There is no single explanation for the popularity of Trump. But one thread is that he can “get stuff [sh-t] done.” Supporters (MAGAs) don’t care about his long history of cheating people out of their money, his talk of “grabbing pussies”, or even that he violently tried to overthrow an election. “He gets stuff done.” […]
My friend and I meet one evening at a seafood place – one of those enormous restaurant/bars with maritime junk hung all over the place in case you forget the theme. Tonight it is thronged and seething, the dank air heavy with excited human congress. The World Series is hollering out of a dozen enormous […]
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There are two famous poems which have one thing in common. What they have in common, however, might be considered by some critics a shortcoming. It is the literary practice of anthropomorphism. In case you need an explanation, that word describes any poetic attempt to endow non-human objects or creatures with human characteristics. For example, […]
Almost five years ago I was honored to be hired by MoJo CEO and Executive Editor Gwyn Lurie. “What is Truth?” was her recommendation for my first article. Neuroscientist/podcaster Sam Harris raised a related point: “There are an infinite number of facts one could choose to focus on. And the act of focusing changes how […]
Many years ago I was gamboling about the Peabody Charter school playground with my toddler, a redheaded sunflower (today a 6’ grizzled Viking). At a given moment, another little boy of about six years old approached out of the blue, stood before me, and without preamble began declaiming. “There’s no such thing as ghosts or […]
With more and more of our work now being done by machines, the question naturally arises, how are we to spend all that “leisure” time? One answer is “Recreation.” But what are we re-creating? According to the Old Testament account, which we call Genesis, the whole world was created by God in six days – […]
One of several mass movements which have shaped the modern world is that of organized workers, usually campaigning for more pay and better working conditions. A key moment in this struggle occurred in 1848 with the publication of a document written by two German Jews, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It was called The Communist […]
According to the New Testament Gospel of Matthew, Jesus taught his followers that nothing – even moving a mountain – is impossible to those who have faith. Some 600 years later, the Prophet Mohammed apparently had a very different take on this idea. He knew that no amount of faith would bring a mountain to […]
For over 30 years, we worked to get bicycle lanes and safe pedestrian crossings in Old Town Goleta. Endless meetings, hearings, studies, surveys and public input. It was never enough. Seven lanes were devoted to motor vehicles: Four traffic lanes, a center turn lane and two lanes for parking motor vehicles. But no room for […]
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One of my favorite poems is by a woman named Susan Marr Spalding. It’s called “Fate,” and is in two parts, each of nine lines. It contrasts the different ways life could have turned out for two presumably imaginary couples. In the first part, the man and woman lead lives which make it extremely unlikely […]
There are days when the most exciting things my wife and I do are Wordle… “Got it in four.” Ha! I got it in three.” Well, just wait until tomorrow.” Dispense boxes of cereal into their new “ant-proof” plastic vaults… “Raisin Bran done.” “Check.” “Special K done.” “Check.” “Cheerios… ah, dang. Broom.” “Check.” And maybe […]
By 1973 I had a red Panasonic ball radio parked in the darkened little hutch that was built into the headboard of my bed, and was discovering both the inchoate power of music, and words like ‘inchoate’. I’d bought my first LP with my own money, Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, played McCartneys’ RAM album till […]
My life story nearly had an early ending when, at the age of 18, I was in Israel, traveling on my own and often visiting ancient ruins. One was of a Crusader castle, many of which were built during the centuries after the First Crusade, which had succeeded in capturing, or re-capturing Jerusalem from the […]
Only recently have I been introduced to a well-established genre of music, and particularly of singing, called “Country.” It seems somehow to be peculiarly American, particularly “Southern,” and “Western,” and apparently derives from what used to be called a “Hillbilly” sound. I would say it’s the opposite of sophisticated, embodying the social outlook of people […]
