Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Music of My Youth: The Ultravox Story
A lot of people have those go-to songs, or albums, or something special in their music collection that they always come back to. This is the story of one of those albums, and one of my favorite bands ever. The story begins because ages and ages ago, my friend Mark gave me an album that…
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Music of My Youth: Free to Be…You and Me
Ages and ages ago, or 1972 to be more precise, an album came out that was aimed squarely at kids around my age. It was Free to Be…You and Me. The album tried to build on a movement of the late ’60s and early ’70s to foster gender neutrality, racial equality, tolerance, and a belief that anyone…
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Depressing, Isn’t It?
It’s glorious how for those first few days after some high-profile person commits suicide that depression and national help hotlines get back in the headlines, isn’t it? Except it isn’t. It’s a Band-Aid, a weak offering of help to those who cannot, will not, and may not even realize they need to ask for help.…
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Conservatives don’t get protests
I was struck by this post in my news feed this morning. In it, the author tries to compare players kneeling at an NFL football game with such things as peeing on Ted Kennedy’s grave, or (nonsensically) to the illegal immigrant who killed Kate Steinle in San Francisco a couple of years ago. (Go ahead…
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Professional Development Is Humid
I have never been to a professional conference–not one that was outside of the town I lived in, or longer than a single day, anyway. That changed this past week as I was dispatched to Orlando to attend the IAITAM ACE Conference. First off, let me explain something: I work in IT Asset Management, which…
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So, It’s Been a Year…
Pardon my vanity, but honestly, that’s what a blog is all about, right? This blog is, and frankly, always has been, about me. And those around me. And I’ve always wanted it to be something that was entertaining, interesting, meaningful, and, well, something I’d be compelled to do because it was cool. And fun. Almost…
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…Of, by, and for the people…Or not.
Like a groundhog stepping out of his hidey-hole to see his shadow, Trump and his fellow conservative, white, rich guys…er, administration…have come forth blinkingly into the sunlight, with their tax plan. While this coincides with the 100th day of their rule of our fine land, please note that it is not a celebration of that time. Rather, it…
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“…And That Is Why You Fail.”
Tracy Claeys was fired from his job as the head football coach for the University of Minnesota. Honestly, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone (including Claeys himself who noted that he told his family that he likely would be fired Tuesday morning), but in interviews he’s been doing, he keeps hitting on a…
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Fake News Isn’t The Problem
The headline should say it all, but I know that people won’t get it, so here goes the explanation… First, fake news isn’t the reason the election turned out the way it did. There are many reasons for that, not the least of which was the remarkably large number of people who stayed home and…
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Transparency, My Ass
Quietly, in the dead of night, and out of the glare of public scrutiny, House GOP members voted to make significant changes to the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE). (Note: they have since rescinded their move after a backlash not only from the public, but also from their own speaker of the house and president-elect.) Now,…
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New Year, New Plan
Wow. What an election, right? You’re probably either shocked, scared, shocked, terrified, or just shocked at the outcome. And now the 2017 political session is looming, and we’re all holding our communal breath to wait to see what happens. For the site here, I haven’t posted since August, and need to pick it up, because there’s…
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There Are Lessons Here, Part Two
If your values and beliefs are unimportant enough that you’re willing to blow up your own party and give up any political influence you have, how is anyone to accept that you really believe in them?
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There Are Lessons Here, Part One
The conventions were what they always are: long-winded, hyper-patriotic babble-fests focused on besmirching the other side and making just a few mentions of their own platforms.
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An Uncivilized Discourse
Whatever happened to respectful disagreements? Apparently, when it comes to political rallies, policy discussions, or even within the walls of our political institutions, respectfully disagreeing with someone has gone the way of the dodo. Eggs are getting tossed by protesters outside political rallies. Journalists are being roughed up at rallies. Names are being called. Insults are…
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