It wasn’t long after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, that I knew I would need to teach a course on it. Six months later, with the war in full force, I launched a semester-long course titled “The Global Politics of the War in Ukraine.” I am an...
Commentary
Stirring the Ashes of the Burned-Over District
Some of my maternal ancestors were early settlers in South Butler, New York. My great, great, great grandparents, Zenus and Eliza Stone, came to South Butler at some point before 1830 and raised a passel of children there. Zenus is listed on census rolls in those...
Picture the Book: A Photo Essay of a Memoir
The first time I drove on Route 13 in Ithaca, New York, after my mother died, I crept along at the 40 mph minimum speed limit. On the gentle descent into town on that summer’s day in 2016, Cayuga Lake lay in the west as it should. But in front of me, the road’s white...
Unwound Live: DIY Post-Punk Pioneers Return to the Stage after Two Decades
Unwound, a noisy ’90s cult band, sits somewhere between indie, angular post-punk, noise, and hardcore music. Massively influential in underground music, they hail from the pine-scented landscapes of Tumwater, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. Currently on the...
Dear Joe, What about Us?
You say that the state of the union, SOTU, is strong. That our democracy is working. Really? It is my birthday today. I promised my friends I was taking the day off. That means no writing or calls to action. But then I kept stewing over your talk last night. All the...
Business Analytics, Information Technology, and the Future of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) comprise more than 99% of businesses in the U.S., based on reports issued by the Small Business Administration (SBA). More than any other period in recent memory, business access to a plethora of data and business analytics...
The Racism of American Capital Punishment
The death penalty in America always incites controversy. Last year, Alabama took three hours to administer their lethal injection drugs. Idaho had to pause an execution for the lack of those drugs. And two people on death row were exonerated. The larger long-term...
COVID and a Return to Normal? Cementing Inequities in the Latino Community
At their January 2023 meeting, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) Advisory Group will consider instituting COVID vaccines as an annual fall event like the Turkey Trot, Trick-or-Treating, and the flu shot. Beyond the FDA, the mask and distancing mandates have been...
Academic Austerity Survival Kit: 15 Ways to Make It Through
It’s bad, really bad, in higher education these days. Whether the pandemic is over or ongoing, its continuing impact has catapulted colleges and universities into a maelstrom of student disengagement, faculty quiet quitting, outright resignations, and draconian budget...
The Traumas of the Buffalo Winter Blizzard of 2022
I was 1 year old when the legendary blizzard of ’77 struck Buffalo, NY. This coincidence made me a “blizzard baby,” as my late mother Gail frequently recalled with a fond, nostalgic smile. She shared the Buffalo folklore tales of snowbanks towering to the height of...