Category Archives: Social justice

Should the Electoral College Be Eliminated? 15 States Are Trying to Make It Obsolete

Posted on June 1, 2019 by Jim deMaine

By Jose A. Del Real and Julie Turkewitz from the New York Times Thanks to Diane C for sending this along. The man who helped invent scratch-off lottery tickets now has his sights set on a bigger prize: overhauling the way the United States elects presidents. On Tuesday, … Continue reading →

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It’s time for national service

Posted on May 29, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Ed Note: One of the problems of youth is that they don’t have enough exposure to those different from themselves. A sense of entitlement is often attributed to the millenials. Service when we are young in the Military, Peace Corps … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays, Law, Military, Social justice, Volunteering | Comments Off on It’s time for national service

As Afghanistan peace talks progress, WA continues to suffer losses in America’s longest war

Posted on May 29, 2019 by Jim deMaine

For 18 years Joint Base Lewis-McChord has played an essential role in a war that has been forgotten by many Americans.  by Kevin Knodell from Crosscut / May 27, 2019 Last week President Donald Trump’s envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, briefed U.S. senators in a classified meeting. Khalilzad, … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays, Remembrances, Social justice, War | Comments Off on As Afghanistan peace talks progress, WA continues to suffer losses in America’s longest war

Biggest World Problems

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Here’s a list made up by my favorite 8th grader. What’s your list? It’s a little shy on the “what can I do to help” but she’s still got time – especially when she becomes President!

Posted in Advocacy, Climate, Education, environment, Finance, Health, Politics, Poverty, Social justice | Comments Off on Biggest World Problems

‘Hand to Mouth’ by Linda Tirado

Posted on May 14, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Mary M for sending this along: So why do poor people seem so self destructive. Well, “Our bodies hurt, our brains hurt, and our souls hurt.” Poor people are exhausted, degraded, angry and depressed most days of their … Continue reading →

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Population growth through time

Posted on April 24, 2019 by Jim deMaine
Posted in Aging Sites, Social justice | Comments Off on Population growth through time

Our Disgrace at the Border by David Brooks

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Suppose one night there is a knock on your door. You open it to find 100 bedraggled families shivering in your yard — exhausted, filthy, terrified. The first cry of your heart would be to take them in, but you’d … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays, Law, Politics, Race, Social justice | Comments Off on Our Disgrace at the Border by David Brooks

A black man’s dialogue with the KKK

Posted on March 15, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Gordon G. An amazing dialogue brings about understanding and change.

Posted in Essays, Race, Social justice | Comments Off on A black man’s dialogue with the KKK

The policy implications of love your neighbor.

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Jim deMaine

By David Brooks in the NYT “Ideas drive history. But not just any ideas, magnetic ideas. Ideas so charismatic that people devote their lives to them. In his 1999 book, “The Real American Dream,” Andrew Delbanco described the different ideas that, at … Continue reading →

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David Domke PhD speaks at Skyline

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Jim deMaine

David Domke worked as a journalist for several newspapers in the 1980s and early 1990s, including the Orange County Register and Atlanta Journal-Constitution, before earning a Ph.D. in 1996. He is now a Professor and Chair in the Department of Communication at the … Continue reading →

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Commuting from Tijuana

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: I asked our cab driver in San Diego, a native of Indiana, where he lived. The quick answer – Tijuana. “I commute every day and am saving an amazing amount of money. My 2 bedroom apartment in a gated community is only $600/month and I get all the … Continue reading →

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Downtown driving tax could fix traffic without pricing out the poor

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Jim deMaine

From Crosscut: Mayor Durkan wants to toll drivers to lower emissions and break Seattle’s gridlock, and new research shows it could benefit low-income communities, too.by  An evening view of the Pacific Tower on Beacon Hill, Seattle, with traffic on Interstate … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, Essays, In the Neighborhood, Social justice, Traffic | Comments Off on Downtown driving tax could fix traffic without pricing out the poor

January 15th – 7:30 Parallels in Autocratic Leadership by Wolfgang Mack

Posted on January 6, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Ed Note: Living in a totalitarian state was a transformative experience for the author. He will tell of his concerns about the rise of fascism in a number of countries and the dangers of nationalistic movements in our current politicalarena. Can we learn from the past? … Continue reading →

