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Thankful for My Travels in India
Thanksgiving will be here in a couple of days. At this time of year I like to reflect on what I am thankful for. When it comes to my international experiences, I am grateful for the various opportunities that I have had over the years to visit India for academic conferences and travel. Of all…
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The Infamous Harvard vs. New York Prisoners Debate
I know you have heard about it on the television networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC). You may have even heard about it on NPR of all places! Yes, I am talking about the debate between a group of Harvard students and a group of prisoners from the Eastern New York Correctional Facility in Napanoch,…
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Politics and Religion in Ridley Scott’s The Martian
The Martian is good science fiction. It has a hard-edged realism combined with a compelling plot. In the near future, NASA is sending manned missions to Mars, but the Ares III mission runs into trouble. The crew leaves behind astronaut Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon, because they think he’s dead, but Mark, who isn’t…
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Houston’s HERO Ordinance: Wishing To Make Things So
“Gender Identity means an individual’s innate identification, appearance, expression or behavior as either male or female, although the same may not correspond to the individual’s body or gender as assigned at birth.” – Houston Equal Rights Ordinance Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance (“HERO”) will be on the local ballot this November. As I have noted elsewhere,…