Conflict Pornography

Conflict: competitive or opposing action of incompatibles: antagonistic state or action. Pornography: (3): the depiction of acts in a sensational manner so as to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction. What else could it be, other than conflict pornography, when a major media source unnecessarily frames a story in such…

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How dangerous is it to ride a bicycle?

Here's a thoughtful and well-researched article on the safety of bicycling by Alan Durning of Grist.  Here's his bottom line: Biking is safer than it used to be. It's safer than you might think. It does incur the risk of collision, but its other health benefits massively outweigh these risks.…

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Two Americas: Two ways to play in water

Those who are truly interested in community-building (rather than striving to enhance their own status through resource-exhausting displays of material wealth) might want to take note of two ways city folks play in water. This idea occurred to me while walking through Tower Grove Park in St. Louis last week.…

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