Journalist – Historian – Speaker
If we’re going to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19 in all its variants, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we’ll need to impose vaccine mandates. But the details matter. I argue we should use existing systems that already mandate other vaccines, rather than trying to create new ones. In a few weeks I’ll be required to …
This week we buried my father-in-law and I wrote a very difficult essay about loss. Every single death, in all contexts, covid or not, has been shaped by this pandemic. We can’t mourn, we can’t access the community we need to process loss, and the trauma of all these delayed and denied rituals will carry …
From shortly after the election until at least 1/6, and arguably until the soldiers filled the streets of D.C. and made it clear they weren’t supporting a putsch, Donald J. Trump and his supporters tried to stage a coup. The efforts unfolded in court houses, in demonstrations, in federal government offices, in Congress, and finally …
The University of Colorado – Colorado Springs, is hiring an Assistant Professor of Special Education. They do not want disabled people to apply for the job. The job ad reads: “Physical Requirements: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand and walk. Employee is occasionally required to have long …
There’s Covid-19 in our house. We caught it because the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) wrote “may” instead of “must” into a special education guidance document. We caught it because our school district decided that “may” would equal no for them. We caught it because when forced to choose between abandoning our son’s education or …
“The average salary of a professor with a PhD (before benefits and admin support costs) is $141,476, though some make much more, and roughly 50% of full-time faculty have tenure.” Excuse me while I work on combining laughter and vomit. It’s not going to be pretty. https://t.co/BWbdoBz95K — David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) July 19, 2020 …
Last week we went up north and I didn’t catch a walleye. I tried really hard. Three times I got up at dawn, once with a paid fishing guide. I rented a good fishing boat with a fish and depth finder (sonar). I bought minnows, leeches, and worms. I tried various live and fake baits. …
Last summer I went to the 50th anniversary of Special Olympics. By coincidence, Chicago’s annual Disability Pride Parade is taking place on the same day as the celebration at Soldier Field. The parade moves through the Loop, up Dearborn Street to Daley Plaza, with floats and dance routines and a diverse group of marchers in …
I am failing to update this blog! Sorry to the folks who follow me here. I’m working on building a new wordpress site that can be followed by rss AND connects to patreon. Stay tuned. Today’s piece: Trump is still trying to kill Medicaid.
Guns kill more people than cars for the first time since the CDC began tracking causes of death for Americans. Why? Cars have been regulated for safety, companies have invested in safety, individuals have been legally required to be safe, and both individuals and companies are legally liable. Guns … not so much. Thanks NRA!