What happens when a person is reduced to an “Alien Number”? A moving account of a visit to the Elizabeth Detention Center and the human stories hidden behind Core Civic’s walls.

Inside the apartment, it is still December. While the world outside moves on toward Valentine’s Day, this family is frozen in the week before Christmas—the week the father was detained. The room smells of lavender Fabuloso, a spotless home kept by a mother holding her breath, while her daughter in dark blue glasses asks for the one thing the system won’t allow: a hug for her daddy.

Last night, the Super Bowl stage told us ‘Together We Are America.’ But ‘Together’ has to be more than a lyric. It has to include the families in walk-up apartments, the fathers behind bars for following the rules, and the children waiting for a phone call they have to pay by the minute to receive. This is the reality behind the music.

  The Promise of AI Companionship I have been enamoured with A.I. since my first few queries on Chat GPT. I don't use it as often now and so when stories about A.I. companionship began to emerge, I was curious. The movie Her with Joaquin Phoenix is one of my...