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MY BLOGS
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The Rational Optimist
http://www.rationaloptimist.wordpress.com/
Commentary of Life, Society, Politics, and Philosophy
LATEST ARTICLES ( 1308 )
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Why Believe?
One panel at the New York State Writers Institute’s Albany Book Festival pitted an atheist against an Evangelical Christian. There was blood all over the place. Read more
Posted on 18 October 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Terrorism in Israel and House of Representatives
In an old Laurel and Hardy film, the pair drive up to a man’s house, and get into an argument with him. Angered, he breaks something on their car. So Hardy... Read more
Posted on 14 October 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
What’s in a Name? For Sports Teams, Don’t Say Red (or Reddish)
Upstate New York school sports teams have commonly borne names connected with Native Americans (or “Indigenous Peoples,” or “Indians”). Who of course used to... Read more
Posted on 12 October 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Why Are Americans So Grumpy?
(This (slightly edited) appeared as a commentary in today’s Albany Times-Union)By most measures, for most Americans, our economy is doing quite nicely —... Read more
Posted on 09 October 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The United States House of Reprehensibles — II
Kevin McCarthy was unprincipled, dishonest, contemptible. It’s a rich irony that he lost the House Speakership because for once he actually did the right... Read more
Posted on 06 October 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Richard Russo: Novelist of the Working Class
Went to the New York State Writers Institute’s shebang with Richard Russo on his new novel. Proud of finding my way directly through the labyrinthine State... Read more
Posted on 03 October 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Lunar New Year Lunacy
New York has made Lunar New Year a state school holiday. In case you’re from Mars — or, in fact, from most of America or Planet Earth — it’s something celebrate... Read more
Posted on 30 September 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Poverty By America
Matthew Desmond previously wrote about our housing crisis in Evicted. His 2023 book, Poverty By America, is a broader examination of socio-economic... Read more
Posted on 26 September 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
My Running Music
Most days I run to the post office for my mail; about a mile; ten minutes. Music helps. Not long ago I happened to run a similar distance but found it puzzlingl... Read more
Posted on 23 September 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Deep Roots of Religion
My humanist group hosted J. Anderson Thomson, a psychiatrist, speaking about his book, Why We Believe in God(s): A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith. Read more
Posted on 20 September 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Impeachment II: Ken Paxton: How Morally Depraved Can a Party Be?
Ken Paxton is the Republican Texas Attorney General. Flaunting his blizzard of litigation against the Biden administration. He’d also spearheaded the legally... Read more
Posted on 17 September 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Impeachment and the True Crime
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has announced a presidential impeachment process, as the “next logical step,” based on “serious and credible allegations” of Biden’... Read more
Posted on 14 September 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Dirty Pictures
Child porn cases are often in the news. It creeps me out that anyone could get their jollies from that. But human sexuality is very varied. Read more
Posted on 11 September 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The BLOAT — Biggest Loser of All Time
Heard a radio report about California’s Shasta County switching from automated to hand counting of election ballots. Ditching their Dominion equipment. The... Read more
Posted on 08 September 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Of Human Bondage: Harvey Havel’s Wild Whore of Albany
At the last Albany Book Festival, I stopped at a local writers organization table, being manned by poet Mary Panza, a powerful personality. She ordered me to... Read more
Posted on 04 September 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
“Democrats Will Destroy America”
Democrats will “destroy” America. They want to. This is now a staple of Republican rhetoric.Democrats supposedly want to destroy America because they hate it.... Read more
Posted on 02 September 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Kiss That __________ (Insert Your Own Over-the-top Metaphor)
Okay, now the internet will blow up demanding my banishment from humanity, civilized or otherwise.For readers on Mars, Spanish Soccer Federation President Luis... Read more
Posted on 29 August 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Does Religion Increase Happiness?
My local humanist group hosted a presentation by Ryan Cragun, a sociologist with a flair for statistics, talking about studies purporting to find correlations... Read more
Posted on 26 August 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
About Online “Influencers” — Hey, People, Get a Life
“Social media influencer” Kai Cenat, 21, recently caused a big riot in New York City. Ever heard of him? Me neither. But he’s got 6-1/2 million followers on... Read more
Posted on 23 August 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
John Bolton Eviscerates Trump
John Bolton’s book, The Room Where it Happened, chronicles his time as Trump’s national security advisor. Not pretty.Bolton had wide-ranging foreign policy... Read more
Posted on 19 August 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY