Current Affairs
8.20.18 ‘Your misfortune is my good fortune’: How Ed Sherin made ‘Law & Order’ TV’s best damn show, for a time
If you loved Law & Order, you had to love Ed Sherin. Even if you didn’t know what he did on the show (directed dozens of episodes and produced over 160 episodes of both the original and SVU) you certainly saw his name up there in the opening show credits. Directors and producers of TV…
Read More7.12.18 Why billionaires are not your financial angels, or your moral compass
Did you hear the news? Flint, Michigan’s water supply is going to be saved. Elon Musk said so in a tweet. So you know everything’s going to be all right. Cue the Bob Marley music. Now, let’s take a breath and understand why – even if Musk does come through on his internet promise, even…
Read More9.05.17 Warning: It may not be the information you seek
Beware anyone who comes after your right to learn. Your right to hear opposing notions. Your right to be among those who see the world differently than you do.
Read More8.21.17 ‘The extent to which you do not see racism does not negate its existence’
Not that this is the definitive answer to any of what is going on in our country today, but I wanted to preserve and share this particular exchange I had on Facebook recently with someone who’d replied to a post a friend shared. Yes, I succumbed to a bit of “somebody on the internet is…
Read More7.27.17 ‘Eyes forward, and beyond’: How to parse the attack on trans military
The attempt to ban transgender people from the military is not to be ignored. But as with anything this administration does, it’s important to think about the why, the why now, and the underlying motive. As we all know, one key MO for this administration is to obfuscate and throw up shiny objects in the…
Read More05.26.17 Aziz Ansari, burritos, and why everything is no longer all about you
As babies, we are the center of the universe. We have to be, in some aspects: we can’t do a whole lot for ourselves, and thankfully most of us have at least one parent around to assure us that yes, all life revolves around our wants and needs. And then we grow up. I remember…
Read More5.4.17 With questions like that, it’s probably best if you stay behind
During a civilized conversation about the state of the nation recently a friend said to me (paraphrasing): “Yes, but all of these things you’re worried about that 45 is doing or thinking of doing — how are they really going to affect you?” I have health care, through my husband’s work. I don’t have kids.…
Read More03.24.17 Terrorism in the era of ‘Black Mirror’: ‘It’s like we’re all living in a movie’
For your perspective consideration, please. I interviewed Charlie Brooker, the creator of “Black Mirror,” the anthology series about the dark forces in ourselves and our technology (catch it on Netflix), Thursday afternoon for an article I’m working on about technophobia in TV series. Needless to say, I was delighted: I’m a big fan of what…
Read More01.31.17 Beyond civil disobedience: Why we need bridge-burners to smoke out Washington’s monsters
Earlier today, I read a Tweet from editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden that said, in part, “Protests are great and should continue but shaming the unshameable isn’t a plan.” He’s right. And we’re going about this all the wrong way. Part of the problem – the true cognitive dissonance many of us have been feeling since…
Read More01.23.17 Kick out the White House press corps? Oh, please do!
The Orwellian playbook the new White House administration has been using now has a new phrase: “alternative facts.” That’s how spokesperson Kellyanne Conway characterized new press secretary Scott Spicer’s assertion of attendance at Friday’s inaugural of the new POTUS. But she also had this gem to add, speaking to “Meet the Press” anchor Chuck Todd:…
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