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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 ( 1299 )
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The Shitstorm Continues
In Shirley Jackson’s story “Charles,” a child returns from kindergarten each day with a new tale of outrageous misbehavior by “Charles,” the class bad boy. So... Read more
Posted on 07 February 2017 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Movie Review: “Arrival”
The film starts with a reverie about memory: how it doesn’t work the way we think.* The protagonist, Louise (Amy Adams), is given what appears to be a standard... Read more
Posted on 05 February 2017 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
My Wet Dreams of The Gambia
As America’s president trashes a world order that has sustained peace and rising global prosperity, it is reassuring to know that progress is still... Read more
Posted on 01 February 2017 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Protesting Trump’s Assault on American Values
This morning I heard on the news that there’d be a protest vigil, at the Albany Airport, against Trump’s Muslim travel ban. I told my wife; we quickly found... Read more
Posted on 29 January 2017 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
America’s Shame
President Trump’s Muslim travel restrictions are a sickening betrayal of what America stands for. Or used to stand for.Give me your tired, your poor, Your... Read more
Posted on 28 January 2017 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Voter Fraud Fraud
So now a federal investigation of voter fraud. Which every credible, reliable source has found nonexistent. Trump is not a sore loser but a sore winner — he jus... Read more
Posted on 26 January 2017 POLITICS, SOCIETY -
President Versus Press
Let me start by saying my own experience with the press has not been great. I was an administrative law judge, presiding over a politically explosive case... Read more
Posted on 23 January 2017 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Inaugural Address: Us Against Them
The President had much to say to “forgotten Americans,” who feel full of resentments. Fair enough. But what about the rest of us?Trump talked of a Washington... Read more
Posted on 21 January 2017 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
My Credo
As our political transition unfolds, I find myself caught between the Scylla of a Democratic party increasingly romanticizing socialist economics hostile to... Read more
Posted on 18 January 2017 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Pussy Grabber’s John Lewis Tweet
“All talk, no action.”That was Pussy Grabber’s typical tweet, about John Lewis. Then he adds a word like, “Sad.” He thinks he’s being clever, when in fact it’s... Read more
Posted on 15 January 2017 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Russian Virus
During the Cold War it was perfectly clear the Russians were the bad guys. Only twisted-brain lefties like Noam Chomsky thought we were. Read more
Posted on 13 January 2017 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Jobs of the Future and Idiocracy
The Economist magazine recently tried to identify where America’s job growth will come from. Of course, pessimists are always seeing the opposite, afraid that... Read more
Posted on 09 January 2017 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Chaos, Fractals, and the Dripping Faucet
Physicist Arthur Eddington said, “the Universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it’s stranger than we can imagine.”Right off the bat are two... Read more
Posted on 04 January 2017 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Tide of History
“There is a tide in the affairs of men . . . “ – William Shakespeare (Julius Caesar)The Enlightenment began in the early 1700s, aiming to free us from shackles... Read more
Posted on 30 December 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Fear and Loathing in Chemistry Sets
Remember chemistry sets? Millennials won’t. They pretty much vanished about 25 years ago. These were kits sold for kids, with arrays of different chemicals in... Read more
Posted on 26 December 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Lies and Voters
ErdoganAfter Turkey’s attempted coup last summer, Turks marched en masse to support their democracy – and their President Erdogan – who is a bigger threat to... Read more
Posted on 21 December 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Eat the Rich
P. J. O’Rourke is the funniest serious writer I know. Or the most serious humorist. Even the “Acknowledgments” section of his book Eat the Rich is hilarious. Read more
Posted on 17 December 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Russia’s Newest Satellite Nation: America
America’s Central Intelligence Agency, after careful analysis of the factual evidence, has reached a firm conclusion that Russia’s regime not only interfered... Read more
Posted on 12 December 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Is Reality Real?
Bishop Berkeley, a 1700s philosopher, was the first to question the existence of a material reality outside our minds. In my 2009 Optimism book, I quoted an... Read more
Posted on 10 December 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
William Faulkner: Absalom, Absalom!
Asked to name my favorite author, I’d probably say Faulkner. I’m reminded of this by finding, at a recent book sale, his novel Sartoris. Read more
Posted on 05 December 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY