Category Archives: Current Affairs

Making Fear a Non-Factor

Posted on June 6, 2017 by

FEAR ONLY EXISTS IF YOU LET IT. Ask the man who casually fled the London Bridge terror attack with pint in hand. Ask the Borough Market restaurant patron who returned the next day to pay his bill and tip the … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Affairs, Popular Culture, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

These are The Ways in Which We Die

Posted on January 8, 2015 by

BY VIOLENCE. Victims of crime, of hatred, of regrettable circumstance. By disease, like the cancer that took ESPN anchor Stuart Scott. By fate, sudden and unexpected. Like a heart attack, a car accident. Like the brain bleed that took my … Continue reading →

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Ferguson and Berkeley: Two Gunmen Cast Their Shadows on Christmas in St. Louis

Posted on December 25, 2014 by

ALMOST NOTHING IS MORE DANGEROUS than interrupting a teenager while she’s in mid Snapchat. Still I took the risk because this was important. This was a current event barreling toward history, and I wanted her to be aware, if just … Continue reading →

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Walmart Changes An Ad Because One Moment Changed Us All

Posted on December 5, 2014 by

WALMART IS REVISING AN AD showing an excited young girl hugging her father so tight that he jokingly says “I can’t breathe.” When the ad was created earlier this year, there was no cause for concern. It was (and still … Continue reading →

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Engagement vs. Enragement: Michael Sam, Richie Incognito, and the Two Sides of Social Media

Posted on February 15, 2014 by

WHEN MISSOURI FOOTBALL PLAYER Michael Sam revealed he was gay, it was a landmark moment not just for professional sports but also for the power of social media. Within seconds of Sam’s New York Times story and interview on ESPN, … Continue reading →

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We are the Monsters On Maple Street: A Final Word on Justine Sacco

Posted on December 23, 2013 by

“The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes and prejudices to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Affairs, social media | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Eons of Evolution and We are Still Dumb Animals

Posted on December 15, 2012 by

WE ARE DUMB ANIMALS. Evolution is not the same as change, and eons of evolution didn’t change us. We are still wild, scared, nervous mammals. We scream at the dark because we can’t remember what happened to the light. We … Continue reading →

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Homeless for the Holidays

Posted on November 21, 2012 by

(The following post originally ran Nov. 21, 2007, and has become a Below the Fold holiday tradition of sorts. For those who have read it before, please pardon the repetition — and for those who are reading it for the … Continue reading →

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The Day Before the Day it All Changed

Posted on September 10, 2011 by

Everyone is focused on the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11. TV shows, public events and story after news story remind us of what was lost and what was left. But today is also a day to remember. Ten years ago … Continue reading →

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Eleven Things That Won’t Happen in 2011

Posted on December 16, 2010 by

Tis the season for predictions, prognostications, suppositions and, let’s be honest, some downright guessing about what’s in store for next year. Rather than join the fray, following are 11 things that I boldly predict will not happen in 2011: — … Continue reading →

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