On this day, less than 24 hours after President Trump's reckless decision to toss a lit match into a dry forest, metaphorically speaking, I am so grateful for my Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom Sisters. Because of them, I am able to continue hoping that we can somehow surmount all the crazy and horrible that's drowning … Continue reading Insanity dressed up as ‘Peace:’ a random Jewish person’s take on Jerusalem
Tag: opinion
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.’
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 many other things I’d rather be writing about today (eg: my new puppy or Argo, the coolest road-worthy amphibious Canadian export ever). Instead, I'm writing a cautionary tale about the hazards of being good at other peoples’ lives. There’s hardly anything easier. After all, who doesn’t know better than someone who hasn't dealt directly with an issue … Continue reading Suicide as clickbait is stigma in action, starring XO Jane & Amanda Lauren Kass
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
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 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
Donald J. Trump is a man his supporters would avoid like gay pride parades if he were saying the things he says while unshaven and pushing all his worldly possessions in a shopping cart. But he wears bespoke suits and lives and works in buildings with his name on them. So instead of being called … Continue reading Up from the grave to denounce a naked emperor
By now, everyone is probably experiencing what it is they experience after a major tragic event that ripples out from wherever it happened and into their daily routine. The day after ISIL/Daesh shared its latest commentary on modern civilization, one of my friends posted this story. It’s dense, but worthwhile for anyone who wants a … Continue reading Muslims, Jews, History, Cities: A Dispatch from Refugee Heaven
“And I never forgot how that year after Dad died and we lost our house, my best friend moved away and the youth group turned its collective back on me felt (picture one of those cartoons where Daffy Duck is standing on a cliff and the giant eraser comes and suddenly there's only duck and … Continue reading Giant erasers, mean girls and shag carpet: A Dispatch from Misfit Hell
the sentence factory 