Pithy Title Here

On July 20, 2012, I posted this . That day, someone walked into an Aurora, CO movie theater and, instead of buying a popcorn and watching a movie, that someone killed 12 people and injured 70 others. He fired 76 shots in, roughly, 90 seconds. In that blog post, after pointing out we have more firearms than cars in this country, I asked a simple question: "If people want their guns, what are they willing to accept as a result?" Less than six months later, it took another shooter less than five minutes to kill 20 children and six adults at Connecticut's Sandy Hook Elementary School. Since then, the answer to my question is painfully, awfully clear. Our American culture, when the votes are tallied, will accept absolutely anything to preserve not only gun ownership, but also some intangible aspect of "freedom" that exists almost nowhere else in our culture.

Last week, when I flew home from a conference in Phoenix, I was a mess. I had known I was due for a cold and, sure enough, it hit with a vengeance. This was unacceptable. I had to fly to Seattle on Tuesday night and Sarah was going to meet me in Portland for the following weekend. I had to take action. When I fight disease, I fight to win. And while, the cold lingered well past its sell-by date, here's how I went from on my ass last Friday night to a cross-country flight Tuesday night and managed to feel OK: I stop drinking - I know. Rare is the night I don't have at least one drink. It's OK. My doctor says it's fine. Anyhow... From when I got on my flight in Phoenix until this past Thursday night, no alcohol. Zip. Don't need my body processing anything but a virus. I drink all kinds of other stuff. I have a rule with a cold... if I stand up, it's time for a glass of water. I must have had 6 cups of tea a day, too. Lunch? Soup. I basically challe...

One thing they teach you in PR... the news sets the agenda. And, I am of a mind that we should think of that more when we consumer the news. Please bear in mind that I hold all types of journalism in high regard. By seeking out a variety of news outlets and viewpoints, I feel like I gain a better understanding of the world and the view of others. Today's richly diverse media world - with an emphasis on user-generated content - offers more opportunity than ever. All this said... I cannot believe the sudden furor over swine flu. And I think it's all because of the news. Friday is a notoriously slow news day. And this past Friday, the Drudge Report - possibly the most comprehensive news-gathering outlet that throws all judgment aside simply for sensationalism and right-wing pandering (and to great success, to Matt Drudge's credit) - threw up big red-letter panic about swine flu spreading... clearly to kill us all. The only surprise was that it didn't blame Obama for...

...this blog is here for you. Even when I haven't had time to blog, zombie news is news of importance and must be noted. CNN , please take us away: Woody Harrelson defended his clash with a photographer at a New York airport Wednesday night as a case of mistaken identity -- he says he mistook the cameraman for a zombie. Uh, huh. Go on... "I wrapped a movie called ' Zombieland ,' in which I was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in character," Harrelson said in a statement issued Friday by his publicist. "With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo, who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie," he said. I'm not sure what to believe. Every time I'm at LaGuardia , I think I see a zombie. Anyhow, keep this in mind the next time you plan a surprise party for Woody Harrelson .

Two weeks ago, I flew from NYC to Orlando at night. We flew over the Tidewater area of Virginia, which is important only in that I knew as soon as the lights from that metropolis faded, I was over North Carolina (which is relevant b/c I could pick out where we were and other things you don't care about...). What is notable is that when we got somewhere over eastern NC, there were wildfires. Big ones. Like, able to see flames and their eerie reflection off billowing smoke thousands of feet below. Now, in 2003, I flew to LA at the height of some terrible California wildfires. And by bad I mean, smoke 15,000 feet in the air huge. So these were small fires. The key word in that last sentence, though, is "these." They are everywhere . Flying from Charlotte to Tampa today, I saw tons from the air. These were not factories or plants billowing ick from smokestacks. This was smoke rising from acres of land. As I drove south on I-75 from Tampa to Sarasota I drove by one o...

I have a shirt that reads "Keep Austin Weird." If you've never been to Austin, you have no idea what that means. If you have... well, this won't surprise you. Some kids in Austin hacked into those flashing construction-style traffic signs with great results (photo taken from Austin American Statesman, which credits nofearofthefuture.blogspot.com):

Sarah and I have been discussing where we should take a trip next year and we've both decided that, since the economy is bound to continue to bite, we're going wherever we get the best deal. Airfare & hotel in a European rail hub for $250/person? Sign. Me. Up. At the same time, I've got a friend wondering where she should use her frequent flyer miles to go. She's trying to base this on the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die book. At the same time, another friend of our and her husband are taking a trip to El Paso , TX to catch Pitt play in the Sun Bowl. They are extending their trip to spend quite a bit of time in New Mexico, which is awesome. This friend, however, mentioned they were going to take a day-trip to Mexican border town Ciudad Juarez . Take it away Wikipedia : "Recent murders in the city have grown not only in numbers, but also in barbarity. A man recently was found near a school hanging from a fence with a pig's mask on his face, and an...