The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, recently agreed between Republican and Democratic senators and presented to President Biden, contains some eye-watering figures. The deal includes $109 billion for repairs to roads and bridges; $66 billion for rail improvements; $65 billion for broadband upgrades; and a host of other impressive numbers. …

Three friends and I co-founded a nonprofit called Inspire out of our kitchen in the South End of Boston. This year marks the 20th anniversary of securing the all-important 501(c)(3) status. Why did I do Inspire? For the best of motives, of course. As I told guests at Inspire’s annual…

This Earth Day, I am reminded of an environmentalism kick my mom went on when I was little. It began with a strict policy of switching off lights. Then she made recycling her religion. Finally, she decided we shouldn’t use paper bags because too many trees were being cut down…

When I was growing up, my mom maintained a collection of thousands of religious texts from every conceivable faith. In every room of our modest house in the Chicago suburbs, bookshelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling. …

One of the more heartwarming outcomes of COVID-19 has been the sight of people applauding frontline healthcare workers. It’s a wonderful gesture of appreciation at a rough time; but behind the scenes, healthcare professionals face serious challenges that have little to do with the pandemic. …

In the pre-internet dark ages, long before entrepreneurs bought black turtlenecks and moved to Silicon Valley, my dad started a bunch of small businesses in construction, retail, and consulting. Some of his ideas worked out. Many did not. But he believed in the spirit of constantly building new things. It…

What does traditional college credit measure? If you answered, “The duration of physical contact between a student’s butt and a college’s chair,” you earn partial… well, credit. Sure, for each course there will be an exam — maybe even a term paper or two. …

When my mom arrived in the United States from India, she knew right away that this was a land of opportunity — if you had the right education. Although she was smart and ambitious, she lacked the money, the time, or the English language skills to attend a four-year institution…

Vice President Harris is a trailblazer in many ways. She is, of course, the first woman to hold national elected office. Thanks to her mixed parentage, she is both the first African American and the first Indian American vice president (the latter is a particular point of pride for me!)…