LATEST BLOG POSTS

I’ve been reading Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics as part of the online course at Hillsdale College. I should say rereading, since I read it in college as part of Columbia’s Core Curriculum, but that was the late 1980s. As long ago as the 80s were, it was recent compared to when Aristotle wrote them. I should also say reading selections from it, not the whole book. A section on what he[…] Keep reading →

I was curious if the neighborhoods where I got mugged, beat up, and learned to be a white boy meant being targeted for violence with impunity growing up were officially redlined. I didn’t know where to find maps. They could be from insurance companies, government agencies, and who knows what other sources. I finally found one, though from 1937, decades before I was born and with a world war in[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: 8 Billion Angels, directed by Terry Spahr: I’ve become friends with Terry since first watching his documentary on overpopulation years ago. He recently released it free on YouTube. I recommend it. Here’s the movie’s page: https://8billionangels.org. From Scientific American: Eight Billion People in the World Is a Crisis, Not an Achievement The major driver of plant and animal loss is habitat destruction caused primarily by the[…] Keep reading →

First, I grew up in Philadelphia, and in Philadelphia, we have something called “water ice.” It’s like cheese steaks in that it’s local. I didn’t know it wasn’t universal until I moved away. Elsewhere they call something like it Italian ice, but we don’t. Here’s an article on it from USA Today: What is Philly-style water ice? We explain how it’s made and where to get it. On to the[…] Keep reading →

Before the Holocene, our immediate-return egalitarian ancestors lived in environments in which each person could access their material needs. People who were hungry could, on their own, climb a tree, dig up a root, or hunt an animal. For needs like safety from predators, they’d have to cooperate with others, but they had the freedom and responsibility to make those relationships work. By contrast, living in dominance hierarchies mean that[…] Keep reading →

I finished a few papers, books, and videos by Bjorn Lomborg lately, as well as books that refer to or rely on his work, like Superabundance and The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels. I follow up most books and movies I finish and find meaningful by reading and watching reviews, commentaries, criticisms (positive, negative, and other), and more. My criticism of Lomborg’s work stands independent of the accuracy of his[…] Keep reading →

I talk about this effect a lot in person because it keeps amazing me, not that it’s particularly insightful, but I love nature and this effect is part of it. If the temperature drops below 50F (10C) in September, I shiver and can barely stand it. I have to bundle up. Then in December it drops below freezing and 50F feels warm. I’m commenting on it now because we’re in[…] Keep reading →

Two days ago I posted My first time since starting not finding litter in Washington Square Park, because over six inches of snow covered it. Since I committed to picking up at least three pieces per day until three days pass when I can’t find three pieces to pick up, I wondered if the snow would make it possible. I also offered to take any bets that people would litter.[…] Keep reading →

I lead a meditation group that meets in person a couple times a month. We’ve found we can get a laugh if we talk in the group about talking about meditation to others who don’t meditate by saying, “I can’t meditate. My mind is too crazy to empty it of thoughts,” or words to that effect. Why does it make us laugh? Because it’s like a knee-jerk reaction that betrays[…] Keep reading →