the smell of salt in the air the creaking of the rope as it’s stretched taut the burn of it cutting into the hands the rocking of the ship the sound of seagulls in the distance the heat of the sun on the skin the slapping of the water on the side there in the…
Author: Clio
It’s Way Too Late to Non-Apologize, Donald
Breaking news: Donald Trump’s latest debacle is so embarrassing that he has apologized publicly for the first time in his campaign. Or did he? In conversation, Good Men Project’s Michael Kasdan has pointed out that Mr. Trump consistently represents the antithesis of what this organization represents: His racism and sexism are toxic, he is overbearing…
No More Bully for You: Refocusing the Conversation on Behaviors, Not Labels
Let’s talk about “bullying.” Not the act, the word. How is the conversation about the goal that we want, particularly those of us who are men influencing the emotional development of boys, affected by how we label it? Just like a lot of teachers around the country, I was encouraged to begin the school year…
The Twitter Zone (filk)
(Somewhere in a golden hotel room, Donald Trump’s starting to realize The presidential race has turned its back on him. It’s three a.m.) It’s three a.m., and the press has gone I’m sittin’ here Tweetin’, the rage still warm Maybe Steve Bannon is tired of takin’ chances Yeah there’s a vote to be lost, electors…
5 Life Lessons from the Rubik’s Cube
As a geometry teacher, I like to keep a Rubik’s Cube in my room. The students usually seem to think it’s a way for me to show off (my average time is about two minutes… not championship level, but fast enough to be impressive). But I’ve come to see the cube as a metaphor for…
Fuseli’s Favorite Fantasm
my friend is back sitting on my shoulder whispering in my ear telling me how pointless it all is how i’m talking to an empty room singing with a vacant orchestra shouting across the chasm at nobody when i turn to tell him to shut his mouth he disappears and i am at last…
Another Unarmed Black Man Murdered by Police…and This One Also Won’t be the Last
Here we go again. Every time I see the latest example of police brutality resulting in the death of an unarmed, usually black citizen, I try to be hopeful that this is the one that will cause the sleepers to wake up. Yet again, I’m disappointed. Terence Crutcher, 40, unarmed, black, and male, was shot…
The Vicious Cycle of Unequal Treatment
Critics of Black Lives Matter often argue that black Americans are more likely to commit crimes than white Americans, and that this explains why police are more likely to enter into an interaction with black suspects at a higher level of suspicion and aggression. Statistically, it’s true that African-Americans are disproportionately represented at all stages…
Inscribing an Equilateral Triangle
I was reminded of the cylindrical wedge that casts shadows of a triangle, a square, and a circle, and it got me wondering: What if I wanted to create such a shape with an equilateral triangle as one of its shadows? The wedge shown either casts an isosceles (but not equilateral) triangular shadow, or it…
The Evolution of Fear in Boys and Men
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the nature of fear. My son, age seven, has developed a consistent fear of marionettes and animatronics. The two monsters at the top of this anxiety are Mr. Slappy from the Goosebumps series and Foxy the Pirate from Five Nights at Freddy’s. The clarity of this fear reminds me of…