She loved going to the movies early on. Lucky for her, an old family friend happened to own a theater, right on the main shopping thoroughfare, among the jewelers, shoe shops, and French patisseries. Continue reading Short story: Eveline’s safety pin
Memories of Ailey’s “Cry”
One of my fondest and most vivid memories of a cultural event is of the original Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater troupe. I saw them when I was ten or eleven. I was lucky enough to be able to finally take my daughter to see them last year. Much to my chagrin, they didn’t perform Cry. I’d shown her the YouTube videos, so she knows what Cry is about. Continue reading Memories of Ailey’s “Cry”
Honesty, the media, and the shrinking public trust
It seems as if NBC’s Brian Williams is the latest national media figure to fall from grace after he told what is either an embellishment or a lie about an experience he’d previously talked about on television. When caught, Williams did the right thing and apologized. Time to move on? Well, no. Continue reading Honesty, the media, and the shrinking public trust
#PoliticalCorrectness as I see it
I write this on the heels of reading Jamelle Bouie’s always excellent newsletter.
He writes:
A good chunk of the Internet has been consumed in a conversation over Jonathan Chait’s New York magazine on the “new political correctness.” I have…tried to avoid that conversation as much as possible. Continue reading #PoliticalCorrectness as I see it
A parent’s love, a parent’s great fear thoughts on #BlackLivesMatter & disability
I will never forget the day unrelenting fear entered my life. It’s been almost nine years. I can still taste its metallic taste in my mouth. I can still hear the sounds that brought it on. I can still see the horror that unfolded that day and subsequent days. Continue reading A parent’s love, a parent’s great fear thoughts on #BlackLivesMatter & disability
#Senate #GOP and #CivilRights: underlining the writing on the wall
The story of the name change of the Senate subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights during a week that wasn’t bustling with breaking news is particularly distressing. Continue reading #Senate #GOP and #CivilRights: underlining the writing on the wall
Engineering in #Preschool? | Education
I recently listened to a KPCC story about a new kind of preschool. I didn’t know it at the time, but my daughter was listening to the story with me and, as it turns out, was as bothered by it as I was, not because the toddlers in the story were learning about engineering, but because their preschool experience was only about it. Continue reading Engineering in #Preschool? | Education
Daddy’s mementos
It was in the summer of 1995, as I was recuperating from major surgery, that I got the call from Cousin Abbie. In true diplomat fashion, dad always went through intermediaries. “O is in Paris,” said Abbie. “He wants to visit with you in three days.” I explained I’d just had major surgery and wasn’t yet up to driving or caring for a guest. Could he perhaps give me a bit more time? “Not to worry, the embassy will provide a driver. You are able to make his coffee?” Continue reading Daddy’s mementos
On Doug Belkin: Test Finds College Graduates Lack Skills for White-Collar Jobs
By DOUGLAS BELKIN
Updated Jan. 16, 2015
Four in 10 U.S. college students graduate without the complex reasoning skills to manage white-collar work, according to the results of a test of nearly 32,000 students.
Continue reading On Doug Belkin: Test Finds College Graduates Lack Skills for White-Collar Jobs
Racism leads to police brutality | #BlackLivesMatter
This week, North Miami police were caught using actual booking photos as targets at their shooting ranges. Sadly and unsurprisingly, the pictures were exclusively of Black men . Continue reading Racism leads to police brutality | #BlackLivesMatter