Philosophy
Baltimore lost its patron saint yesterday. The 60s, with its white flight, drugs, and crime took a toll on America's cities and Baltimore was as bad if not worse than most. But William Donald Shaefer put urban renewal into the popular lexicon. He was a tireless advocate for Baltimore and transformed it into a different city. He was a mixture of pit bull and clown, but always, always, always with the city in mind. He could be nasty and abrasive, he could be goofy and charming. Living as a row house with his mother, ever the bachelor -- even with his friend Hilda Mae Snoops -- Shaefer was unlike any other politician you would ever meet. He played the eccentric, the droopy-eyed loser, but nobody ever doubted that he was as skilled a political player behind the scenes as you will ever find. He got things done and he got people to do them. He made government work and the city of Baltimore is forever changed for it.
Rest in peace Willy Don.
- Rip Steve Landesberg
Sadly, Steve Landesberg died yesterday from colon cancer. As a nerdy kid growing up in the 70s, his character detective Arthur Dietrich on the show "Barney Miller" was a great comfort. It was one of the few places you could see a positive, but realistic...
- Why Do You Know That?
It worked a little while back, so let's try "Why Do You Know That?" again. It's the converse of "auto mechanics to quantum mechanics," where the idea now is to contribute those bits of knowledge that seem really cool even if they are not directly...
- Marc Steiner, Npr And Ratings
Guest-post from Jeff Maynes: At the beginning of the month, Baltimore's public radio station, WYPR, lost its hallmark program, the Marc Steiner Show. Steiner play a critical role in saving public radio in Baltimore through his fund raising campaign...
- The Purpose Of Public Libraries
Posting today from the local public library as I wait to go in to teach critical thinking to middle schoolers and looking at the rack of comic books in front of me brought back a story on NPR from yesterday. Apparently, over half of the books bought by...
- Catch Me On The Radio
For those of you in the Baltimore area, I'll be on the 98 Rock afternoon drive-time program "Mickey and Amelia" Wednesday around 4 to talk about ethics....
Philosophy
RIP William Donald Shaefer
Baltimore lost its patron saint yesterday. The 60s, with its white flight, drugs, and crime took a toll on America's cities and Baltimore was as bad if not worse than most. But William Donald Shaefer put urban renewal into the popular lexicon. He was a tireless advocate for Baltimore and transformed it into a different city. He was a mixture of pit bull and clown, but always, always, always with the city in mind. He could be nasty and abrasive, he could be goofy and charming. Living as a row house with his mother, ever the bachelor -- even with his friend Hilda Mae Snoops -- Shaefer was unlike any other politician you would ever meet. He played the eccentric, the droopy-eyed loser, but nobody ever doubted that he was as skilled a political player behind the scenes as you will ever find. He got things done and he got people to do them. He made government work and the city of Baltimore is forever changed for it.
Rest in peace Willy Don.
- Rip Steve Landesberg
Sadly, Steve Landesberg died yesterday from colon cancer. As a nerdy kid growing up in the 70s, his character detective Arthur Dietrich on the show "Barney Miller" was a great comfort. It was one of the few places you could see a positive, but realistic...
- Why Do You Know That?
It worked a little while back, so let's try "Why Do You Know That?" again. It's the converse of "auto mechanics to quantum mechanics," where the idea now is to contribute those bits of knowledge that seem really cool even if they are not directly...
- Marc Steiner, Npr And Ratings
Guest-post from Jeff Maynes: At the beginning of the month, Baltimore's public radio station, WYPR, lost its hallmark program, the Marc Steiner Show. Steiner play a critical role in saving public radio in Baltimore through his fund raising campaign...
- The Purpose Of Public Libraries
Posting today from the local public library as I wait to go in to teach critical thinking to middle schoolers and looking at the rack of comic books in front of me brought back a story on NPR from yesterday. Apparently, over half of the books bought by...
- Catch Me On The Radio
For those of you in the Baltimore area, I'll be on the 98 Rock afternoon drive-time program "Mickey and Amelia" Wednesday around 4 to talk about ethics....