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Operation InfeKtion: How Russia Perfected the Art of War

Posted on December 18, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Ed Note: This is a superb piece of investigative journalism by the NYT: “Russia’s meddling in the United States’ elections is not a hoax. It’s the culmination of Moscow’s decades-long campaign to tear the West apart. “Operation InfeKtion” reveals the ways … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Education, Essays, History, Law, Politics, Race, Scams, Science and Technology, Social justice, War | Comments Off on Operation InfeKtion: How Russia Perfected the Art of War

You dig it out. Do you get to keep it in Boston?

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Boston is putting the breaks on people’s attempts to use everyday items to hold parking spots they’ve spent hours digging out from the snow.

Posted in environment, Law, Social justice, Transportation | Comments Off on You dig it out. Do you get to keep it in Boston?

Abandoning U.S.-Russia nuclear-arms treaty threatens our very existence

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Jim deMaine

By : George P. Shultz and Mikhail Gorbachev         Special to The Washington Post More than 30 years have passed since the day the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union, meeting in Geneva, adopted a joint statement declaring … Continue reading →

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Jewish nurse who treated Pittsburgh synagogue shooting suspect has a powerful message in the face of evil: Love

Posted on December 2, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Marilyn W for sending along this CNN report. People greet each other in the sanctuary at Temple Sinai in Pittsburgh before Friday evening Shabbat services. (CNN)A Jewish nurse who took care of the man charged with killing 11 people at … Continue reading →

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AgeWise King County Newsletter

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Chair’s Corner: Your Time, Talent, and Kindness Go a Long Way In December, it is very tempting to write a cheery article about celebrating the holidays with families, food, friends, and fun. I don’t want to sound all doom-and-gloom, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Aging Sites, Education, happiness, Health, Homeless, In the Neighborhood, Social justice | Comments Off on AgeWise King County Newsletter

The Amazon Diaries

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Frank C for forwarding this from The Guardian. In The Amazon Diaries, our anonymous insider takes us behind the scenes at an Amazon fulfillment center where workers are ‘an extension of the machine’  ‘The wealth we produce is being … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Essays, Social justice | 1 Comment

OPERATION INFEKTION: THE ORIGINS OF FAKE NEWS

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Jim deMaine

This three-part video series explores misinformation campaigns from the days before ‘fake news’ was a sound bite, and how modern-day governments are fighting back—or profiting from the chaos. By Adam B. Ellick, Adam Westbrook for The New York Times Click here to view … Continue reading →

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E Pluribus Unum – a warning about the rise of fascism

Posted on November 6, 2018 by Jim deMaine

             A warning. Where is America heading? I met Dr. Wolfgang Mack briefly in the Skyline dining room last evening and was given a copy of his most recent book. He had the traumatic experience … Continue reading →

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The History of Merit Badges is our own cultural history

Posted on September 22, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Sent in by Ann Milam Over the years, scouting has encouraged boys and girls to be prepared for the world around them   (Girl Scouts of the USA; Boy Scouts of America) By April White; Research by Zoe Sayler and Samantha … Continue reading →

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Anita Hill: How to Get the Kavanaugh Hearings Right

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Jim deMaine

From the New York Times: “There is no way to redo 1991, but there are ways to do better. “The facts underlying Christine Blasey Ford’s claim of being sexually assaulted by a young Brett Kavanaugh will continue to be revealed … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Engagement Group, Crime, Essays, History, Law, Politics, Social justice | Comments Off on Anita Hill: How to Get the Kavanaugh Hearings Right

Dealing with plastic waste in the oceans

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Sent by Dick Dion – thanks! I’ve been asked how to buy one of the bracelets made by this group. This is what I found on a Google search: https://4ocean.com/products/4ocean-bracelet

Posted in Advocacy, Business, Education, environment, Nature, Social justice | 2 Comments

Factfullness: Ten reasons we’re wrong about the world – and why things are better than you think

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: Hans Rosling has written a fascinating book that Bill Gates called the most important book he’s ever read. Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World–and Why Things Are Better Than You Think. Rosling explains how and why our thinking … Continue reading →

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