The straight line connecting Donald Trump’s new tallit to “Christians for Islam,” and a best practices suggestion

" 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

Police shootings, mob violence and the comfort of strangers: A Dispatch from Milwaukee

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

Love, loss, hope and backup plans: Making now count

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

“We the People” attend a Listening Session: Polite Rage in Action

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

The Art of Knowing What You Don’t Know: Cultural Intelligence, Tamir Rice and Hope for a More Enlightened 2016

The first time I heard the term “Cultural Intelligence” was in a church basement. The topic under discussion was an update on the redesign of Milwaukee County’s Behavioral Health division; the person updating us was describing an all-too-familiar and depressing reality: The group doing the  redesign work is comprised of mostly white, upper middle class, suburban people … Continue reading The Art of Knowing What You Don’t Know: Cultural Intelligence, Tamir Rice and Hope for a More Enlightened 2016

What the Sony hack & the Pentagon Papers have to do with dinner at my house

Celebrity gossip and pop culture are two of my guilty pleasures, and I follow world affairs and politics the way some people follow sports. I even have an unofficial list of Celebrities and World Leaders Welcome in my Home (it's very short). Unsurprisingly, last week’s news about the alleged North Korean hack of Sony felt like an early … Continue reading What the Sony hack & the Pentagon Papers have to do with dinner at my house