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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 ( 1469 )
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George Lakoff: The (Extreme) Political Mind
George Lakoff is a professor of cognitive and linguistic science at Berkeley. His 2008 book, The Political Mind, says “progressives” are losing out because... Read more
Posted on 02 October 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Why Do Richer People Have Fewer Kids?
The Economist magazine has discussed the “demographic transition” – as people get richer, they have fewer children. It’s a key reason why Malthus’s famous... Read more
Posted on 29 September 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Engineering Marvels
A modern 777 jetliner is an absolute marvel of engineering. Yet (unlike on smaller planes) the overhead bins are almost, but not quite, deep enough for... Read more
Posted on 27 September 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Rationality, Optimum Crime, Individualism Vs. Collectivism, and the Gambler’s...
The Economist’s 5/10 issue* had a piece about the recently deceased Gary Becker – an economist and, really, sociologist. His work centered on the idea that... Read more
Posted on 24 September 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
(Advt) Coming Soon: The Oople iMplant™
Get ready for . . .No more fiddling with buttons or touchscreens.No more recharging hassles.No more misplacing it, having it stolen, or dropping it in the... Read more
Posted on 21 September 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Scotland – The Blog Post That Might Have Been
Well. Sanity prevailed. In the end, it wasn’t even close. But, anticipating the possibility of a Yes vote, I had prepared a blog post. (What, you think I just... Read more
Posted on 19 September 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Three Exciting Candidates
I first noticed Neel Kashkari in 2008 as a remarkably young Indian-American, standing beside the Treasury Secretary and being tasked with sorting out the... Read more
Posted on 16 September 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Thomas More’s Utopia: The First Communist Manifesto?
Saint Thomas More (1477-1535) wrote Utopia in 1516.* Not only the first in the utopian fiction genre, it’s also been called the first communist book. Read more
Posted on 12 September 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Goodbye, Cutesie
Cutesie was our cat. We got him for our daughter Elizabeth when she was four, and she gave him that, well, cutesie name. Maybe a play on the word’s definition?... Read more
Posted on 10 September 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
“Cleaning Up” Albany Corruption: The Cuomo Way
Andrew Cuomo ran for governor in 2010 pledging to “clean up” Albany political corruption.In Cuomo-speak, “to clean up” must mean “to perfect. Read more
Posted on 07 September 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Civilizational Crisis: The World According to Brooks (& Robinson)
I like columnist David Brooks for being a “Big Picture” kind of guy – giving the view from Olympus.His 9/3 column finds commonality in the two big conflicts... Read more
Posted on 05 September 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Net Neutrality, and Regulation by the Unicorn State
“Net Neutrality” is a hot issue. It refers to equal service quality for all web-based traffic, against a fear that Internet providers (like Verizon) will allow... Read more
Posted on 03 September 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Nude Celebrity Photos
Big breaking news! Hacked nude photos of celebrities on the Internet! Holy Cow!Like, this is the very first time we’ve ever seen pictures of these actresses... Read more
Posted on 02 September 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Passion of the Western Mind
This book by Richard Tarnas is a history of Western thought. Now, yes, Eastern thought is also worthy of respect. But the Western intellectual tradition is the... Read more
Posted on 30 August 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Ferguson
As a blogger, I’m required to comment on Ferguson.I’ve read that 65% of blacks polled believe the police overreacted to the protests. This shocked me. I thought... Read more
Posted on 27 August 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
TSA Follies and The Death of Common Sense
I hear the TSA is seeking public suggestions.Recently at airport “Security” we almost missed a flight because TSA thought a boarding pass didn’t look quite... Read more
Posted on 25 August 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Paul Auster: The New York Trilogy
For a long time I was vaguely aware of writer Paul Auster. His name would come up here and there. I’d never read his stuff; nor anything, really, about it. Yet ... Read more
Posted on 23 August 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
James Foley’s Head Was Not Chopped Off
American journalist James Foley was beheaded by the “Islamic State.” You might picture his head on a block, neatly chopped off with an axe. It wasn’t. Read more
Posted on 20 August 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Obama, Hillary, and “Don’t Do Stupid Stuff”
Bill Clinton had “It’s the economy, stupid.” For President Obama, it’s “Don’t do stupid stuff” (sanitized version) in foreign affairs. Now comes Hillary saying... Read more
Posted on 20 August 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Sarah’s Story — Abraham and Isaac Revisited
NPR’s “Selected Shorts” features actors reading short stories. Today’s, “Sarah’s Story,” by Galina Vroman, read by the terrific Jane Curtin (here’s a link),... Read more
Posted on 18 August 2014 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY
