Looking Up (noun phrase):
(1) taking one's eyes off the ground/one's computer screen/one's navel and noticing one's surroundings
(2) going to a reference source to find something out
(3) getting better, improving, as in "Things are . . ."
(4) admiring, respecting, as in ". . . to someone older and wiser"
(5) an award-winning biweekly column that ranges from politics to parenting while trying to pay attention, find stuff out, be optimistic, and give credit where it's due.
The most current installment of Looking Up is always here.
Selected Archive:
2011 -- 2010 -- 2009 -- 2008 -- 2007 -- 2006 -- 2005 -- 2004
Weird Expectations (January 20, 2011)
First impressions—or other people's impressions—count for far too much.
Hard Times (January 6, 2011)
On the proper use of the passive voice during an economic crash.
Notes from Solstice Dark (December 23, 2010)
Leaky Accusations (December 9, 2010)
The charges against Wikileaks' Julian Assange not only threaten him and the Wikileaks project—they threaten the integrity of those fighting sexual assault.
Bring on the Chickens (November 24, 2010)
There's no reason to allow dogs in the city and not chickens.
We've Proven It With Science! (November 11, 2010)
Scientists are, alas, human. So are science journalists, and editors and peer reviewers. You know where this is going.
The Arrogance of Money, Still (October 28, 2010)
If you lose your documentation or screw up a form or don't follow every rule in trying to get credit or resolve a debt, you're screwed. But big banks who've already brought the economy crashing down? They call it a "technicality" and tell everyone to get off their backs.
Smalbany (October 14, 2010)
How could Albany lead the country with a vision that's specific to a small city?
Friends and "Friends" (September 30, 2010)
The silliness of the paranoia over what social networking does to "real" friendships.
The Problem with Car Seats (September 16, 2010)
If only all those holier-than-thou guides about how to adjust car seats perfectly started with "You should put children in cars as little as possible."
Living City (September 2, 2010)
The best response when someone puts your city on one of those stupid "worst 10" lists? Ignore it and tell a story about something awesome that's going on there.
A Win for Fairness (August 19, 2010)
The crack vs powder cocaine sentencing disparity is finally lowered.
Question Video (August 5, 2010)
Why exactly did we believe the spurious ACORN or Shirley Sherrod videos in the first place?
Family Friendly (July 22, 2010)
To me, it's not sex or profanity that make a venue "not child friendly." Usually, it's TVs.
Fiduciary Foolishness (July 8, 2010)
Banks can no longer claim they do anti-social things because they have to get the best return for their investors—because they won't even consistently do that.
Look to Cleveland (June 24, 2010)
One of the most exciting economic development initiatives in the country—Evergreen Cooperatives—is arising from some of Cleveland's poorest neighborhoods, and their rich institutional neighbors.
What Obama's Doing Right (June 10, 2010)
Turns out he's a lot better at the intricacies of making government work better behind the scenes than at handling politically explosive fights.
It's Different for Girls (May 27, 2010)
How the challenges in raising boys and girls free from the constraints of society's gender assumptions are different.
Over Promising (May 13, 2010)
The Obama administration's Promise Neighborhoods initiative is great—but even if it had unlimited funds, it wouldn't solve poverty.
Let's Get Specific (April 29, 2010)
Critiquing Albany's draft vision: We don't want a city that "encourages citizen involvement." We want one where citizens are engaged. And so forth.
Free the Midwives (April 15, 2010)
Some very personal reasons why I think allowing OBs to control midwives is a bad idea.
Look Closer (April 1, 2010)
Hitler can be blamed for anything. (Please note publication date.)
Restoring Albany (March 18, 2010)
How the restoration economy departs from the development economy—and how it can lift Albany to a bright future
Up in Smoke (March 4, 2010)
A wood stove is part and parcel of a sustainale post-peak oil lifestyle. Or is it?
Pay Cash (February 18, 2010)
Time to rethink racking up those points/miles with your favorite local business
Dream Bigger (February 4, 2010)
A city's visioning process is not the time to think small.
What's Your Vision for Albany? (January 21, 2010)
Maternity Mergers (January 7, 2010)
Two Capital District hospitals are merging—will the midwife model of care that one provides survive?
No Market Without Mission (December 10, 2009)
Are the Girl Scouts going to become the centrist Democrats of the nonprofit world?
Thankful for Thanksgiving (November 26, 2009)
It's more than just the opening gun for the winter holidays
Spank the Banks (October 29, 2009)
If your bank sliced and diced your mortgage too much, it may not be able to prove it owns it.
Blinded by Color Blindness (October 15, 2009)
Guess what? If you want your kids to be racially tolerant, you're going to have to point out race and then talk about it.
