“And our own safety — our own security — depends upon our willingness to do what it takes to defend this nation, and uphold the values that we stand for — timeless ideals that will endure long after those who…
(Seeing) Violence is Shocking
By now most of you have heard about Ray Rice, formerly of Rutgers, most recently of the Baltimore Ravens, being fired by the Ravens for punching his now wife, then fiancee, in an elevator. Or, more aptly, he was fired…
Unemployment Remains Stable… at Double Reported Figure
Was going to post a longer thing about the nature of cameras and privacy and all the Rices from Rutgers that get rung up by audio-visual equipment, but that’ll keep for now, especially since everyone under the sun has something…
Obliviate
“Had four brothers once upon a time He said they toured the country far away from the Rio Grande But the road just wore them down So they bought a house beside a lake Outside of New Orleans And stared…
Scientists Discover Possible Link Between Tragedy, Sadness
TUCSON, Ariz. — Researchers at the University of Arizona announced Friday they had discovered a possible link between experiencing tragedy and feeling sadness. The findings, to be published in the October Journal of Health Psychology, offer new insights into treating…
For the Love of the Game
I like competing. I like games. I like situations that produce winners and losers with high regularity. I like this stuff a lot. But why? After I posted about my first-ever tournament win of a large poker tournament on Facebook…
Let Me Be Clear
After they read yesterday’s post, my parents called me repeatedly to suggest that I edit the post because they were afraid that the NSA was going to haul me off to an undisclosed location for my comment about Malia Obama.…
The Consequences of “Intervention”
We don’t like the word “war” anymore. It’s so violent! It sounds so 20th century, so Web 1.0, so old-school. “Intervention” sounds like what you do with your alcoholic brother who’s gone off the rails and just won’t listen anymore,…
Might Makes Right: America 50 Years After Freedom Summer
“When police come out and take a stand and wear and have equipment that makes it feel like somehow the people who are protesting are assumed to be the bad guys, I don’t think it helps take the tension out…
My Reason for Reason
My friend Ariel isn’t on Facebook. Thus she was inevitably confused by my portrayal of a lot of the Robin Williams reactions in Wednesday’s post about suicide. To her mind, there weren’t a lot of people trying to stifle discussions…