As stories of police misconduct continue to dominate the headlines, we repeatedly hear the calls for the implementation of micro-reforms like cultural competency training, body cams, and the firing of so-called "bad apples." Sociology professor Alex Vitale argues in his recent book, The End of Policing, that these changes would be helpful, but they're nibbling at the edges. Instead, Professor Vitale says what we really need to do is completely revamp how we see the role of the police in our society and to stop using them in situations where they do little to nothing that increases public safety (and... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? I was just telling BDH and Little Buddha about my weird dreams last night. I don't put much stock in possible meanings behind dreams, except for recurring themes. However, they've recently been alternating between, "sure, that makes sense," and, "how did I come up with that?" There are a lot of random locations, and it's really the people who appear who leave me confused. Sometimes they're folks I haven't thought of in 20 years, and other times, it's like my imagination went looking for the most random celebrities it could find to cast... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? My back is a little stiff, so I'm moving somewhat slowly this morning. BDH and Little Buddha think it's time to rotate the mattress. That sounds about right. I'll just have to stretch for a bit first. It looks like today will be pretty quiet around here. The forecast calls for rain for most of the day, so I might just leave the guys to their current book while I take care of a few things. It would be nice to get outside for a minute or two though, so maybe the rain... Read more →

This was originally a post on my personal Facebook page, but it feels like it deserves its own space here. A few thoughts while I watch the predictable push-back come in regarding today's Clearing out the Clutter post about the NBA players' actions Wednesday night. Some are arguing that the players should speak out "the right way," which translates into one that causes minimal to no disruption of everyday life. That misses the entire point. Strikes and protests are designed to disrupt the status quo to highlight problems and force change. In this case, we're talking about a status quo... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back, and a happy Friday to you all! We made it through another week, good for us. BDH and Little Buddha breezed through this week's rock and roll crossword puzzle all the way right until the end. There was literally one letter left, and the guys had no idea what the answers were to either the across or down clues, so they took their best guess (which they think was an "a.") Now we have to wait until next Thursday to find out if they were right. Oh, the suspense! They love that puzzle. I wonder if... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? You know we're always happy to catch up with you, but it's even a little more special today, because it was looking like it wasn't going to happen. Our Internet went out for no reason on Wednesday, and our crack IT squad couldn't figure out the issue, so we had to schedule a service call for later this afternoon. I tell you, BDH and Little Buddha were not happy about that, but what can you do? However, Comcast called us back about three hours later and said they fixed the issue. They couldn't... Read more →

Jim Ross is widely regarded as one of the two best professional wrestling announcers of all time. However you rank him with Gordon Solie is right. Ross was the voice of the WWE's "Attitude Era," and he provided the memorable soundtrack for the exploits of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, and others, for 20 years. Longtime wrestling fans will remember his work with WCW in the late 1980's and Mid-South Wrestling before that. In addition to being an announcer, Ross has also been part of management. He's seen it all, the highs and the lows, both professionally... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? Yesterday was a bit of a mixed bag around here. I had a productive morning and even found two new books for BDH and Little Buddha to read! Pretty sure it will take the guys at least a week to get through both of them. Score! The afternoon was a little frustrating, though. Everyone at the grocery store got on my nerves, and then I only got to talk to Dad Clutter in his front yard for about 5-10 minutes because rain cut our visit short. I miss the days when I could... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? BDH and Little Buddha were just telling me about today's weather forecast. Sounds like there's a chance for some thunderstorms this afternoon. Do we really think they're going to happen, or will it be another tease? Well, I guess I'll find out when it's time to go to the grocery store. Of course, the good news is that today is Tuesday, and that means a trip to the bookstore to find something new for the guys to read! I checked a book out of the library for them yesterday, but my guess is... Read more →

I'm standing in the checkout line in the local CVS when a song comes over the speakers. Within the first five notes, I recognize it as John Parr's classic tune, "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)," which was of course the theme song for the 1985 Brat Pack movie, "St. Elmo's Fire." (Judd Nelson as an ambitious political aide is no less ridiculous than say, Donald Trump taking over the White House.) I think to myself, it makes sense that I would be able to identify it so quickly since I've probably heard it 1,000 times over the years. However,... Read more →