Take a Walk (October 1, 2009)
Useful research on the mental value of walks contains a sad anti-urban bias
Hands Off the Post Offices (September 17, 2009)
Closing small post offices in walkable neighborhoods is the antithesis of the professed sustainable communities goals of the Obama administration
This Is It (August 20, 2009)
The anti-health-reform movement is absurd, but also scary
Market Delusions (August 6, 2009)
Just read Predator State, OK?
If You Can't Beat 'Em, Eat 'Em (July 9, 2009)
Dining on edible invasive plants, well, just begs to be a metaphor of some sort...
Risky Business (June 25, 2009)
Kids not allowed to bike to school in Saratoga Springs are the latest casuality of our inability to assess risk properly
Government by Wall Street? (June 11, 2009)
Obama needs to quit pandering to Wall Street, and quickly
This Land Is Our Land (May 29, 2009)
Ownership of community institutions may matter more than individual homeownership
What's in a (Parent) Name? (May 14, 2009)
How varying mommy vs. mama can make for more inclusive kid environments.
Licensed to Ill (April 30, 2009)
Will swine flu panic lead to paid sick days, as it should? (NB: This is what happens when I don't come up with a headline myself.)
Weeds and Taxes (April 16, 2009)
About the deals we strike and then retroactively moralize about
The Right Wing Inside (April 2, 2009)
Has the left adopted the right's priorities as its own?
A Legal Matter (March 19, 2009)
You've probably joked about it. But should there really be laws about who is allowed to procreate?
Kidnapping by Another Name (March 5, 2009)
If you deprive someone of their liberty for cash, isn't that kidnapping?
Dinos and Dragons (February 19, 2009)
Being a scientist doesn't prevent you from being ethnocentric
Seeing Shadows (February 5, 2009)
On Groundhog's Day and the cognitive dissonance of globalized seasonal holidays
Herbal Homework (January 22, 2009)
Why we have to double check all doctors—medical and "natural"
For the Love of a Walk (January 8, 2009)
Why I have so much trouble becoming a cyclist (one theory)
Wonder in the Moment (December 25, 2008)
The high of introducing a toddler to the winter holidays—and the peril of knowing you'll want to replicate that thrill.
Who Are the Woods For? (December 11, 2008)
Most environmentalists love the natural world. But does that mean we ought to live in the middle of it?
Election '08 series: Why I Hate Elections (October 30, 2008) Starting Anew (November 13, 2008) and Giving Thanks for the Fight (November 26, 2008)
Call Me When Harvest's Over (October 2, 2008)
There is No National Economy (September 18, 2008)
Why? (September 4, 2008)
Upon entering the famous why-answering phase of parenthood
The Power of "Wife" (August 21, 2008)
Me and Curtis Sliwa have a talk. Oh yeah.
Beyond Spite (Augugst 7, 2008)
On annoying drivers and vindictive bankers
Inborn, Huh? (July 24, 2008)
Spare me, and my daughter, the talk of your naturally truck-loving, faster, noisier, more independent boy
Fireworks (July 10, 2008)
A slice of de facto segregation in American life
The Spirit's in the Details (June 26, 2008)
Getting picky about the nuance of democratic process
Sticking It to Us (June 12, 2008)
Weeding the Farm Bill (May 29, 2008)
Just Say Yes (May 15, 2008)
In Praise of the Right Tool (May 1, 2008)
Class Conflict (April 17, 2008)
Wall Street's Own Medicine (April 3, 2008)
Towel on Head! (March 20, 2008)
When faced with worldview-changing news, we're all toddlers at heart
What's Healthy? (March 6, 2008)
And why?
I'd Rather Know (Feb. 21, 2008)
Thoughts after taking a hard look at what global warming will mean for where I live
Real Economics (Jan. 24, 2008)
The problem with saying you're a social liberal and a fiscal conservative...
What You Don't Know (Dec. 27, 2007)
What an agnostic gets out of religious rituals
Empty Stockings (Dec. 13, 2007)
On opting out of the holiday gift exchange
How About We Really Protect the Children? (Nov. 29, 2007)
Local Loaves (Nov. 15, 2007)
Generation (Gap) Q (Oct. 18, 2007)
I'm Too Busy to Go by Car (Oct. 4, 2007)
Bad Gardener's Grace (Sept. 13, 2007)
Harry Potter and the Cultural Meme (Sept. 6, 2007)
Screaming Wolf (Aug. 9, 2007)
There's power in voices
The Africa Bandwagon (July 12, 2007)
What Part of [Deep Frown] Don't You Understand? (June 28, 2007)
Considering the idea that toddlers' attempts to set social boundaries should be respected
You Gotta Believe (June 14, 2007)
Albany has a pessimism problem
Mom, Can We Go Somewhere? (May 31, 2007)
How I discovered the most common warning I got about parenthood was a total lie
Theory Bites Back (May 17, 2007)
Corporate personhood isn't just for revolution wonks
The Unapologetic City (May 3, 2007)
If I were in grad school, this would be my thesis
Morality Where? (April 19, 2007)
In which I consider the possibility that right-wingers might not be miserable hypocrites after all
Let's Get This Right (April 5, 2007)
An opening salvo on Albany's comprehensive planning process
Cities in Black and White (March 22, 2007)
Another Kind of Urban Mortality (March 8, 2007)
In praise of ruins. . .
