Inflation, the Economy, and More! A Leviathan Lurking 
By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   April 26, 2022

Most folks are feeling significant pain at the gas pump and the grocery store these days. Remarkably, the cause for that “pain” is the same for both – inflation. The question is, should we all be worried about that issue in isolation, or should we focus on the economic fundamentals that underlie this spurt of […]

Berlin Redux Take Back the Initiative
By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   March 22, 2022

We must do more! What more can we do? These twin phrases have become a refrain throughout western civilization. We are profoundly aware that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine on a genocidal scale. We are tormented by a desire to do something “more” but uncertain what that could be. Or how “something more” […]

 

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The Fog of War We can “Walk and Chew Gum”
By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   March 15, 2022

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has captivated, as well it should, our general news coverage, our hearts, our minds, and our ability to clearly see the greater peril which is momentarily being obscured by the war. That is understandable on many levels when we see our fellow human beings, average Ukrainian civilians, targeted as victims of […]

How the Marathon Began And Another Example of Courage for Modern Times
By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   March 8, 2022

The first battle of the Greco-Persian wars occurred in 490 B.C. in the town of Marathon, Greece. With Persians attacking cities all along the Greek mainland, and as Athenians braced for their own attack, Athenian General Miltiades took command of a civilian army and marched to Marathon to meet the Persian army. Using superior battle […]

Grab the Garlic! Let’s Reserve Resurrection for Religion
By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   March 1, 2022

Here they go again! It never ceases to amaze how far Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), a “public utility,” will go in harming the public interest. Their latest ploy is an attempt to surreptitiously resurrect the nearly 40-year-old Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, which is scheduled to close by 2025. They want to bring it back […]

A Reason for Hope: On Conscience and Integrity
By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   February 22, 2022

In the political swamp that has ensnared our democratic republic a glimmer of something we haven’t seen for almost six years is on the horizon: the emergence of a fissure in the Republican party, which has lately been in the grips of Mr. Trump’s remarkably single-handed control as it morphed into the Cult of Trump. […]

Irish Fishing vs. Russian Force A Perspective on Masculinity
By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   February 15, 2022

A major battle broke out between a bunch of Irish fishermen from County Cork Ireland, and the pride of the Russian navy. You may have missed the news story, so it is worth spending some time looking at what happened, why, and what lessons we can take away from the exchange. The story begins with […]

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  • Green is Good! Healing the Biosphere One Step at a Time
    By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   February 8, 2022

    Last week this column skewered the plaintive cry of the character Gordon Gekko in the film Wall Street when he propounded that “Greed is good.” In doing so we wrapped up the article by quoting one of the most famous and powerful of all capitalists, Chairman and CEO Larry Fink of BlackRock. The firm Fink […]

    Happy (?) New Year!
    By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   January 11, 2022

    Auld Lang Syne Sometimes referred to as the “New Year’s Anthem,” Auld Lang Syne begins with a markedly rhetorical question: Should old times “be forgot and never brought to mind,” and spends the next several verses confirming the value of times gone by and friendships that were developed to be celebrated into the new year. […]

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    Celebrating (?) 2021 Remembering an Incredible Year
    By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   December 28, 2021

    This is one very difficult column to write. It is the end of the year, a time typically filled with Holiday cheer — whether Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or just Santa Claus and family. We pause to celebrate the happiness of the season, complete with the exchange of gifts, and to bask in the warm embrace […]

    Parental Anxiety: Greed knows no boundaries
    By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   December 21, 2021

    Almost every parent of a K-12 school age child is really concerned about the incessant school shootings that plague our nation. These have been escalating in violence and complexity over the 23 years since the Columbine massacre in 1999, and it is past time for a national conversation on gun violence and young people. If […]

    “Take This Job and Shove It!” Worker Driven Economic Growth
    By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   December 14, 2021

    Have you heard all the news stories lately about “the Great Resignation” (or as some podcasters are calling it, the “Take this job and shove it” moment)? Tune into CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, or pick up a copy of the Economist, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Washington Post, or even your […]

    Inflation Worries, Wages and the Money Trail: Why panic is unnecessary
    By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   December 7, 2021

    Inflation is on everyone’s mind these days. Currently running at 6.2% (4.6% if you strip out food and energy), inflation is at its highest rate in many decades — since 1990 to be precise. And, although that number is unacceptably high, a historical lens can put things into perspective. From the early 1970s to the […]

    Guns, Gosar, Violence and Economics: War Only Enriches Gunsmiths
    By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   November 30, 2021

    The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse has galvanized the country, splitting already “warring factions” into something far more dramatic. The travesty of that trial began with the systematic exclusion of Black jurors and was further amplified by a clearly biased and incompetent judge: he openly fought with the prosecution in front of the jury, denied them […]

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