Many Americans are standing on street corners waving anti-Trump signs, and the economy might be the reason. The  Economic Policy Institute (EPI) notes that never before has so much money flowed into the hands of so few, and given the greatest political influence to those with the fat

What follows below is a test.  Read the italicized statements and identify the speaker.  Is it Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamie Dimon, or Steve Bannon? *You have to break the mindset that stock buybacks are fine, that crony capitalism is fine, and that tax breaks for

Like the boy who cried wolf, U. S. Senator Bernie Sanders has long blamed oligarchs for weakening our democracy. Of late, his prognostications ring true.  Vast fortunes concentrated in the hands of large corporations and a few individuals have weakened the middle class, leading the

(I’m taking a lap victory by repeating my blog of November 2020, after Joe Biden’s defeat of Donald Trump.)                                      *** The 2020 election makes clear that neither political party will be setting the course for the country. Gr

When my mother moved into assisted living, I became the landlord for her half of the duplex.  My first tenant was an art historian with a Ph.D. He’d moved to Oregon after working several years as an adjunct instructor at a midwestern university. Perhaps he hoped to find tenured wor

A recent article in Business Insider pit the brains of humans against whales and the whales won.   That was two hundred years ago when Sperm whales learned to avoid the fishermen’s harpoons by swimming against the wind that powered the schooners.  History records that out of  80

The trouble with a mystery is that while it piques curiosity, It also invites suspicion. Imagining bad motives on some other person’s part makes compromises difficult and erodes a sense of community. Anyone who’s followed these blogs, even occasionally, has encountered one of my d

Confronted by an avalanche, the best a person can do is run like hell. The current pandemic feels like it may bury us but instead of running, we are advised to shelter in place. So, today I’ve decided to spend time reflecting upon some curious aspects of human society.  No small ta

Having lived through the Asian flu epidemic in the late 1950s, I’m pretty sure the coronavirus will eventually wend its way out of our system. For one thing, science knows a good deal more about how to mount a viral defense than in those earlier days. A vaccine may arrive sooner rat

On Monday, March 5, Katie Porter, Democratic congresswoman from California, disagreed with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Speaker had earlier commented that because a candidate was a woman it was no reason to vote for her.  Porter disagreed and so do I.  All things being equal, wo