Climate change is a difficult problem. I almost said intractable, but I’m an optimist. So, difficult will do. One of the reasons it’s so difficult is because of the way people talk about it and write about it. The messaging that surrounds it. And I’m not talking about all the misinformation and outright lies that…
I know how this sounds, so please bear with me. There are many problems with the job “market” as it currently stands. All the power is on the side of employers (which is why I hesitate to call it a market in the first place). Favoritism and nepotism are rampant. The process rewards salesmanship over…
I have a longstanding tradition of shopping on Christmas Eve. It’s the one day a year where I can honestly say I like to shop. I’ve probably been doing it for thirty years now. I’m sure it started because I’m a natural procrastinator. It’s turned into something I look forward to every year, though. What…
The other day, I saw someone out walking her dog. The dog had just defecated, and she was bending down with a plastic bag to clean it up. No big deal. We all probably see similar scenes all the time. But, for whatever reason, this got me thinking about how much things have changed in…
The OJ Simpson trial happened while I was in college. I completely didn’t care except for an annoyance at how inescapable it was. When they were going to announce the verdict, I made a bet with a friend. We wanted to see who could go the longest without learning the outcome of the trial. The…
We are a very wasteful society. I don’t think there’s any question about that. But a lot of the waste we generate is in the interest of health, safety, and cleanliness. When you see any medical provider, they have disposable gloves and masks and all of the tools are sealed in one-time-use plastic. Whenever a…
Every September 11th we are told, quite adamantly and passionately, to “Never Forget.” Barring severe injury or illness, it is very unlikely that we would ever forget a day like that. That raises the question, when they say, “Never Forget,” what is it that they want from us?
The current conversation around labor is odd. Many (most?) labor advocates still talk about their fight in Marxist terms. Never mind the more theoretical aspects of Marxism, his views on history and progress, etc., and just look at labor. Labor, in this view, is the foundation for all value. Capitalism developed when labor was commodified,…
I’m pretty sure the last time I was involved in an honest, public conversation about sex was when I was thirteen. I was raised attending a Unitarian Universalist Meeting House. For those not familiar with Unitarian Universalism, it’s not a typical religion, for lots of reasons. One of those reasons was that Sex Education was…
Ugh. Make it make sense! Challenge accepted. What are you talking about? I’m going to make it make sense. Picture this: They gathered in the conference room with the usual chit-chat. The project manager closed the door bringing everyone to attention. “Big news, everyone. Big news. We got a new job. The K Boys were…
