Concert Review: The Shins, Minglewood Hall, 5/18/2013


First off, let me commend the city of Memphis for what is shaping up to be the best year of live music the city has seen in years, maybe even decades. Between the big name, stadium shows (Elton John, Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake), the enjoyable outdoor shows (Bob Dylan/Wilco/My Read more

Political Passport: Everything You Need to Know about the IRS Scandal


I've recently been asked to contribute occasionally to PolicyMic , an up-and-coming website striving to be an interactive and intelligent forum for diverse views on all topics affecting the Millennial Generation. Fear not, I'll always excerpt and link these posts here on The Wise Guise as well so you can Read more

Jack Bauer, Michael J. Fox, and Agent Coulson - They're Back!


Jack Bauer and 24 are BACK! I've tried to contain my excitement to just a few social media posts every day. It's been a wild week at work and spending as much time as possible with my new baby nephew Walt, so that's helped distract me from sitting on the couch in Read more

Movie Review: The Great Gatsby


It’s everything you ever dreamed it would be. The elaborate costumes, the overblown sets, the dazzling effects, the quick and furious cuts, the smoothly incorporated soundtrack – all the hallmarks of director Baz Luhrmann are apparent in “The Great Gatsby.” Well, for the first hour, they’re there, at least. Per Read more

Why We Love Baz Luhrmann


“I remember that first scene between Leo and Claire so well. Leo glancing at her through the fish tank. The visuals are so rich, and they were both so young and beautiful. Both were dressed to perfection - Claire’s dress and that armor Leo was wearing. And that song Read more

NBA Playoffs: A House Divided


My wife is from Oklahoma City. I’m from Memphis. We live in Memphis. Needless to say, the current NBA Playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies is creating a bit of tension in our house. In order to vent some frustrations, here are our thoughts on Read more

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Politics

Political Passport: Everything You Need to Know about the IRS Scandal

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Joseph Williams in Featured, Politics | Leave a comment

President Obama on The Daily Show close Political Passport: Everything You Need to Know about the IRS Scandal

I’ve recently been asked to contribute occasionally to PolicyMic , an up-and-coming website striving to be an interactive and intelligent forum for diverse views on all topics affecting the Millennial Generation. Fear not, I’ll always excerpt and link these posts here on The Wise Guise as well so you can continue checking this site as one-stop shopping for all random ramblings from yours truly. And if you think it’s going to slow down my contributions here, fear not! Check out my other new post today taking a look at who all is returning to our TV screens in the next year.

Here’s some key excerpts from my latest post breaking down all the details surrounding the latest IRS scandal. As I published the article, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the FBI and Department of Justice are investigating IRS actions for any potential illegal activity. If you want to read the entire article to find out everything you need to know to be educated and informed about what the IRS has done, CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTIRE ARTICLE!

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R.I.P. Margaret Thatcher, The Iron Lady

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Joseph Williams in Featured, Politics | 1 Comment

thatcher R.I.P. Margaret Thatcher, The Iron Lady

My phone beeped with several alerts as I was getting ready this morning. The Great Margaret Thatcher had passed away. Got to school and opened up the laptop to see pictures of The Iron Lady posted, obituaries linked, and quotes listed off.

“Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.”

“There can be no liberty unless there is economic liberty.”

“I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left.”

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What Comfortable Christians in U.S. Can Learn from Saeed

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Palmer Williams in Faith, Featured, Politics | Leave a comment

saeed3 300x156 What Comfortable Christians in U.S. Can Learn from Saeed

In September of 2012, American Pastor Saeed Abedini was arrested while building orphanages in Iran. After being denied full access to a lawyer, being tortured in prison, promised freedom if he’d only renounce his Christian faith, and being convicted of crimes against the state in a sham trial, Pastor Saeed finds himself persecuted daily in an Iranian prison. His wife and children live here in the United States. His case is one of many human rights violations in Iran.  And, on Friday, there’s a bipartisan human rights hearing in Congress discussing Saeed and others who are persecuted in Iran.

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Political Passport: Rubio on Spotify, Ryan’s Future, & Cruz’s First Month

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Joseph Williams in Featured, Politics | 1 Comment

rubioflag 300x168 Political Passport: Rubio on Spotify, Ryans Future, & Cruzs First Month

Welcome to the Political Passport, your one stop shopping to check in on what’s happening in that crazy world of politics today! Since my discussion about how we’ve failed in tackling the problem of poverty in America and my reflections on where we proceed after the GOP’s embarrassing defeat in the 2012 election, I haven’t blogged much about politics.  With the fiscal cliff mostly avoided and Obama’s second term begun, the problems facing our country are as real as ever before. Political jockeying has not and will never stop. There are a litany of leaders working collaboratively and competitively to lead the Republican Party to greater success in making America better for generations to come. While Washington debates the latest problems of our time, our allies and enemies abroad face problems of their own.  At the local levels, there are leaders, political and otherwise, working diligently to solve the problems facing our communities. Political Passport will be a place for you to check in on the world of politics. I’ll regularly share with you some of the latest news in the world of politics and my reflections on it.  I’ll share news articles I’m reading, videos I’m watching, and other political tidbits for your edification. I hope you find it helpful and I hope, in my own little corner of the internet, to help make America better each and every day.

