Enumerated Update

Happy Monday, friends.  Here's what is happening with us:


1)  Countdown:  Friday, the 19th, delivered a shock to the system: We have less than a month remaining of summer break.

Yikes.

Paragraphs could be written about all the many ways in which I am not ready for our summer to come to a close.

2)  House of Cards: We watched House of Cards earlier this month.  As former fans of The West Wing, we quickly devoured the entire season and were not surprised by the 9 Emmy nominations House of Cards earned last week.  Props to Netflix for winning 14 nominations overall.

Have you watched House of Cards yet? If you can adapt to the "fourth wall" dialogue, the show is fantastic.

3) Boston/Rolling Stone/Murphy:  The decision of Rolling Stone magazine to place Dzokhar Tsarnaev on its cover is disgusting to me, but they accomplished their goal of garnering attention and selling copies.  I hadn't realized the Tsarnaev brothers were in a band (she says sarcastically), and glorifying domestic terrorism and mass murder never appeals to me -- nor does shameless profiteering.

Sean Murphy's response of releasing official police photographs depicting Tsarnaev in a less glamorous light -- specifically, battered and with a red laser dot on his forehead -- creates many ethical implications.  While the police photos provide an important counter-argument, Sergeant Murphy has to be held to a higher standard than the shameless writers and editors of Rolling Stone magazine for whom ethical boundaries are apparently much lower than we had previously imagined.  Lastly, if the police photos were intended to provide deterrence, I have some concerns about the effectiveness of such a measure.  By nature of receiving additional coverage by Boston Magazine (and then the rest of the world), Tsarnaev and his actions were further glorified (albeit unintentionally).

Having said all of that, I'm not sure what my position would be if my family had been wounded, maimed or killed by Tsarnaev.

4) Detroit:   Learning of Detroit's bankruptcy was like watching a close friend leave his/her office with their belongings in a box.  The WSJ captured Detroit's decline better than anyone else by likening 1950-60's Detroit with Silicon Valley.  Detroit was where everything innovative was happening from a technological standpoint, and Motown established the city as a culture center.  With the average home price hovering at $40,000.00 and homes available for $5,000.00, the bankruptcy is merely the beginning of the end.

5) Prince of Cambridge: On a happier note, it's a boy!  

Let's conclude on a high note, shall we?

What's happening with you?