Garden Variety Casual observation of human nature reveals individuals in any crowd with prejudices. In some cases, these attitudes are benign (which car brand is best) and in others not so much. There will always be someone who disagrees with your heartfelt beliefs. In our current evolutionary state as sapiens, prejudice and discrimination occur in the random chaos of life. Cultural and Structural Another branch of discrimination is more oppressive. It is addressed by the Critical Race Theory movement. A . . .
Time For Metric?
8 ounces in a cup, 12 inches in a foot, 3 feet in a yard,16 ounces in a pound, 4 quarts in a gallon,43,560 square feet in an acre What a Number Stew! The US is the outlier. The other 95% + of the world use the metric system. Canada established a Metric commission in 1971 and over Labor Day weekend in 1977 every speed limit sign in the country was changed from MPH to KPH. US Metric History 1968 . . .
Save the GOP!
We wait as four years of embarrassing histrionics come to an end, before a normal transfer of power on January 20 as called for by the 20th Amendment of the US constitution. Fraudulent Election? A joint session of congress will open on January 6th, 2021 to record the electoral votes from each state and District of Columbia in alphabetical order. But, most of the GOP Representatives and eleven GOP Senators plan to object to the results from several key . . .
Profits and Common Good
Obviously, we live with and depend on business corporations to provide us with what we need. Competitive markets encourage innovation and invention to our benefit. What motivates these corporations? According to Milton Friedman the only purpose of a corporation is to make a profit for the shareholders. There are some well-known companies that pursue a broader and socially responsible agenda: Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s are prominent examples. But corporations are run by a variety of people who sometimes make . . .
Short Term Decisions
The outgoing administration has a self-served view of the world. Behind the obvious distractions and pandering to the benighted, are destructive tampering with relationships and regulations and short-sighted decisions. Purged Cuban Doctors The US along with Brazil’s Bolsonaro (“Trump of the Tropics”) expelled 10,000 Cuban medical workers from poor areas of Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia and El Salvador months before the Covad19 pandemic struck. This was done to curb Cuba’s most important export, medical experts. How the doctors and nurses get . . .
Anti Fascism
Is the US descending into fascism?What would be the indicators? Fascism: authoritarian ultra nationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, as well as strong regimentation of society and of the economy which came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe. Chicago Anti Fascism Rally 9-5-20: I wanted to learn more about the current anti-fascist movement which is worried about encroaching authoritarianism in the US. So, I attended an anti fascist rally in Chicago sponsored by a few different organizations. There . . .
Tragedy of the Commons
There are resources which belong to us all, for example, fresh water, clean air and healthy oceans. Unfortunately, human nature has a tendency to exploit these vital resources for selfish and short-term rewards. Although it would be nice and simple, it does no good to exhort individuals to be less selfish. So, what happens? Benefits accrue to the exploiter and the costs are borne by all of us. The resource is eventually depleted or ruined and lost to everyone. There . . .
Cost of Poverty
Poverty Here? A 2017 study by OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) measures the US poverty level at 17.8%, which is worse than Mexico (16.6%),Russia (12.7%), and Denmark (5.8%) . When it comes to child poverty, things are even worse. A UNICEF report found that the United States ranked 34 of 35 developed countries – only Romania had a higher child poverty rate. Inequality? It is interesting that when comparing income inequality before taxes, the US is similar to . . .
Warp Speedster
An ironically named committee is being assembled to conquer the new corona virus. What is warp speed? There is the science fiction concept first introduced by John F. Campbell in his novel from 1931, Islands of Space, as a technique for traveling faster than light. Then there is Einstein’s theory of special relativity, which, upon casual interpretation indicates that matter (having mass) cannot travel at the speed of light. It would require an infinite amount of energy. So here we . . .
Religious Liberty?
Our Justice Department recently held training workshops for its lawyers with a focus on a push to prioritize “religious freedom.” Most zealots think they have the answers to life and dismiss the value of the separation of church and state. In a speech at Notre Dame Law School in October 2019, our AG explained his thinking: “Modern secularists dismiss this idea of morality as other-worldly superstition imposed by a kill-joy clergy. In fact, Judeo-Christian moral standards are the ultimate . . .