MODERN LIFE

I took a month away from Facebook and Instagram. My social-media detox started in the midst of my having Covid. I was lying in bed for hours at a time and finally had a moment to watch television. I have very little patience left for prestige TV — what is the hottest drama series on the newest platform? — so I turned to RuPaul’s Drag Race for some light in this dark winter. …

WFH PRO TIP

Working from home can be hell. Not news. We’re in Month 11 of this nightmare, and we figured that out real fast. I have been working from home for well more than 15 years, and I have learned a lot about how to structure my day to make it all feel less, well, overwhelming. One of my must-dos is this: designate “sacred hours.”

One challenge that those who WFH often seem to have — and I had this challenge for a very long time — is they value all of the hours in a week the same way. Monday at…

I am not one to wade into the choppy waters of renaming common terms or phrases. Yes, I do believe the pen — or the keyboard — is mightier than the sword, and I stand firmly by the leftist creed that “words matter” (as do full sentences). But, seeing as the sky has been falling for the last four years, as have bridges and now power grids, I usually feel our time and energy are better spent fighting other fights. However, the term “student loan forgiveness” drives me full-on mad. …

SHORT STACK

It’s high time we revisit the Fairness Doctrine. Yes, there used to be an actual policy that prevented the polarization of our media. It is time to bring it back, clean it up, and make it pretty — and productive — for the 21st century. First enacted in 1949 by the FCC, the Doctrine called on television broadcasters to present balanced reporting on controversial issues. It was gutted in the 80s, a move that famously gave rise to Fox News. Our media landscape is wildly different now, but a modern Fairness Doctrine would break down the barriers between red and…

SHORT STACK

Today starts the next stage of this new, warped, demented Republican Party. John McCain must be rolling over in his grave. George W. Bush must be painting up a storm…

POLITICS

What a truly disgusting vote just occurred in the United States Senate. In a nation torn apart, beaten down by a never-ending pandemic and on the verge of mass depression — both economic and emotional—the Republican Party made a clear choice this evening. They chose to turn a blind eye to treason. They chose to double-down on Trumpism. They chose a thug and the mayhem that he hath wrought.

The message to all who participated? To all who stormed the steps of the United States Capitol? You are on your own. You gathered together and broke into the holiest of…

THE NATION

We are now just one month away from the grimmest of milestones. On March 13, 2020, President Trump declared the national emergency that persists. Yes, the pandemic started earlier, the virus was here and already wreaking havoc, but it all got real on that dark Friday. It was “official.” The United States was dealing with a pressing threat — not only to our bodies and our families, but to our livelihoods, our economy, and to our social order. We quickly learned some very new words: self-quarantine, social distance, N95.

We all know the story of what followed. We are still…

WORK NOTE

I don’t entirely understand why I still get dial-in conference call invites. If the last year has taught us anything, it’s that Zoom (or Teams) is a far more effective way to communicate office-to-office, or dining-room-to-dining-room. Video killed the radio star. And Zoom killed your dial-in. It’s over, friends. I resist tech progress sometimes, too, but this one is a no-brainer.

I get it. Zoom has problems. It’s not free. It gets wonky. You have to comb your hair. And lock your kid up. Sometimes it needs a password, and sometimes it doesn’t. We are all still trying to figure…