“Madam President” should have been a better title for this post. Not today, not yet. Donald Trump is now the President-Elect of the United States and will soon take office as the 47th President. Unlike in 2016, I’m neither shocked nor surprised. Although I hoped and voted for a different outcome, this feels like just another day. I am, however, concerned about how the divisive rhetoric from both sides during this election cycle will continue to affect race relations in America. I’m going to step into political analysis to try to make sense of this moment.
A new journey
This week I say goodbye to my job of 14+ years to start a new professional journey (CV has the details). Throughout the many years serving students, I’ve had the privilege of crossing paths with many amazing individuals. One of those happened to be my “boss” of many years, Bruce Weaver. Rarely you cross paths with a person of such a kind heart who’s also committed to provide students not just great service, but an excellent academic experience full of kindness, respect, and compassion.
Autism is Autism
April 2nd Two Thousand Something. Another World Autism Awareness Day. On a day like today, we’ll be showered with amazing media stories of individuals who have successfully overcome the challenges of autism. Unfortunately, these stories won’t show the whole picture.
Gay couples raise good children
Columbia Law School completed the most comprehensive meta-analysis on this subject. After analyzing 30 years of research, what did they find? 76 studies: 72 studies concluding that children of gay or lesbian parents fare no worse than other children and four studies concluding the opposite. After accounting for biasses and flaws, they concluded that having a gay or lesbian parent does not harm children.
UN-HEALTHY BILL
A few weeks ago I had to visit the ER due to an episode of chest pain and high blood pressure. Yesterday I received the bill and I almost had to stop at the ER again.
After charging the insurance more than twenty thousand dollars for 48 hours of care I still have a patient responsibility bill totalling $1517.31.
ESCARNIO
Soy un ser humano imperfecto y falible. Soy liberal. Creo en la separación absoluta entre iglesia y estado. Combato la teocracia como modelo político. Ataco los dogmas religiosos que nos imponen conductas ‘morales’ so pena del exterminio y condena del alma. Con la excepción de Don Quijote y La guaracha del Macho Camacho, no creo en textos sagrados. Y me indigna el abuso y el ataque a la dignidad del ser humano.
RACIAL TERRORISM
Can we call the killings of thousands of African Americans acts of terrorism? Yes we can, and we should.
The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) just released “Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror”, a report which documents lynching in twelve Southern states during the period between Reconstruction and World War II.
TOUGHEST JOB
The three closest women in my life (in order of appearance) are my mom, my wife and my daughter. And I love them with all my heart. I also feel great love and respect for my female relatives and friends. Because of that, I can tell you that the World’s Toughest Job viral video is the stupidest advertising campaign I’ve seen, so far.
INJUSTICE
The injustice that prevails in our justice system is criminal. Thousands of young kids are deprived of any opportunity to rehabilitate, redeem themselves and succeed.
What is the opposite of poverty? It’s not wealth. In our country the opposite of poverty is justice.There’s no justice unless you can pay for it.
DISGRACEFUL
A new report from the Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC) concludes that the United States’s prison system has fully returned to the 18th-century. Roughly 356,268 individuals with severe mental illnesses are kept in prisons and jails rather than in mental hospitals. The US “correction” system is a disgrace.