Recently, Pope Francis issued a statement which not only accepted science’s “Big Bang” theory on the origin of the universe but embraced Darwin’s theory of evolution as well. He concluded that neither of these suppositions contradicted the idea of divine intervention. On the c

Arguments for and against electing court judges by popular vote continue from time to time. In my community, judgeships tend to be uncompetitive with one person running for each vacant slot.  It hardly seems worth the price of ink to put their names on the ballot and how these candid

Near the end of my last term in public office, my secretary left for California and I had to replace her.  Rather than do a long search for a job that would last less than a year, I hired an independent contractor. After that, I turned my attention to the task of winding down the off

Every community, not matter how small, has a coffee shop or restaurant where people gather to see and be seen.  In a city there are many places.  Portland being a mid size city has more than its share, most of which I tend of avoid.  If I don’t want the NSA spying on me, I don’

Sometimes we think we know the meaning of a word only to discover we don’t.  Take the word monopoly.  It used to mean a business large enough to eliminate its competitors.  When that happens, we expect goods and services to go up.  But, as Franklin Foer writes in a recent essay,

In the early 1970s, I worked hard to pass an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) that would grant women equal protection under the law.  The movement didn’t succeed and today, many of my sex feel such a law is unnecessary.  Happily a few have begun to rethink the question and to reevalua

I admit I have little knowledge about Muslims or their faith. At best, I brushed shoulders with a few while traveling in East Africa.  My most memorable encounter was with my safari guide in Uganda.  During one of our many chats, he mentioned a custom in his country that obliged a w

We have a new reason “to despise Facebook,” says Jay Barmann of SFirst.com. (“Talking Points,” The Week,  October 3. 2014 pg. 16)  The company has long had a policy that requires users to subscribe under their real names.  But what’s in a name some Drag Queens are beginni

A small news item with huge potential consequences appeared in the press the other day.  It touched upon the unified theory of everything, the quest for an understanding that would explain how electromagnetism, strong and weak forces in nature and gravity work together. (Blog 10/21/1

I have a friend who in his youth belonged to a comedy improvisational group.  Their performance involved asking the audience to supply plots or characters which the actors would turn into extemporaneous skits.  What resulted always ranked somewhere on a scale between funny to hilari