It’s World Teachers Day. And I’m a little distressed by how little mention I have seen of it flying around on my Facebook feed. But then, what do I expect? Once upon a time we celebrated teachers for their wisdom and commitment to making their communities better places. Now, in addition, we celebrate them for their superhuman perseverance in the
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The once and future first daughter’s bout of reefer madness notwithstanding, please remember: “anecdotal evidence” is another way of saying “no evidence”… Chelsea Clinton, who has been out on the stump a bit lately “helping” her mother’s campaign, recently dove face first into the muck by saying that pot can be fatal. “…we also have anecdotal evidence now from Colorado
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No, Pats fans, Tom Terrific doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame. Not unless he’s sweeping up. For years we Denver Broncos fans, who feel like former superstar running back Terrell Davis belongs in the NFL Hall of Fame, have heard a variety of arguments against his candidacy. One that has always struck me goes like this. Yes, Davis gained
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It’s now clear that democracy, as practiced in an anti-intellectual society like ours, doesn’t work. Let’s give elitism (properly understood) a try. Many of you probably read Andrew Sullivan’s New York Magazine piece back in April. If not, you should do so as soon as possible – it’s among the most important and insightful political essays we have seen in a generation and
Read moreWith the 1962 World’s Fair, Seattle asserted itself as the city that invented the future. Seattle Center, home to the Space Needle, Key Arena, the Pacific Science Center and other Jetsonesque architectural wonders, gave us a stunning Mid-Century Modern vision of our presumed technotopian future. In 2000 the EMP Museum opened, inserting a postmodern generational overlay in the form of Frank Gehry’s gripping postmodern
Read moreAn icon of the American theatre, Edward Albee, died this week. Scholars & Rogues honors him and notes the small ways that the influence of great artists can affect our lives for years to come. We read The Zoo Story in one of my classes at Wake Forest – maybe freshman or sophomore year. I absolutely loved it. I think Jerry
Read moreWe live in an era, sadly, where all too often our greatest talents never find the sort of broad audience their genius deserves. Once upon a time, back in the age of mass media and record labels committed to artist development, back before the Internet nichified music almost to death, back then Jeffrey Dean Foster would have been a massive star.
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Instead of making yourself a tool for those whose agendas run counter to the best interests of the nation that flag represents, how about stepping back and asking who’s playing you, and why? This meme came across my Facebook feed earlier today. Obviously somebody has an issue with Colin Kaepernick (and other black athletes) protesting injustice in America by refusing
Read moreMalamutes are about the least dangerous breed I can think of. ‘Splain to me something, doggie people. My new apartment has a list of restricted breeds. Here it is: Pit Bull Terriers/Staffordshire Terriers Rottweilers Doberman Pinschers Chows Presa Canarios Akitas Alaskan Malamutes Wolf Hybrids I’m not going to get into a defense of these breeds, not am I going to
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At some point the North Carolina legislature is going to capitulate on its “bathroom” law. Will the NCAA’s latest move be the tipping point? Much has been written and said about NC’s discriminatory “bathroom” law. And now even more is going to be written and said, thanks to the NCAA’s decision to yank seven college sports championship events from the
Read moreI took a little trip down to the Bonnie Brae neighborhood recently to photograph some neon signs. Because I love Denver and I love neon.
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If you have an issue with what Colin Kaepernick is saying and doing, you’re defending racism and police brutality. Period. Shaun King has a pointed question for all of you Colin Kaepernick critics: which form of protest do you actually prefer? It’s such a great question because when you think back on it, there has never been a black protest that America’s “reasonable” and
Read moreFake apology. Fauxpology. Unpology. Non-apology apology. It’s all bullshit and you’re an idiot if you play along. I’ve spent decades in the corporate world, and way too much of that time has been dedicated to crafting artful PR bullshit. I’m not proud of the fact, but truth is I’m good at it. And when making the language behave unnaturally is your
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lullaby pit 