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I Like This Pope

by Bill Brenner June 25, 2013 Faith

As a Catholic who has rebelled against the political structure of the Church, I gotta say this new Pope is giving me a lot of hope. Francis is turning out to be a rebel in his own right, shunning the trappings of power and putting the focus squarely back on Jesus, where it belongs. Mood music: The latest example: Pope Francis skipped a concert over the weekend where he was to be the guest of…  [Read More]

The Little Boy, the LEGO Gun and a World Gone Mad

by Bill Brenner May 29, 2013 Communication Skills

I understand the anxiety educators feel over guns, especially after the horrific events in Newtown, Conn. What I don’t get is how absolutely stupid and unreasonable grownups have become over every little thing. Case in point: a 6-year-old boy getting in trouble for carrying a LEGO gun barely the size of a quarter. Mood music: [spotify:track:2bkpCVvOn2XZGhzA4fPyuZ] I already sensed we had gone off the deep end when a high-school girl got the book thrown at…  [Read More]

If the Charges Are True, This Man Is a Monster

by Bill Brenner April 24, 2013 Crime and punishment

I tend to avoid the abortion issue, because it’s a no-win topic. But I’ve been following a murder trial recently that turns my stomach so severely that I can’t keep my mouth shut. Mood music: [spotify:track:21MwEJ8tHezcPy77BaELJ6] The Catholic Church tends to label anyone who is against Roe v. Wade as being a baby killer. I don’t think the situation is that simple. I agree that abortion is wrong, tragic and evil. It disgusts me that some…  [Read More]

Dzhokar Tsarnaev’s Age Can’t Shield Him From Justice

by Bill Brenner April 22, 2013 Lessons from the past

After the elation everyone felt Friday night when the second suspected Boston Marathon bomber was captured after a bloody manhunt, the mood dropped again. Some fellow parents lamented the fact that a 19-year-old kid could do what Dzhokar Tsarnaev is accused of doing. They pictured him curled up in a ball in that backyard boat in Watertown, scared beyond all comprehension. Tsarnaev is someone’s child, someone pointed out. Here’s why I’m less sympathetic. Mood music: [spotify:track:22f0HfO1PUGJ3bjVozEewR] I…  [Read More]

When People Don’t Like A Discussion, They Call It Drama

by Bill Brenner April 17, 2013 Communication Skills

Since I write a lot about how we talk to each other in this blog and my professional one, I hear the word drama a lot. It’s almost always used to describe something people don’t want to discuss. It’s a one-word arsenal meant to shoot down anyone you disagree with. I get shot at a lot. And I’m perfectly fine with it. Yesterday I publicly took a local newsman to task for relishing his coverage…  [Read More]

Five Takeaways from Steubenville Rape Case

by Bill Brenner March 18, 2013 Crime and punishment

After taking in some of the outrage among friends over the seemingly sympathetic coverage CNN gave to two Steubenville, Ohio, teens convicted of raping a young girl, I decided to watch the specific report that generated all the fuss. Mood music: [spotify:track:4NOsHwVqjELCPWiY72bao5] People are often conflicted over stories like this because the convicted are two kids who did what a lot of kids are capable of doing when they had too much booze. Reporters seemed heartbroken…  [Read More]

Will the Catholic Church Lighten Up Under Pope Francis?

by Bill Brenner March 14, 2013 Faith

After the world got its first gander at Pope Francis yesterday, the inevitable “Lighten up, Francis” jokes started flying. But there’s more than a cheap joke in all this. The question of whether the Church will lighten up under Pope Francis is a legitimate one. Mood music: [spotify:track:7GCBUUTGCGYKwx0kpVay60] I’m a devout Catholic, which is to say I follow Jesus and believe he’s my savior. But I’ve often turned my nose up at the Vatican bureaucracy and…  [Read More]

Cannibal Cop’s Morbid Fantasy Crossed the Line

by Bill Brenner March 13, 2013 Compulsive behaviors

The New York Times published a story about the conviction of Gilberto Valle, a police officer who apparently plotted to kidnap, torture and eat several women. He never actually abducted or killed anyone. It was mostly talk in seedy online chat rooms. Which begs the question: Should a person be tried and jailed for dark thoughts that percolate in the mind? Mood music: [spotify:track:54YmspVxT9aeIxQ7YvG9Or] Valle’s trial highlighted some of the darkest corners of cyberspace, where, as the NYT noted, “fetishists hide behind…  [Read More]

Hey, Tom Duggan: You’re Doing It Wrong

by Bill Brenner March 7, 2013 Communication Skills

I like Tom Duggan, editor of one of my local newspapers, The Valley Patriot. Against heavy odds, he started his paper nine years ago to compete with The Eagle-Tribune, the dominant daily of the Merrimack Valley region, and it’s been a big success. Mood music: [spotify:track:1qGiiSb3RgkDdkZOmAd8UZ] As a former Eagle-Tribune editor, I’ve enjoyed Duggan’s effort. I have bad memories from my days there, much of the grief self-inflicted, some of it the byproduct of spending…  [Read More]

Truth in Advertising at the Heart Attack Grill?

by Bill Brenner February 13, 2013 Food

I admit to some laughter when I read the news that John Alleman, unofficial spokesman and mascot for Las Vegas’ infamous Heart Attack Grill, dropped dead of a heart attack outside the restaurant. “Talk about truth in advertising,” I thought to myself. Then I felt like an asshole. Mood music: [spotify:track:4dIv6OPKSfGNfWuhv1hEDV] Finding humor in someone’s death is bad enough, but I could have easily been this guy. Frankly, I still could be. The Heart Attack Grill…  [Read More]

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