This fascinating essay, by the grandchild of a Nigerian slave trader, explores a complex cultural legacy. At least as provocative as “Did Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson Love Each Other?” and the stunning, bitter “Molasses to Rum (to Slaves)” from the otherwise cheery musical 1776. African intellectuals tend to blame the West for the slave…
My wife Leigh received a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts grant towards producing the small-cast drama Full Bloom. She’s found a good space and found the right cast, and so we’re doing the whole crazy “Hey, let’s put on a show” thing again! If you’re within shouting distance, and you think the arts should matter…
This is why journalism matters: The Atlantic offers a good overview of the confusing fact that the official transcripts published by the White House and the Russian government don’t match the video. Compare this transcript, of what actually happened, to the White House’s version. Here is the record of what took place, starting with the…
We’re all still reeling from Trump’s statement yesterday that he “didn’t see any reason why it would be” true that Russia had meddled with the US election. Standing there next to Putin, he publicly rejected the positions of multiple US intelligence authorities. Today, in the face of blistering criticism from foes and friends alike, including…
I have always taken a neutral stance in my journalism classes, modeling the objective nature of reporting the news “without fear or favor.” I shall continue to uphold reporting designed to publish objective truth, and criticize and expose exaggeration, rumor, wishful thinking, and outright lies presented in the guise of truth. This fall, I…
When a Facebook friend asked for tips on teaching a large class, I inventoried what I’ve learned about the flipped classroom. For the classes I teach on a regular basis, sometimes online and sometimes in-person, I’ve had many opportunities to develop stand-alone resources that I reuse. For example, I’ve recorded some stand-alone audio lectures on…
Journalist Sam Husseini, who had been holding a sign that said “Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty,” was forcibly removed from the Trump/Putin press briefing in Helsinki today.
10 points to CNN’s Oliver Darcy for working both “when asked about” and “this reporter” into a news story that was not written by a supporting character in a 1940s gangster flick. When asked by this reporter how the company could claim it was serious about tackling the problem of misinformation online while simultaneously allowing…
Similar:UPDATE: BREAKING: 'Star Wars' Returns — 'Episode 7' Slated For 2015 And More Movies Plann…The moment in Attack of the Clones when …BusinessA student who had often been frustrated during my class used this poem in her final reflec… PersonalWest Side Story Maria MontagePersonalCarolyn and Alex in “The King and I”PersonalGeorge Stone Credits Scott Adams Adventure…
Similar:Support the humans who make art in your community. Death of a Salesman. #wirerecorderlife …Support the humans who make art in your …PersonalUpdating a handout I originally wrote in 1998. #tech #writingA mechanism description analyzes (that i…AcademiaOne of my undergrad lit papers. Dot-matrix printed, with hand-written instructor annotatio…AcademiaRossum's Universal Robots (Act 2)https://youtu.be/XfOONrGsf2I For my b…CultureSeriously, clouds? Now?PersonalThings…
In my lit and writing classes, I regularly encounter STEM students who are frustrated because I won’t deliver a lecture that tells them “what the poem means” and then give them points for spitting back the “correct answer.” Likewise, when I teach a math unit in my journalism class, I regularly encounter word-oriented students who…
I don’t click on headlines that use words like “might be” or “possibly.” Journalists are not in the business of reporting what might happen. Neither do they repeat rumors. A thing is not necessarily true just because a source — such as the neighborhood busybody, a crook caught red-handed, a prankster, or the President of the…
At the Carnegie Museum of Art. Similar:Letter of Recommendation: Fanny PacksWhat other accessory ensures the safety …CultureMe (glares in iambic pentameter)Me: I need to post the opening lecture f…AcademiaTrack and field fundraiser:photo by Carolyn. FIRST ONE!!!PersonalCursor*10 (nekogames)I don’t remember where I was when I saw …AestheticsPfully Pfizered and pfeeling pfine so pfar. Current_EventsMy Anti-Linkbait Pledge:…
This painting was inspired by the scene from Henry VI Part 2 that Carolyn used for her Shakespeare monologue last year. Similar:Gil Gerard (1943-2025) I built a model of the two-pronged Sta…CultureLego goes steampunkBe still, my nerdy heart. Steampunk —…Aesthetics"Gen Zers know the difference between rock-solid news and AI-generated memes. They just do…Over the past…
Journalism matters. Educated citizens who understand and appreciate the role of the free press in a democracy are a threat to authoritarian figures who benefit by sowing mistrust. It’s perfectly reasonable to point out errors and bias in specific news stories. (News organizations love reporting about when their competitors get a story wrong, and journalists…
This is how the President of the United States spends a day when flags are flying at half mast to honor journalists murdered by a white male citizen with a legally purchased shotgun. Similar:One of my students is demonstrating the perceived value of brand-name vs no-name products…. PersonalAnd to think… I had just decided to retire…
Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Nick Anderson reflects on the recent firing of former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette staff cartoonist Rob Rogers. Getting a string of cartoons killed is generally not a good harbinger of things to come, and going public with it is a risky gambit. But, there is absolutely no reason to be an editorial cartoonist if…
At the Geyer Peforming Arts Center in Scottdale, Aug 9-12. Similar:How to be a Medieval Spectator (Intro to Toronto York Plays 2025)This is what I’m in Toronto to observe.&…AcademiaEvita in Zelionople CultureAfter lights out, the girl is knitting.PersonalAdvice for My Conservative StudentsA professor who had been a conservative …AcademiaYoungster in a tight spot has an…
For my summer project, teaching myself the Unity Game Engine, I’m updating the texture atlas I created for control consoles for the flagship of the steampunk bedtime stories I used to tell my kids. My designs are now a lot less blocky and more visually interesting. When I showed the girl, she was impressed. Then…
Similar:COVID-19 Cases (Useful Breakdown by Country, State, Population) A few interesting bits I found interes…Current_EventsDelightfully geeky news story about a legal kerfuffle over typefacesI’m very amused at this nerdy news story…AestheticsWorked a short day today, and it shows. Tomorrow is another day!PersonalSoldiers and Sailors Memorial and Museum Another visit to Pittsburgh with my his…CultureAt Home…