Monthly Archives: November 2011

During the holidays, the “Gift of Nothing” beats boxes and boxes of stuff

Posted on November 29, 2011 by

Each morning of late, my 4-year-old granddaughter Devon and I have started the day reading a book together.  She often picks a little book, “The Gift of Nothing” by Patrick McDonnell, that one of my graduate students gave me shortly … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Friday, children's books, Christmas shopping, family, grandparenting, lifestyle, Uncategorized, values | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

In Occupy clashes, the most onerous violence has come from police

Posted on November 20, 2011 by

The emerging narrative in a growing number of recent media accounts suggests that the two-month-old, global Occupy movement is descending into a mix of squalid, homeless squatter camps and random, if still fringe, acts of violence. There is no doubt … Continue reading →

Posted in Occupy Boston, Occupy Wall Street, pepper spray, police overreaction, UC Davis | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Cities move to shut down Occupy encampments nationwide

Posted on November 15, 2011 by

Atlanta, Nashville, Salt Lake, Portland, Ore., Oakland (twice) and now the New York City epicenter. As winter approaches and larger contingents of homeless people migrate to Occupy encampments, police departments across the country are moving aggressively to shut them down. … Continue reading →

Posted in Occupy Boston, Occupy Wall Street | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Only in America: Laws make it easier for ex-felons to buy guns, harder to vote

Posted on November 14, 2011 by

The New York Times has a long and interesting investigative story this morning under the headline: “Felons Finding It Easy to Get Gun Rights Reinstated.” It begins with the tale of an Endicott, Wash., man with two felony convictions whose “gun rights” were … Continue reading →

Posted in Brennan Center for Justice, concealed weapons, election laws, gun rights, Uncategorized, voting rights | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Has America simply gone numb?

Posted on November 7, 2011 by

Nine days ago, New York Times columnist Charles Blow wrote a short passionate column alongside statistics showing the United States had sunk to the bottom of developed countries in a wide range of measures signifying national health and social justice. Began Blow: … Continue reading →

Posted in economy, income inequaity, indifference, social justice, Uncategorized, US decline | Tagged , , | Leave a comment