I just don’t understand why the Keystone XL pipeline is such a high priority for the Republicans and Democrats in Congress. Maybe I’m missing something, but this is how is see the project. The pipeline will be owned by Tanscanada, a Canadian company. The oil running through the pipeline belongs exclusively to the oil companies … More Why all the fuss about the Keystone XL pipeline?
I can’t believe it’s been two years since the tragedy at Sandy Hook. I avoid imagining the horror of that day and I know with certainty that I can’t understand what it must feel like for the survivors today and every day since the senseless taking of so many lives. What I also can’t understand is … More Remembering Sandy Hook: Guns actually DO kill people
It’s increasingly clear that the information cocoons woven from technology-enabled communication has contributed to the divisiveness in society. The internet in general, and social media in particular, has facilitated the self segregation of individuals into like thinking communities. The communication within these closed communities forms a positive feedback loop where a common set of ideas, … More Driving with the windows rolled down.
Governor Chris Christie’s media grabbing, grandstanding proclamations about Ebola reminded me of Louisiana’s Governor Bobby Jindal’s sand berms in 2010. Not that there is any relation between the Ebola virus and piles of sand, but the connection is that these two politicians received advice from acknowledged experts in their respective fields and then promptly ignored it … More The perils of politicians rejecting expert advice: Chris Christie and Bobby Jindal
In their 2010 book, “Academically Adrift”[1], Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa used the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) to measure students understanding of critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing. They found that after the first two years of college many students demonstrated only limited learning and 45% showed no improvement at all. In a 2014 follow-up … More The cocoon of delusion – are we praising away our children’s future?
Sometimes it seems that what the world really needs is more apathy, at least about some things. Apathy is sometimes viewed as being universally negative, but I’d suggest that in some cases it’s the ideal emotion. One obvious example that comes to mind is homosexuality. This is the part that may sound offensive to some, … More The virtues of apathy
It would seem that people are often challenged to understand events much beyond their own personal experience or lifespan.[1] Events that occurred prior to one’s own birth are often relegated to that nebulous dumping ground of ideas called history while that which we personally experience or observe is considered absolute. Such a perspective myopia is not without … More The “Godification” of government – and other floating baselines.
The fact checking website, PolitiFact, has a section dedicated to checking the veracity of statements made by pundits and other media types – PunditFact. Of the dozens of personalities evaluated on the site, several have earned their own summary page including Rachel Maddow, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck. Impartiality isn’t a characteristic typically associated with this group so it shouldn’t be surprising all three have … More Ranking the Veracity of Media Personality Statements
Dear Bro, Try to visualize a collage of world strife. Think of specific scenes that appear in the news – aggression, fighting, terrorism, IEDs, rock-throwing, kidnapping school children or field executions. Now, imaging that ALL the faces in your visualization were women. For most, that would paint a surreal picture. I know it does for … More For men only – an exercise in visualization.
This is my endorsement of Charlie Crist for governor of Florida. I know such an obscure endorsement won’t carry any weight and will influence no one’s opinion. I know that such influence is the realm of the rich, the connected, and the otherwise powerful. I’m not a politician, not a politico, not affiliated with any … More Charlie Crist should be governor of Florida.
Confronting Mediocrity 