Failing to learn from losing is a chapter title in my recent book Election 2016: The Great Divide, The Great Debate. Actually a partial title. The full title is "A Sobering Weekend: Failing to Learn from Losing" (pg. 109). Last night's Democratic debate reminded me of that chapter. The sub-title is, "April 12, 2016". Empathy is just … Continue reading Failing to learn from losing
Category: belief
Life and death matters
Life and death matters, maybe. A few days past, in early morning fog, there was a helicopter crash that killed all nine people aboard. One, Kobe Bryant, was a basketball legend. He was only forty-one years old, retired, yet in the prime of his life. The outpouring of shock, grief, and sadness has been unmatched, … Continue reading Life and death matters
The soul of America
Watching the Democrat's debate last night and then sleeping on it, I've come to this conclusion: the 2020 election is for "the soul of America". Those words and that thought was articulated by Joe Biden, the presumptive nominee, in his closing remarks. He said, "Character is on the ballet. We have to restore America's soul." … Continue reading The soul of America
Merry Christmas! Ho, ho, ho
Merry Christmas! Ho, ho, ho. Or maybe that ought to be - merry impeachment. Ho, ho, ho ... Pictured below is my first Christmas tree in my first home as a young man. I was barely twenty-seven and on my second marriage. We lived in a small cabin, in Conifer, Colorado, on a quarter acre … Continue reading Merry Christmas! Ho, ho, ho
Christmas comforts me
"It's coming on Christmas, They're cuttin' down trees, They're putting up reindeer, And singing songs of joy and peace", are lyrics from 1971, Joni Mitchell's famous song "River". It's the third track on the second side of her even more famous album Blue. The picture above shows my record, an original and constant companion, as well … Continue reading Christmas comforts me
Music: my love affair with
As I write this I'm listening to a playlist, "Top songs of 2019", complied by the streaming music service Spotify, emailed to me with the hook "Here's your year in music" and I couldn't resist. It said I listened to 726 songs. I'm also drinking, not down at the bar, but at my desk. Because … Continue reading Music: my love affair with
Simulation, Souls, or Skinner box
Lately I've been thinking about the disturbing, yet also comforting, world we live in. It's dangerous and hostile and unforgiving. The idea that we are nothing but a product of an amoral, evolutionary process - an accident - is too disturbing. Most people believe we are either sinner and saints (souls) or simulations. I disagree. … Continue reading Simulation, Souls, or Skinner box
Words are manipulated to misrepresent reality
A recent study by researchers at Northwestern University (NWUS) demonstrates how data and words are manipulated to misrepresent reality (what is true) to fit a preconceived notion and agenda. That agenda serves a political and social prejudice (feminist, progressive, postmodern liberalism). This is also known as confirmation bias. Unfortunately, today, this is a common practice … Continue reading Words are manipulated to misrepresent reality