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Movie Review: Zero Dark Thirty

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Joseph Williams in Featured, Movie Reviews, Movies, Politics | Leave a comment

Zero Dark Thirty 300x185 Movie Review: Zero Dark Thirty

Zero Dark Thirty: **** out of 4. 

There are certain movies and certain years in cinema where we are reminded how silly and futile it can be to rank movies each year. Zero Dark Thirty is one of those movies and 2012 is definitely one of those years.

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Where We Go From Here: Reflections on 2012 Election Results

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Joseph Williams in Faith, Featured, Politics | Leave a comment

election2012 300x300 Where We Go From Here: Reflections on 2012 Election Results

So with the 2012 election over, where do we go from here?

America has a lot of problems facing it today.

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Poverty In America: How We Have Failed

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Joseph Williams in Faith, Featured, Politics | 2 Comments

poverty rates Poverty In America: How We Have Failed

Author’s Note: This article is a “director’s cut” version of an article review I wrote for Fare Forward. I highly recommend you visit that site, like the publication on Facebook, and even become a subscriber.  It’s a collection of people much smarter and much better at writing than me, discussing all topics you could imagine through a deeply intellectual Christian worldview.  I’m humbled to have written for their second issue, which is the basis for this post.  I’ll also be published in their third issue. They’re far too kind to me. I’ve tricked them into thinking I’m a legitimate writer.  Please don’t destroy this illusion. But do support Fare Forward. It’s amazing what they’re doing.

“Mr. Williams can’t take our extra food stamps away, CAN HE?!?”  It was my second year with Teach for America in one of the lowest performing high schools in Nashville, Tennessee.  In my 11th grade U.S. History class, I found myself refereeing an unplanned, heated debate about food stamps, welfare checks, and other strands of the social safety net.  Introducing the topic of LBJ’s Great Society, I asked my students (many of whom were enrolled in safety-net programs) to what extent the government should assist the poor.

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The Ole Miss Election Night “Riots”

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Warner Russell in Featured, Politics | 5 Comments

Ole Miss Campus The Ole Miss Election Night Riots

The Ole Miss Election Night “Riots”

Disclaimer: I consider myself a Republican.

I went to Ole Miss, and for that I believe I have a right to share my opinions on what occurred last night on the Ole Miss campus in response to the election results confirming that President Barack Obama will serve another term. I was not in Oxford, but I have spent a chunk of my morning trying to piece together what exactly happened. Read more

My Final Electoral College Prediction

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Joseph Williams in Featured, Politics | Leave a comment

RomneyPennsylvaniaRally 300x224 My Final Electoral College Prediction

Well, here we are. Early voting has wrapped up. Absentee ballots are flying in from all over the world. And this time tomorrow, we’ll be wrapping up another 18+ months Presidential election cycle.  It has been a whirlwind of debates, negative ads, and campaigns in constant reaction mode in the 24 hour news cycle driven more by the latest hashtag on Twitter than the latest policy briefing. I’ve wanted to write several blogposts over the last couple weeks. However, the chaos of real life and my increasing blood pressure about all things Election 2012 have kept me from sitting down to write out the blog posts I’d outlined in my mind: “My Case for Mitt Romney”; “Why President Obama’s Leadership Has Been Tried and Failed”; “A Look Inside Presidential Polling”; and myriad updates on speeches, campaign ads, and other things. Ultimately, I didn’t have the time or peace of mind to write any other blog posts. So today, on Election Day Eve, I simply bring you several closing thoughts and my final 2012 Electoral College predictions map.

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The Exceptional Ones: The Perfection of Down Syndrome

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Joseph Williams in Faith, Featured, Misc. Posts, Politics | 6 Comments

DSAM Homepage The Exceptional Ones: The Perfection of Down Syndrome

This post will be brief. What I lay out will be clear. My commentary will be minimal.  This is because the stories and statistics within this blog post speak for themselves. Commentary from me on this post would diminish the power of the story and stats within it.

Anyone who knows me knows that my faith and family have had the largest impact on the man I am today.  Anyone who really knows me knows that my special-needs sister, Mary, is actually the person that has had the largest influence on me.  I will be following up this post with one in the next few days discussing my sister Mary and why she’s so perfect.  Until then, I just want to share some statistics with you and pass along a story that my wife recently e-mailed to me while I was at work, urging me to be careful when I watched it because it would definitely produce tears. She knows me too well. It’s a story about the true meaning of perfection, and how we often get it so wrong.

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