Articles written by Chris Torgersen

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About me - Chris Torgersen

I am New York born and bred, and I have two young sons who live with my ex-wife in Massachusetts. While I don't see them nearly as often as I'd like, I love them more than anything.

I have a variety of interests in a variety of areas, and most of my life

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Politics, News & Issues > Government & Policies Should smoking be allowed in public places?: 13 of 363
Most arguments for banning smoking in public places use as their premise the idea that public smoking negatively affects the health of those who come in contact with secondhand smoke. This is a clear and logical argument, it would seem. After all, if the chemicals in cigarettes are harmful to a smoker, aren't they also harmf... More..
Relationships & Family > Divorce Psychology Divorce: How to adjust to being single again: 1 of 21
The dissolution of a marriage is a traumatic, life-altering event, the scope of which is difficult to communicate to those who have not been through it. Habits and rituals formed over years of being with a particular other person are brought to an abrupt halt. You no longer have someone next to you in the bed. There is one l... More..
Arts & Humanities > Schools of Thought The importance of being religious: 1 of 19
I have heard and read a lot of arguments recently about religion. Although I am an atheist, I am fascinated by the human desire to believe in something more than what we can see around us and by the search for meaning when there is no clear one. Religion has been the cause of - or the excuse for - both inspirational goodness... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Baseball Should baseball players who have used steroids be considered for the Hall of Fame?: 2 of 24
The various steroids scandals that have hit baseball over the past several years have rocked the sport and reshaped public perception of it. The 1990s and early 2000s have begun to become known as baseball's "steroids era". Each time we think we have heard the worst of it, some new superstar is outed as a user or former user... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Constitutional & Contract Law The American flag: Love it or burn it: 2 of 23
Flag burners have been called anti-American. They have been called traitors, who dishonor not only the United States but those who have fought and died for it. They have been derided as anarchists, and a movement has long been underway to ban their actions. In truth, however, there are few things more quintessentially Americ... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Political Values State assistance and treatment of those who use it: 1 of 10
Like so many well-intentioned systems, state assistance programs are victims of the few-bad-apples syndrome. That is, the vast majority of those who make use of such programs do so out of a true need, but the attention generally settles on those who abuse it, darkening the reputations of the programs on the whole. Those who ... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism Reflections: Atheism: 10 of 80
The word "atheism" has come to mean different things to different people, and the definition one uses often depends on whether one is endorsing it or denouncing it. The primary source of contention is whether atheism represents a view that actively rejects the concept of a deity or it represents a spectrum of beliefs which h... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Justice System Should criminals convicted of non-violent crimes face jail terms?: 3 of 24
Any attempt to dichotomize the answers to this question is doomed to failure. There is no simple "yes" or "no" answer here without a gross oversimplification of the issue at hand. First, we have to consider what the utility of imprisonment is for the society as a whole. Why do we put people in jail? The answer to this questi... More..
Relationships & Family > Coping with Divorce The boomerang ex: When your ex keeps coming back: 1 of 8
My wife and I began dating in summer of 2001. It was a whirlwind romance, and within two months we were living together in New York. That September, the unthinkable happen when the World Trade Center was hit by terrorists, costing us both our jobs (and thankfully not much more). We were quite shaken, but the event prodded us... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Ethnicity & Gender (Other) Are gay rights issues parallel or different from race-related civil rights in the US?: 3 of 21
Back in 2001, a friend and co-worker of mine who was gay told me something that, for some reason, greatly affected me. I had just begun dating the woman who would become my wife and mother of my children. She was black, and I was white. This got us a few glances here and there, and maybe an occasional dumb rude remark, but n... More..