More often than not, TV sitcoms perpetuate stereotypes and rely on tropes for convenient laughs. With few exceptions, men are shown as being childish, self-centered, and emotionally detached. So I wasn’t optimistic when I saw a preview for CBS’s new sitcom, “Man With a Plan.” The premise is that Adam, played by Matt LeBlanc, agrees…
Author: Clio
Town Squares problem
A friend of mine, a father, recently posted this item on his Facebook feed. It’s from Pearson, and he was struggling figuring it out. I also had to read it several times to figure it out. (Edit 6/17/23: I lost the original graphic; I located a version that has the answers on it, so ignore…
Overcoming My Inner Mean Man
I have a confession: Sometimes, I enjoy being mean on the Internet. Some days, it will creep on me; other days, I’ll see a commenter that annoys me and go straight for the throat. Either way, I’ll find myself with that familiar feeling of a cat batting around its catnip toy, and feeling good about…
The Geometric Proof of Infinite Primes
I was recently wondering why Euclid, the geometer, published a proof that there is an infinite number of primes. I should have known that his proof is geometric. It is: “Let A, B, and C be distinct lengths that cannot be further divided into lengths of whole numbers (other than the unit segment). Let \(\overline{DE}\)…
Some Thoughts on Complex Numbers
The first shoe: Multiplying Adding complex numbers is a straightforward task. Given two numbers, \(a + bi\) and \(c + di\), the sum is the sum of the real portion and the sum of the imaginary portion: \((a + c) + (b + d)i\). When working with the standard form, multiplication (and division) is a…
Trump’s Locker Room: Do We Protest Too Much?
“Not all men.” This is what many of us men say in response to generalizations about our gender. “Men commit a vastly disproportionate number of rapes.” — “Not all men.” “Men catcall strange women and create hostile environments.” — “Not all men.” “Absentee fathers prioritize their work over their family.” — “Not all men.” And…
The Rusted Locket
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…
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…