This past Saturday in Baltimore, one day after charges were filed against the six police officers implicated in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray, the revolution once again descended on Baltimore. In front of city hall, thousands gathered at a rally that had more of a celebratory vibe than …
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The Myths 1. The rally at Baltimore City Hall on Saturday was peaceful Local and national politicians and media waxed poetic about how beautiful and peaceful was this exercise of the right to demonstrate. I attended the rally, and the rhetoric from the podium was a mix of calls to …
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The violent climax of the demonstration in Baltimore on Saturday was entirely predictable. The narrative that you are hearing from large media outlets and politicians (including Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake) is also predictable: A peaceful demonstration hijacked by a few out-of-town agitators, causing the larger message of justice and non-violent …
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First, let me start by reiterating that we don’t cover celebrity gossip at ThoughtWidget; nor do we engage in celebrity worship. However, the revelations about actor Ben Affleck’s slave-holding ancestor are a multi-faceted commentary on politics and the news media. It was revealed this week that Affleck asked Henry Louis …
Read More »…if you want to be taken seriously. The words you choose will determine how others evaluate your intellect. It matters in almost any interaction you have outside of a close personal relationship. This includes your workplace and any interaction with someone you don’t know well. I’m not going to address …
Read More »The telling of personal stories has been an important aspect of human communication since before the development of complex language. Sharing one’s experiences is an integral part of personal relationships. It is typically one the first subjects that friends or acquaintances discuss when meeting (“How are you? What have you …
Read More »At today’s memorial service in Cologne, Germany for those killed in the March 24 Germanwings crash, the pilot (whose name I will not mention) was the object of expressions of sympathy and understanding. While I’m not in favor of a condemnation of anyone at this type of service, it would …
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The recent intentional crash of Germanwings flight 9525 by a suicidal pilot demonstrated for the second time in the past year the risks associated with having humans completely in control of an airliner. The German co-pilot of flight 9525 committed suicide and the mass murder of 149 others when he locked …
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Starbucks latest step in it’s effort to remain the hippest fast-food joint on the planet is its “Race Together” campaign, unveiled in Mid-March. Ostensibly designed to help foster an open discussion about racial issues, it has been widely criticized and ridiculed for its plan to have its baristas “voluntarily write …
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