I LOVE real maple syrup. Readers who know what I’m talking about, know what I’m talking about. But this love changed, in a way, (more…)
January 20, 2012
November 19, 2011
Occupy Philly — revolution in the making (how far can it go?)
Fran and I have been to Occupy Philly a number of times and have attended the general assemblies and participated in various actions by Philly Occupy. Demonstrating with (more…)
November 5, 2011
Oops, you’re dead. Then what?
With the development of civilization and technology, simple burial evolved into elaborate burial with embalming for apparent preservation. Folks in the U.S. today often think it more appropriate to opt for cremation by a crematorium. But cremation requires high temperatures for an extended period, consuming much energy that is increasingly in short supply on this planet. So maybe we should go back to simple. Fran says she wants a shroud burial and be eaten by the worms and recycled, as opposed to consuming excessive energy or lying around useless while you decay slowly and take up precious space.
November 3, 2011
March for GMO Right to Know
Fran and I spent Villanova fall break (Monday 10/10/ – Sunday 10/16) hiking more than 100 miles (camping at night) with the Right2Know marchers. Marchers arrived at Lafayette Park (opposite the White House) (more…)
September 18, 2011
China (the place setting, not the place)
We are currently downsizing, in preparation for a move to smaller quarters. This is the time to pass family heirlooms and collectibles to an appreciative younger generation ready to carry on the tradition of storing past treasures. Except – (more…)
September 8, 2011
Confidence
My confidence with my values derives heavily from my family, both from experiencing their moral values directly and also from the value they placed on educating oneself and forming/holding one’s own moral values.
My confidence with others (more…)
August 6, 2011
Arrested at Lockheed Martin (world’s largest military profiteer) on Hiroshima Day.
Today I walked onto the grounds of Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest war profiteer, to ask employees to reconsider their working on nuclear-related systems that, instead of obliterating whole cities and killing 100,000 people at a time as in August 1945, could potentially obliterate the whole world and kill billions. I was arrested in the process. (more…)
August 1, 2011
“How do you know when you’ve met the right one?”
I was asked the following by a friend who is in the process of making life and relationship decisions: “How did you know when you met the right one?“ My response follows. (more…)
July 30, 2011
Weight, health, life style, and why do we have friends who are like us?
There are substantial individual differences among people in regard to weight and health. Significantly, folks tend to associate with groups that share their particular issues in this regard. We interact with those who (more…)
July 13, 2011
Vocationalism, Academic Freedom and Tenure (NYTimes by Stanley Fish)
My Comment on this article was the following:
The admiral notion of self-improvement and the perhaps more-realistic notion of occupational survival have resulted in great growth and concomitant change in so-called “higher” education. My concern with tenure is not with its principles but with its misuse.