Global Crisis

This picture, captured from BMW's website shows an i3 owner using the Flexible Mobility program and borrowing a gasoline BMW, presumably for a long distance family trip. Nearly two years ago, BMW announced they would be offering gasoline loaner cars to i3 customers for the occasional...

This story was just brought to my attention in the comment from "Mel" in my previous post.In 2010, John T. Williams, a Native Alaskan woodcarver, was walking down the street holding a 3-inch folding knife and a piece of wood.Officer Ian Birk approached him from behind, firearm drawn, and ordered Williams to drop the knife.  Williams kept walking,...

Donald Ray “Hambone” Wilson, an African-American man has schizophrenia. This fact was known to the police. He was shot in the chest.In this video, he is surrounded by police as he holds a steak knife. He is clearly in mental health crisis and as the police engage into close proximity, they become in danger of being stabbed. Until the police got so...

I have a new piece up at The Chronicle of Higher Education on how academics NOT in critical race theory, African-American studies, modern US history, etc. might teach about Ferguson. My attitude is that if we apply ourselves to the sources, in this case the Grand Jury testimony, we'll see a lot we can share.Now, in the wake of Ferguson, we have some...

The Nissan Pathfinder is a mid-size SUV perfectly suited for the modern family lifestyle. The seven-passenger Pathfinder is available in four trim levels: S, SV, SL and Platinum. All trims are powered by a 260-hp 3.5-liter V6 engine mated to a CVT transmission. Fuel Economy averaging...

Content Note: Child Murder. I wrote a piece for CNN about the murder of children with disabilities.I wrote it because of the media discourse I saw surrounding the death of London McCabe. I wrote it because that framing was not unusual when this kind of murder happens. I wrote it to provide a tool, a pre-made critique, ready to go when another...

It's been quite a week. On Thursday, I woke up and could find neither clip nor transcript of Daniel Handler's racist joke at the National Book Awards. So I made one and offered a few comments. I said:For a powerful white author to make a watermelon joke when handing out an award to a black author, the message is - no matter what you write, no matter...

When someone brings up thoughts of suicide to you, you have already done something right.  This is a repost with permission. Amy McNally is a musician in Madison and a friend. Please share this. There is someone in your social circle who needs to read this. Originally...

This is a guest post written by Ellen Arnold, PhD, Assistant Professor of History at Ohio Wesleyan University.   "Perhaps the biggest thing missing from comparisons between Ebola and the bubonic plague, or in fact between any of these large scale tales of epidemic...

Nissan brought a splash of brass and color to the Los Angeles Auto Show today during a press conference featuring the debut of two new vehicles, the launch of a unique vehicle personalization program and an appearance by local Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen.Sharing center...

A few months ago I wrote a CNN piece about the use of disclaimers as a way to get around offensive humor.My piece and subsequent blog was specifically on the context of  Down syndrome jokes and disability humor. I believed, though, that there's a broader language issue here....

Today, sometime from 10-12 (I assume the second hour), the Chairman of the NEH is going to be on air with Diane Rehm. You can listen here.You can call in.The Chairman does not talk to me, nor do I expect him to. I'm a nobody. The Director of Communications at the NEH does talk to me, or did, anyway, until yesterday (more on that in a moment). There...

Today I was invited to be one of the first to drive the all-new Ford F-150 before it hits dealerships later this year. The new F-150 is designed to deliver more towing and hauling capability than the previous generation, it comes fully equipped with high-strength, military-grade,...

Infiniti Motor Company, Ltd. is commemorating its 25th year anniversary with a look forward to the future with the Q80 Inspiration Concept. Making its North American debut at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show, the Q80 Inspiration Concept foreshadows the next generation of leading...

On CNN - in "London McCabe's Death Matters" - I argued that the way we talk about autism, our ideas about the condition, our ideas about disability more generally, shape the worldview that can lead to child murder. The correlation in these cases is not lack of services or money, but ideas about disability. Correlation is not causality and any individual...

The Bold new 2015 Toyota Camry is here! Packed with sharper steering, new exterior and interior upgrades. Some of the amazing exterior enhancements includes: A new bumper cover and prominent grille. New hood that has notable character lines and muscular tender flares. Brighter LED...

I have a new piece up at Reproductive Health Reality Check. It continues to explore the themes of how we generate a new rhetoric for people who are pro-choice, pro-information, and anti-eugenics.It takes as its lede a story about a woman who wishes she had aborted her child with Down syndrome, born these 47 years ago. Rather than condemn her choices...

So here's the pattern. The family of a person with psychiatric disability decides that they need help. The disabled person isn't taking their medicine. They are perhaps seeming violent or might become violent. The family calls the police to ask for help getting the person to the...