Marriage Isn't Enough (Feb. 22, 2007)
The Parent Track (Feb. 8, 2007)
Einstein for the People (Jan. 11, 2007)
Who owns the rights to e=mc2?
Keep Christ in Christmas (Dec. 28, 2006)
Class B for Buses (Dec. 14, 2006)
Giving Up "I Suck" (Nov. 30, 2006)
If the Pocket Fits, Stuff It (Nov. 16, 2006)
Fear of Halloween (Nov. 2, 2006)
We Heart Eliot (Oct. 19, 2006)
By Any Means (Oct. 5, 2006)
Submitted (in theory) as testimony for a hearing to expand Schenectady's adult business law
Danger! Hazard! Warning! (Sept. 7, 2006)
Talking back to the baby-product safety labels seared into my eyeballs
Which City Do You See? (Aug. 24, 2006)
Take Back the Night, and the Agenda (May 4, 2006)
Ride on the Sidewalk Yourself (April 20, 2006)
Representin' (April 6, 2006)
What happens when your constituents want something wrong?
It's a . . . Baby! (March 23, 2006)
How not knowing a fetus's gender causes half the adult population to collapse quivering
Speaking Our Language (March 9, 2006)
The tension between being a linguist and being a grammar geek
A Day Without Traffic Lights (Feb. 23, 2006)
Rights, Responsibilities, and Journalism (Feb. 9, 2006)
On the Mohammed cartoons
Happy December (Dec. 15, 2005)
No, Really. Question Authority (Dec. 1, 2005)
Crying Wolf Amid Real Disasters (Nov. 3, 2005)
The damage done by well-meaning exaggerations
Clearing the Dinner Plate (Oct. 6, 2005)
Katrina column 1 (Sept. 12, 2005) and Katrina column 2 (Sept. 22, 2005)
Many Shades of Bi (July 28, 2005)
Sticky City Abundance (July 14, 2005)
I'm a Conservative Too—Sometimes (June 16, 2005)
Caring About College Too Much? (June 2, 2005)
The Price of Fear (May 19, 2005)
I'm a short woman without a black belt in anything. And I walk alone at night.
The First Pill's Free (April 21, 2005)
Reforming Bankruptcy, One Screwed Family at a Time (April 7, 2005)
Slime Mold and Cities (Feb. 24, 2005)
Learning from the Freaks (i.e., Each Other) (Feb. 10, 2005)
Crimes of "Passion"? (Jan. 27, 2005)
Real-life consequences of glorifying jealousy
Got Your Goat? (Jan. 14, 2005)
What's really behind a city proposal to ban home butchering
Happy Mother's Day (Dec. 16, 2004) (For a little experiment in how a column and a poem on a similar topic can be very different from each other, check out "Pro-Choice Poem for Christmas" after reading this column. The poem came first, by several years.)
Save Our Plot Lines Coalition Formed (Oct. 7, 2004)
It's Just Not That Simple (Sept. 2, 2004)
Antiwar activists and the enemy within.
Can You Be a Little More Precise? (July 29, 2004)
Don't talk to me about "bad" neighborhoods.
Scarred Forever. Not. (July 15, 2004)
What are we protecting our children from, exactly?
(Note: despite the win mentioned in this column, First Amendment rights online have since taken serious blows in the name of "protecting children.")
Letting Off a Little Smoke (July 1, 2004)
Whiners who don't like smoking restrictions, beware
Don't Know Much About 20 Years Ago (June 17, 2004)
Wanted: Lessons in (Participatory) Democracy & Let's Imagine
A two-parter on community participation (May 20 & June 3, 2004)
My Secret Romance (April 8, 2004)
All about me and Google
No Activist Left Behind (March 25, 2004)
This one has a happy postscript–Camilo was acquitted!
Winged Messenger (March 11, 2004)
A bit of wildlife in the city
Get Your Mind Out of the Gutter (Feb. 26, 2004)
Why anti-same-sex marriage advocates are a bunch of perverts
