Please enjoy Guest Editor Barbara Jackson’s piece on Apple’s choice of logo for their undeniably excellent technical help desk they tagged as “Genius Bar”. Let it be said that if Microsoft tried this, the “bar” would close unexpectedly, reopen then close again while you wait, and gradually begin to overtake the Applebee’s, Victoria’s Secret and … [read more]
Writing
A Few Words In Defense of Anger
A Few Words In Defense of Anger -Geoff O’Keeffe As children we are taught to be nice. Not to be angry. “Use your inside voice, please!” What our parents and teachers and the police really meant to say was, “Do not express your anger in an unacceptable way.” “Why did you hit him?” “Because he … [read more]
Intellectual Atrophy
One of my favorite fictional characters is Will McAvoy, anchor on HBO’s brilliant Aaron Sorkin drama series, “The Newsroom”. Will is complex, honest and a traditional Republican. I like him. He answered a challenge from a colleague to his “red cred” with this response: “No, I call myself a Republican because I am one. I … [read more]
OXFAM’s Position on a “Punitive” Attack on Syria
Today, OXFAM mailed a plea to its members and supporters to contact our Congresspeople with a message opposing a military strike on Syria. Their message consisted mainly of a few questions they have been consistently asked, with answers. I found I was in complete agreement with their position, and I welcomed it as a bell … [read more]
King and Hoover: Idealism meets Fascism
Tuesday, the Washington Post published a Bloomberg piece on Martin Luther King and the FBI’s wiretapping, surveillance and paranoia around a man they dubbed “The Most Dangerous Negro”. Certainly, in those years, rampant racism was the norm, and the expression of it, even in the crudest terms, barely raised an eyebrow in “polite society”. But … [read more]
Black and White: Fifty Years Later
In the fifty years since Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, DC, African Americans have made some great strides in education, political representation, and voter turnout. In other areas, it’s like nothing has changed. Sadly, I hear white people occasionally voicing frustration over continued discussions of discrimination, opportunity, or racism in America. … [read more]
