, the Correspondent, the Fire
- Bret Stephens
- My Stanley Fish Reading List
- Why So Much Elite Enthusiasm For The Odyssey?
- Are There Realistic Ways Of Unifying America?
- Scenes from the Chokepoint Economy
- Robert Putnam: The Man Who Counted What America Lost
- W. Bradford Wilcox: The Sociologist Who Tells America to Get Married
- Peter Moskos: The Cop Who Talks to People
BEST POSTS:
- * The Enlightenment Wasn’t Enlightened (6-23-26)
* Mr. Burge Draws The Line (6-23-26)
* 'Improving on Democracy' (6-17-26)
* People Leak To People Who Are Fun (6-11-26)
* Why Does Australia Produce So Many Great Journalists? (6-11-26)
* Steve Wynn and the Press: Power, Litigation, and the Contest Over Las Vegas (6-3-26)
* Sheldon Adelson and the Journalists (6-3-26)
* The Vigilant Animal: Thinkers Who Reject the Myth of Human Gullibility (6-2-26)
* The Cost of Refusing the Misunderstanding Myth (6-2-26)
* Show Me How It Travels (6-2-26)
* The Norm Explainers (6-2-26)
* Centering Marginalized Voices (6-1-26)
* What would it look like if the Washington Post put its reader first? (6-1-26)
* What would it look like if the Financial Times put its reader first? (6-1-26)
* What It Would Mean for the Los Angeles Times to Put the Reader First? (6-1-26)
* What It Would Mean for The New York Times to Put the Reader First? (6-1-26)
* Why Wembanyama Lives on the Perimeter (5-31-26)
* The Emotional Palettes Of San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco & Sacramento (5-27-26)
* The Administrative Capital: Sacramento Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* San Diego - The Quiet Republic (5-27-26)
* The Quiet Bar: San Diego Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* SF v LA Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* Why Talent Travels Poorly Between San Francisco and Los Angeles (5-27-26)
* San Francisco and Los Angeles as Rival Models of Urban Access (5-27-26)
* Social Cliques in New York, 2026 (5-25-26)
* Social Cliques in San Francisco, 2026 (5-25-26)
* The Rival Courts of Washington (5-25-26)
* The City of Private Rooms (5-25-26)
Category Archives: Personal
Prisoners Of War
I’m watching this Israeli TV show “Prisoners of War” and this gorgeous girl, working undercover, throws herself at this guy to try to suck information out of him. And I’m thinking, I’d give anything to be this guy. This is … Continue reading
Posted in Abandonment, Addiction, Personal
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Turning Points
* When I was a child, I had these bouts of conscience where I confessed my sins to my step-mom. This began my life-long habit of confessing, which has repaired many a relationship. For the last 16 years, I’ve done … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
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What Was The Last Day Of My Youth?
I just watched this movie for the third time. I love it. It’s about growing up an Adventist in Australia. It made me think, what was the last day of my youth? Here’s my answer — the morning I woke … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
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My First Dates
When I read the stories I wrote in the 1980s, the ones I didn’t burn during my religious phase, and I listen to my favorite music at the same time, I’m able to drum up compassion for the man I … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
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The Man With The Eagle Tattoo
During my years in the construction business (1986-1988), I mixed with high-school dropouts, Vietnam veterans, alcoholics, drug addicts and men with big tattoos. Jesse had all these qualities. That man with the screaming eagle tattoo played a prominent part in … Continue reading
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Tiny Dancer
I wrote this in 1986, inspired by a girl I met at work — Becky Hanzlick: You must have seen her Dancing in the sand Elton John Through the fog of another sleepless night, I see her beside me dancing … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
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As A Younger Man, I Had More Choices
I wrote this in late 1988, reflecting upon the women I’d met while at Sierra Community College: “Here you must choose,” said the guide. The boy and girl nodded and looked ahead. Their comfortable trail had fragmented into hundreds of … Continue reading
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Growing Up As Des Ford’s Son
I don’t remember my first year of life. From all accounts, my parents loved each other and my home was a happy place. I know I’ve drawn tremendous strength from that first year, completely lost to my memories. Over the … Continue reading
I’m Rewriting My Rules
I’m rewriting my rules for when I feel happy, successful, and loved (based on a Tony Robbins lecture) and they all start with, “Any time….” As in, any time I do a mitzvah, I feel happy and successful in my … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Tony Robbins
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What Am I Certain About?
There are benefits to certainty (along with many downsides). Usually, in a clash of equally matched forces, the most certain group prevails (ergo Islam is the world’s most powerful religion today). When evenly matched people clash, the most certain one … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
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