Ravenweb Blog

At last, an empty work inbox:

To all my extended colleagues and connections, Many of you already know, but I wanted put up a short post to announce that Friday, January 28 will be my last day at Moog , and I'll be starting a new full-time position with my parent company ( the Superior Group ) next week. I'm excited about my new position. In my new role for Superior, I’ll be working as Brand and Business Innovation manager for the company and be responsible for the creation, development, and maturation of new ideas and driving innovation for the business. I’ll also lead initiatives as they pertain to branding, online marketing, and our intranet and public web properties. Thanks to everyone for all the support over the years and through my recent job transition.

I've selected a song for 2010 and added it to My Life Playlist . I mulled four songs before picking a winner, and enjoyed the process of reflecting on some great music from the past year. First, the winner: "Crash Years" by The New Pornographers This is Indie rock at its best. And, the three honorable mentions: "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri Raw but brimming with emotional intensity. Watch Christina Perri -- she's going to be a star. "Animal" by Neon Trees Catchy, with fast beats and a big chorus. "Boy Lilikoi" by Jónsi I'm thankful I discovered this incredibly gifted Icelandic singer in 2010. 

"Eradicating an ugly word won't erase history. And in order to learn from past mistakes, we must understand our history." So wrote one of my friends 1  in an email exchange in which we discussed The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn  and the Alan Gribben NewSouth Edition that's been in the news lately -- the one in which the editors decided to eliminate the racial slurs, including the "n-word." I was bothered by the new edition when I first heard about it and then again when I engaged in some vigorous oppositional debate about it with a neighbor. According to Gribben, the "racial insults" in  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn  (as well as  The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ) "repulse modern-day readers" such that "this editor gradually concluded that an epithet-free edition of Twain's books is necessary today." On the surface, the intention seems laudable: make Twain's works more accessible to American schoolchildren. An...

One year ago today, on January 12, 2010, a devasting earthquake struck Haiti. For me, this was a tragedy unlike others, even of similar or greater proportions, because it was personal and directly involved my next door neighbor, Erin Lancer, who was in Haiti when the earthquake happened. Erin was there visiting with the little boy (Geoff) she and her husband (Mike) were planning to adopt. The immediate aftermath was a rush of days and efforts by her family trying to cope with the situation and help bring her back home. The local news picked up the story, and Mike Lancer posted to Facebook constantly, updating friends and family about Erin's status. Within a few days, Erin came home to Buffalo, but without Geoff, who she had to leave behind because the adoption hadn't been finalized yet. Frantic efforts followed to finalize Geoff's adoption and clear the way for him to join the Lancer's in the U.S. Politicians got involved, including Senator Chuck Schumer of NY. Then...