Fsrcoin
MY BLOGS
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The Rational Optimist
http://www.rationaloptimist.wordpress.com/
Commentary of Life, Society, Politics, and Philosophy
LATEST ARTICLES ( 1469 )
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Dear Trump Voters
You’re making a big mistake. A whopper. Believe me; OK?What a big con you’re falling for. Make America great again? Trump has no clue what made it great. It... Read more
Posted on 14 September 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Donald Ainslie Henderson: Hero
One who saves another’s life is reckoned a hero. Donald Ainslie Henderson is a hero you never heard of, but he saved around 100 million (so far, and counting).... Read more
Posted on 13 September 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Colombia’s Peace Deal: How to End Wars
There are important lessons to be learned from Colombia’s recent peace deal with its FARC insurgency, ending a 52-year civil war. Read more
Posted on 10 September 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Banning the Burkini
Banned in FranceThe “burkini” is Muslim swimwear; more burqa than bikini, it enables gals to get wet while still covered. Some French jurisdictions have banned... Read more
Posted on 07 September 2016 SOCIETY -
The Animal That Came in from the Cold (My Labor Day Tribute to Work)
There’s a cynical misanthropic mentality seeing humanity as a curse upon the planet, and modern life as a snakepit of psychic malaise. I don’t buy it. Read more
Posted on 05 September 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Gertrude Stein and The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas
Therese performing poetryMy poet wife Therese Broderick started a Meetup group to discuss poets and poetry. Every month she’d sally forth to the appointed venue... Read more
Posted on 03 September 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Two Airplane Photos
On our recent Alaska trip, I took these two airplane pictures of my wife, Therese. The second one was on our float plane ride, in Ketchikan. Read more
Posted on 02 September 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Observing an Alaskan Feeding Frenzy
We did an Alaska cruise. Not our first, but it’s a way for my 95-year-old Californian mother to get the whole family together.She enjoys the shipboard slot... Read more
Posted on 31 August 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Faster: the Pace of Modern Life
I picked up James Gleick’s book Faster and read it slowly – something it says people rarely do anymore.The subtitle is The Acceleration of Just About Everything. Read more
Posted on 27 August 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Mind and – Or Versus – Brain – and “neuropsychoanalysis”
This book was a gift from my wife: In the Mind Fields by Casey Schwartz. I’ve written before how the concept of the self bugs me. I keep pondering: what, really... Read more
Posted on 18 August 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
My Most Popular Blog Post Ever
I’ve been blogging since 2008, on WordPress, which provides a lot of interesting data. WordPress says I’ve done 645 posts and have had 224,000 visits, last... Read more
Posted on 14 August 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
This is My America
Ilhan Omar spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya, fleeing from the turmoil in her native Somalia.On Tuesday, now 33, she won a Democratic primary for... Read more
Posted on 12 August 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Our HUUUGE New Recycling Bin
Who needs a hot tub?The City of Albany dropped off our new recycling bin. To quote a well-known local advertiser, it’s HUUUGE. I remarked that I could fit insid... Read more
Posted on 10 August 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Payday Lending and Lawyer Extortionists
Payday lending has been in the news again, with do-gooders seeking a crack-down. These are businesses making small short-term loans, to mostly poorer people in ... Read more
Posted on 08 August 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Narcissist
Having gotten much from Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence, I picked up his 2006 book, Social Intelligence, and found the following passages, in a chapter... Read more
Posted on 06 August 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Gregg Millett
died August 1, aged 77. This was a shock. He was a friend of ours; in fact, he was responsible for our marriage, running Singles Outreach Support where I met... Read more
Posted on 03 August 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
John Cleese: So, Anyway
John Cleese’s memoir, So, Anyway, says, “I know this book is supposed to be an autobiography, but the fact is that most of you don’t give a tinker’s cuss for... Read more
Posted on 01 August 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Hillary’s Convention Speech II; and More Trumpery
Well, Hillary did use some of the draft I wrote for her (see previous post). But mainly she insisted on giving the Standard Model Democratic Speech – covering... Read more
Posted on 30 July 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Hillary’s Convention Speech – Draft
To: HRCFrom: FSRRe: Tonight’s speechYou didn’t use my last speech draft – but I’ll bet you now wish you had. So here’s what I think you should say tonight:My... Read more
Posted on 28 July 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Males, Females, and Chicks with Dicks
Some people believe God created men, and women; that men should be men, and women should be women; and everything else is wrong (including using “incorrect”... Read more
Posted on 24 July 2016 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY
