Global Crisis

The Washington Post has published a report based on a leaked document. We don't know who leaked it to them. In it, a prisoner who was placed in the police van some time after Freddie Gray was restrained, claims that he heard banging from Gray's compartment. At no time did this anonymous prisoner see Gray.That's news. A prisoner heard banging....

In 2010, Jeremy Hutton, a 17 year-old-boy with Down syndrome, was shot by a police officer who claimed Hutton was driving right at him. That claim held up in the post-incident review.Here's a video showing that's untrue (original source), the officer was safely to the side. A video of police shooting a car driven by a boy with Down Syndrome. The video...

Remember my lessons for apology:Lesson 1: When you screw up, and you will screw up, own it. Apologize. Try not to do it again.Lesson 2: No one is entitled to have their apology accepted.Lesson 3: On the other hand, one mistake (rather than a pattern of repeated bad behavior) can become an opportunity for dialogue and strengthening community, rather...

The 2015 Ford Mustang was everything I dreamed it would be and more. This iconic car comes filled with innovative technologies providing drivers with enhanced information, control and connectivity when they want it. From Intelligent Access with push-button start to SYNC and MyKey...

Dear Adjunct, Part-Time, and/or Contingent Faculty,I'd like to know how you were hired. Was there a public call for positions or were you just contacted by someone in your network - a friend, a patron, a colleague, a mentor? You can let me know through comments here, on social media, or via email.I'm writing a piece on this issue for the Chronicle and...

Welcome to Sunday. I had three essays and five blog posts published this week. I filed an essay for the Chronicle, sent out a lot of pitches, and am waiting on edits for a feature. I'm also revising a book proposal and, someday, hope to be able to announce something about that.I'd like you to read my post - Love Song for a Neoliberal University:...

From the Department of Shameless Commerce:I am in a band. Many of you supported our Kickstarter to make our first CD (THANK YOU!), which was an amazing experience. The idea that just by asking, people would give us nearly $6000 to make some art (it's whiskey-infused art, but still...

EV Charging Hangers are a simple, low-cost solution to a nagging problem for some electric vehicle ownersAs recent as six years ago, there were probably less than 3,000 highway-capable electric cars on public roads in the US. Since 2010, over 300,000 fully electric and plug in hybrid...

Dan Savage, famous sex columnist, featured a letter from a medievalist that echoed many of my complaints about lax medieval discourse. The letter is in response to Savage calling a conservative religion "medieval." This anonymous medievalist explains why it's wrong, then writes:The reason why this matters (beyond medievalists just being like OMG no...

The May edition of The Atlantic has a long article on the first batch of students to go to StarbucksU (I wrote about it for CNN last May, troubled by the notion of employment-based education). Overall, it's a solid article in terms of reporting and structure. It tells the stories of people struggling to finish college. Starbucks comes off pretty...

Since 3/11/2015, about 59 weeks from today, I have published 64 essays. Most of them were at mainstream media sites. About 95% were paid (I haven't written outside unpaid work in a long time now, but sometimes, rarely, I send someone a blog post that might resonate with their audience. If they edit it and make it an independent essay, I might put it...

Foggy Nelson: "A blind old man taught you the ancient ways of martial arts. Isn't that the plot to Kung Fu?" (Marvel's Daredevil, Netflix, Episode 10)I've got a review of "Scenes of ordinary disability" in Daredevil coming out later today from Vice. Edit - Link is here!!In today's...

April is National Car Care Month and the Car Care Council reminds motorists to spring into action and follow 10 basic maintenance procedures to make sure their vehicles are running at peak performance for the summer driving season.Check all fluids, including engine oil, power...

I filed five essays this week, which is a lot for me. I also had two pieces published (linked to below):A review of Bruce Holsinger's novel (appearing Monday, Tor.com)A feature on inclusion at the Brookfield Zoo (appearing early May, Belt Magazine)Op-ed on RFK's comments on autism and vaccines (published here at CNN.com)Essay on Kayleb Moon-Robinson...

Nearly a year after it was officially unveiled, good news continues to roll in for the all-new 2015 Nissan Murano. Yesterday, WardsAuto World named the Murano to its annual "Ward's 10 Best Interiors" list for 2015. The Murano will be honored at the WardsAuto Interiors Conference...

The Scion iM hatchback joins the all-new 2016 Scion iA sedan for a one-two punch in the subcompact and compact segments.The all-new 2016 Scion iM is the answer for young buyers looking for a sporty hatchback, but who still need to pay for things like rent, food, school loans and...

I have a new piece on CNN about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his views on autism. I end by talking about Action T4, when the Nazis exterminated people with disabilities as a warm-up to the greater Holocaust. I worry that many people haven't heard of Action T4.As a Jew, the father...

I'm working on a piece about the new Daredevil show on Netflix. My interest is in portrayals of "ordinary" disability, rather than the martial arts, represented by the image below (courtesy Netflix) of Murdock just walking down a street with his cane, rather than in costume or fighting...