Hello everyone! I have been a writer, a researcher specializing in various aspects of the justice system but especially juvenile justice and child welfare, among various other paths along the way. I like to have fun with my posts but also can be very passionate about certain issues, particularly those that I feel most directly affect children and adolescents. I am the proud Dad of a 19 year old college freshman, a graduate of the University of Missouri (One Mizzou!) and try my best to be open minded about everything.
The last 48 hours I have come across a number of recordings and videos on YouTube of Grateful Dead songs being performed by incredibly diverse people, from the Austin (TX) Ukelele Society and the Earl Grey School Choir offering beautiful renditions of “Ripple”, to Norah Jones giving a gorgeous version of “They Love Each Other” … More Let there be songs …
Over the past couple of weeks, a couple of friends of mine who remain quite skeptical of climate science and human’s role in exacerbating climate change, have been posting stories that indicate the bushfire crisis in Australia primarily stems from arson and poor forest management, not global warming. Let’s let that sit and burn for … More Wasting my time on climate change
“Although both the United States and Iran now appear to be backing away from a larger military confrontation, the new intelligence suggests that the loss of life from the downing of the plane was a direct result of those heightened tensions between the countries.” New York Times, January 9, 2020 I been thinking, I know … More What would you do?
I play drums and I play them badly. Yep, there are no ifs, ands or buts about it, I just plain suck. Not all the time, mind you, just some of the time. Despite the fact that it takes all I’ve got just to stay on the beat, there are moments when I don’t stay … More On being a bad drummer
Full disclosure, like it’s needed. I am a Deadhead. Been one since 1971. It all began that fateful (grateful?) evening in COMO when a friend gave me a drink, took me down the basement stairs, strapped headphones on my ears, and turned on the reel to reel. Live Dead. Yep, that’s when it all began … More Musings about Dead & Co
Tis’ now 2020 and the notion of New Year’s resolutions always seems to bare and rear its’ ugly head ’round this time. Yeah, you grammar heads, I know, there’s gonna be lots of apostrophes , abbreviations, and other violations of basic grammar. So be it. So here are my resolutions. These are not yours, go … More New Year’s Resolutions
One of my good buddies recently made the following comment and it has fostered some strongly felt responses. My responses follow his remarks. “So, we’re now at the point where, except for Faux news and the NY Post , every major news outlet has called for Trump’s impeachment. If he truly cared about America he … More On impeachment, the media, ethics, the economy … and stirring shit up
I’ve been a Bill Weld supporter for some time now, having voted for him and Gary Johnson in the 2016 election. Didn’t waste my vote, don’t go there stupid people. OK, so anyone reading this may not realize that Weld is running again, this time in the Republican presidential primary (former South Carolina Governor Mark … More We deserve better …
Yep, racism is alive and well in many places including among those folks who swear they’re not racist. In this recent piece on Fox News the report highlights an affluent “liberal” community that don’t want “those people” moving in. There’s plenty of history, some blatant some less so, in which white folks did their darndest … More Not in my neighborhood
Well, if the goal was to stir the crap up with Iran to the point of putting us on the brink of another frickin’ war, I’d have to say the strategy is working. Thank goodness Trump, Bolton, Pompeo, and whoever else, had the balls to pull us out of the Iran nuclear deal facilitated by … More On that Iran thing …
