Fsrcoin

LATEST ARTICLES ( 1455 )

• On to Mars

  

  I was 21. And I vividly remember newscaster David Brinkley, with his distinctive twang, calling July 20, 1969 “a date that will be remembered as long as people... Read more

  Posted on 21 November 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• President Trump, of the Nation Formerly Known as America

  

  Give him a chance. He can’t be so bad. He’s our president now. Let’s hope he succeeds. You’re just a bunch of political sore losers, get over it. This is what... Read more

  Posted on 16 November 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Rational Optimist – Or Pessimist?

  

  On Wednesday morning I changed this blog’s title from “The Rational Optimist” to “The Rational Pessimist.”Psychology research shows that... Read more

  Posted on 12 November 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• The Morning After

  

  No serious, thinking, responsible, conscientious, civic-minded people supported Trump (even before the sexual assault stuff). He was rightly seen as a perfect... Read more

  Posted on 09 November 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Hillary’s Victory Speech (draft)

  

  To: HRCFrom: FSRRe: Draft victory speechWell, Hill, you didn’t use any of my drafts before. Though I bet you wish you had given that e-mail speech. Anyway,... Read more

  Posted on 08 November 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• A Final Word – Snow White Versus Voldemort

  

  The Economist magazine is ideologically far from Clinton and the Democrats, yet endorsed her. Their editorial is well worth reading, because it puts things in... Read more

  Posted on 06 November 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• What This Election is About: America’s Soul

  

  This election is not about issues or policies. It’s about character – America’s character.Trump’s America would be a different country from the one I’ve known... Read more

  Posted on 02 November 2016 POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Green-Weak: Poems by Therese L. Broderick

  

  I like the idea of being married to a poet. She takes it seriously; went back to school in her forties to get a master’s degree. Read more

  Posted on 01 November 2016 CULTURE

• Local Election Endorsements

  

  I have always normally voted against incumbent office-holders, as a matter of principle, because power corrupts, and rotation in office is democratically... Read more

  Posted on 31 October 2016 POLITICS

• The Turd Artist: David Foster Wallace Revisited

  

  Wallace“But it’s s**t.”So begins The Suffering Channel. Its author, David Foster Wallace (who committed suicide in 2008), is an epic American literary figure. Read more

  Posted on 27 October 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• How to Reduce Crime

  

  Our prisons are called “correctional facilities.” Social science writer Daniel Goleman says this is “a tragic misnomer: nothing gets corrected.”Indeed, prisons... Read more

  Posted on 23 October 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Trump Descends Deeper into the Heart of Darkness

  

  He’s the gift that keeps on giving. In the debate, Trump was asked a question that can have only one answer. His running mate had given that answer. So had... Read more

  Posted on 20 October 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• David Gelernter and the Ideology Trap

  

  David Gelernter is a well-known computer scientist, whose talk I wrote about previously. Afterwards, I wanted to speak with him, but didn’t want to buy the new... Read more

  Posted on 19 October 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Our Gal in Iraq

  

  In the last episode (“Our Gal in Kabul”), daughter Elizabeth (now 23) was headed to a job with a humanitarian organization in Afghanistan, to sort out the... Read more

  Posted on 17 October 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Does Science Prove Rich People Are Jerks?

  

  Left wingers obsess over inequality partly because they hate that others are rich and they’re not. It’s more than just envy, but a sense of injustice: they... Read more

  Posted on 13 October 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Trump: No More Mr. Nice Guy

  

  Now he says the shackles are off him.I’ve watched political debates for 56 years. But Sunday’s featured the most shocking and frightening thing I ever heard in... Read more

  Posted on 11 October 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• La Commedia è Finita

  

  “Believe me . . . this much.”He said, “These words don’t reflect who I am.”Oh yes they do, you creep. They reflect perfectly who you are. Some of us saw it... Read more

  Posted on 09 October 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Book Groups and “the Good Old Days”

  

  I’m in two book groups. One, for about 25 years, originated among PSC co-workers. (The story goes that it began with two guys expecting two gals at a restaurant... Read more

  Posted on 08 October 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Simultaneous Pleasures

  

  MeIt is sunny, the sky a vivid blue. It’s in the seventies, with a gentle breeze. The warmth, modulated periodically by caresses of air, feels delicious on my... Read more

  Posted on 05 October 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Pakistan: Shooting Polio Doctors

  

  Dr. Zakaullah Khan was shot dead on September 11 in Pakistan. He was a leading figure in the push for polio vaccination. A huge global effort has nearly... Read more

  Posted on 02 October 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY