In summer of 2008, I took an Ethics of Information class. Our final project was a paper on the topic of our choice. I wanted to look at what I saw as the New Third World - the way on-line information about us could and was possibly already being used to exploit us, make our … Continue reading ‘Big Brother meets the digital Third World’ or ‘I wrote a paper in 2008. Check it out.’
Category: Commentary
This morning, I woke up to the Facebook village and Twittesphere going nuts over what happened when Vice-President Elect Mike Pence went to see "Hamilton" last night. My first thought was "Geez! If I'd known becoming vice president would have helped me get 'Hamilton' tickets, I would have applied for the job." But who am I kidding? … Continue reading Two post-election vignettes: ‘Hamilton’ cast makes most of ‘Carpe Diem’ moment; Ephemeral display lets librarian do the same
Dear American Muslims and others feeling unsettled by the possibility of no longer being safe in your own country: There is no delicate way to say what I am about to say, so I am just going to say two things that have been running through my mind since Tuesday night. I am so sorry … Continue reading An open letter to American Muslims and Anyone Else Unsettled by the US Election: a Dispatch from the Land of Trumpelstiltskin
" On my morning Facebook rounds, I caught this post by one of my offspring: In the way of Facebook, I could see beneath her post that a few other friends had posted articles about it, too. At this point, shocking and seemingly inappropriate behavior is kind of the norm for this year's GOP Presidential Candidate. (His cheerleaders … Continue reading The straight line connecting Donald Trump’s new tallit to “Christians for Islam,” and a best practices suggestion
While Sweetheart and I were somewhere loud and happy Saturday night (a wedding), loud and not-so-happy things were happening close to us. In the morning, my friend Walter, a Baptist minister, posted this selfie on his way to his church. He invoked Nehmiah 1. By then, we’d heard the news. Riots had broken out hours after a police … Continue reading Police shootings, mob violence and the comfort of strangers: A Dispatch from Milwaukee
My first week as a public librarian was all I could have hoped for and then some. There’s an overwhelming amount of information to absorb, all of it fascinating. The people I’m working with, to a one, have been fabulous. They're supportive, welcoming and just the right amount of friendly – a matter-of-fact “here’s what I do, … Continue reading May rejection make you smile: my wish for job-seekers
So, it’s been a few months. I could make up a whole raft of reasons for the radio silence, but the truth is job-related. Last July, I was laid off from the job I loved, and not long after my last post in February, there were signs of a happy ending/soft landing. In a fit of … Continue reading Love, loss, hope and backup plans: Making now count
This holiday season, my sister got me a pair of socks that sprung a hole the first time I wore them and a pen my brother-in-law brought back from a trip to China whose individual components waged a civil war in my coat pocket. (The pieces are still in there.) She also got me a … Continue reading Reductio ad Essentialis:Diet time at The Landfill I Call Home
Two days ago, I got a call from a number I didn’t recognize. The woman on the other end had a story idea for a paper for which I’ve done a lot of work. Her son, a local orthodontist, was recently back from a medical trip to Guatemala, where he and several other dentists had … Continue reading “We the People” attend a Listening Session: Polite Rage in Action
There are a lot of reasons I miss having a dog. Election season is one. Tuki used to come with me when I voted. She was also my candidate of choice on more than one occasion. I voted for Tuki when it was clear that, compared to the humans on a ballot, she would represent … Continue reading My Write-in Candidate is Dead and Reductive Disrespecters Want Your Brain: An Election Season Guide for the Perplexed
the sentence factory 