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As the current covid surge retreats, personal choices are becoming messier and more complex, as I try to balance facts and logic with emotions, needs and moral obligations. And when will hugs be the norm again?

Time is woven into the fabric of the universe, but calendars are human constructs, our attempt to exert a sense of control over nature. So what is New Year's Eve? What is January 1st? For that matter, what is June 12th or 5:18 PM? Why do these abstract concepts define our lives?

Every year, I become intrigued by the concept of a "new" year, of a calendar that we as humans have imposed on nature, on the ongoing circling of planets and stars. Where is the beginning and end in a circle? Here's my new year's poem for 2022. It's about calendars and mercury and human touch.

As we move forward into the year 2022, with the unrelenting rollercoaster of crises that was 2020 and 2021 are at our backs, unbidden thoughts about a rearview mirror and of Janus (the god often used to represent the new year) help me begin to form a plan on how I can welcome and even embrace whatever adventures the new year may bring.

Sally Wiener Grotta signed a contract with the playwright David Zarko, giving him the rights to produce a play based on "Honor", a novella by Daniel Grotta. "Honor" is a story about the fragility and power of the human heart. It explores the terrible toll paid when patriotism, personal ethics and the deep bond of friendship collide.

Talmudic discussions are arcane arguments that I often find irrelevant and nitpicky. And yet, as an author and artist, I find myself responding to daily "daf yomi" emails discussing how ancient sages interpreted even older laws, and even being inspired creatively by them.

Today, I held a Torah in my arms for the first time, as I helped dress the scrolls for the High Holy Days. Though I'm not religious, the experience filled me with awe, seeping into my marrow, and like my stories, it changed me in ways I haven't yet fully processed.

Global Risks Report 2021 names extreme weather due to climate change and human-driven environmental damage among the most pressing risks of the next decade. Here's how some companies (such as AT&T) are using GIS (geographical information systems) to be more resilient against potential climate change crises.

The reading of Honor, a play by David Zarko, based on a novella by Daniel Grotta, was a riveting performance, with richly textured characters. A story about the fragility and power of the human heart, it centers on Jeff Smith who is haunted by what he did or didn't do during the Vietnam War era.

Guest blog from Elana Sztokman that asks, What would our rituals and celebrations look like without the cultural expectation of mother working for days in the kitchen to prepare for them?