The Bigger Picture

On the Lost Art of Critical Thinking

The actor Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines in Lee Daniels’ “The Butler”

There’s a sucker born every minute.
–P.T. Barnum (maybe)

Americans have lost their skills of critical thinking as applied to reading articles on the internet. Don’t believe me? Read the article on the firing of a White House butler by Allan Ishac … as well as a few of the comments. No, really. Read it now. It’s a quick read. I’ll wait.

[cue: background music]

The Bigger Picture

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2017

“Use me God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.”
–Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today we pay tribute to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Some fifty years after his assassination, we laud him and lift him to the level of American

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Adventures of a Former Christmas Elf

Here’s a long and rambling yarn of Christmas cheer from a long time ago and cities far, far away . . .


The days after September 11, 2001, I sat riveted to the images on my television like the rest of the nation. The thought of flying across the country was unnerving, but when October 17 came, I boarded a plane at LAX with enough clothes to survive autumn in New York and Atlanta, and a December in Cleveland. En route to New York, I stopped in Orlando to drop off my dog, Jack, at my mother’s for a three-month vacation.

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Staying Human: Self-Care in the Face of Those Who Would Deny Your Humanity

Image by Clem Onoieghuo, unsplash.com

Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed numbers of black Americans and law enforcement officers killed in shootings. A lot has been said about the black community, our families, the police, and the system; but there’s one subject that is rarely addressed: the affect these shootings on black Americans and what coping skills we should employ.

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A Word of Thanks: As in Gratitude, Not the Holiday

Guess who.

Whether you’ve just discovered my writing today, a couple of months ago, or have been reading my mad ramblings for a few years, thank you. Your comments, likes, shares, mentions, retweets, highlights, and recommends mean a lot to me. Know that I do not take for granted your decision to invest a few moments of your time with me, not to mention making others aware of my writings.

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It’s Not Them. It’s You.

Image by Jack Fusco.

Social media is a wonderful tool. In an instant, Facebook, Twitter, Medium, Instagram, and a host of other social media platforms can put you in touch with dozens, hundreds, or in some cases thousands of people you’d otherwise never know existed. The magic of discovering communities of like-minded individuals with whom you can exchange ideas is the validation that gives social media its enthralling glow.

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Should White People Be Silent on All Things BlackLivesMatter?

Are you kidding me? Tell me people have no doubt as to what to do. Of course, white Americans should speak out in support of black Americans and BlackLivesMatter. EVERY-FREAKING-ONE should be speaking out in support leveling the playing field for black Americans and all people of color.

One chorus, many voices

If all it took to end racism was for black Americans to speak out about it, it