I found this letter of Pierre Curie to Marie Sklodowska, (1894) in Eve Curie’s bio of her mother. How little have things changed, except that in those days, even scientists still had a conscience. (more…)
June 22, 2011
June 19, 2011
“Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” – NOT!
I have acquaintances who ask why the United States is accepting refugees from the Burma struggle, particularly when we are in a recession Why do we give them our jobs? I explain (more…)
April 5, 2011
Cigarettes, 2 for $1: The Brisk, Shady Sale of ‘Loosies’
The title above is from a recent NYTimes article about the illegal sale of single cigarettes, and it poses many questions about the society we live in. Here are some things to consider:
Does this encourage people to break the law? Does it even become “hip” or “smart” to be a little bit illegal? What about all the folks who cross state lines to avoid paying their sales tax on liquor or other items?
Is this American entrepreneurship? The central character is working regularly, when no other more appropriate jobs are available for him.
Is this how we get healthcare – doing your time in prison? (more…)
February 5, 2011
Does Paul take a homeless person to the formal Mendel dinner?
The Villanova College of Arts & Sciences invites their faculty to an annual formal dinner. Putting on a tux for dinner seemed rather excessive/wasteful to this simple Quaker. But a friend had purchased one at a garage sale that happened to fit me perfectly, and so (more…)
February 1, 2011
Comments on Big Little Wolf’s Daily Plate of Crazy
I recently came upon this well-written and challenging blog http://dailyplateofcrazy.com/ The author (BigLittleWolf, or BLF) discusses personal issues of family, relationships, work, etc. from the perspective of a single mother. Here are some of my Comments on her blog and on similar blogs. They can be put in perspective by referencing them to her original postings if you wish. The bold heading is a brief identification of the nature of her original post. These topics are different from my usual ones and present an opportunity for me to write about some issues that I usually don’t cover. But I also see that the author’s situations and concerns are different from mine, and thus my blog and her blogs will naturally go their separate ways, even while we continue to learn from one another. Also, I have transferred much of my attention from my blog to my Facebook posts, where I condense some serious ideas into the allotted 420 spaces.
Her Blog Topics are in BOLD. She identifies as BLW. Her original post would be necessary to set the full context of my comments. My Comments may follow hers and be interspersed, so things may not be clear at times, but this is whatever it is and should not be considered definitive of anything.
November 23, 2010
What is labor union? Not the following from the NYTimes.
Two-Tier Wage Scales Gain Traction Union workers are reluctantly agreeing to contracts that create two levels of pay on a permanent, rather than temporary, basis.
Labor lost their battle decades ago, when they lost their idealism and settled on the independent self-centered specialties model. Unions could be as uncaring as their bosses for the average working man or woman. I admire the integrity of the old left (now mostly gone) that had high principles and truly stood for the common laborer and a common union of all workers, with leaders elected democratically in open and fully transparent elections. The Socialist Labor Party, the third oldest extant party in the U.S. and the most peaceful of these three (and you well know the other two parties), is a good example. http://slp.org/what_is.htm
March 18, 2010
Was Andrew Carnegie, philanthropist, a “nice” man?
Was Andrew Carnegie, philanthropist, a “nice” man? He had some progressive views, gave away much of his enormous fortune, was very bright and hard working, and died a rich man. The crucial fact is that he was responsible for putting Henry Frick in charge of his Carnegie Steel, and Frick was definitely NOT a “nice” man. But Carnegie knew what he was doing, because now the appalling business practices that profited Carnegie Steel could be attributed to his underling, while he could be seen to soften some of the worst edicts of his Chairman. This approach may favor the financial bottom line, but the ethical bottom line is quite another story. Andrew Carnegie was NOT the “nice” man that he either pretended or imagined himself to be, but a sanctimonious hypocrite of perhaps the worst kind.
March 17, 2010
Student suicides in academe (NYTimes 3/17/10))
My published comment (#253) in response to this article on an apparent spate of suicides at Cornell is attached as a Comment. Many of the other comments related to the rigor of academic programs and the time that faculty spend with students. My response to this is as follows: (more…)
February 10, 2010
New York Cabs Gouged Riders Out of Millions (NYTimes)
The New York Times reported how thousands of passengers in NYC cabs were charged at double the legal rate for their area. Many drivers are honest, but there is no question that this fraud was well known both by cab drivers and the regulatory agency. Click Comment for my comment and selected comments by other NYTime’s readers. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/nyregion/13taxi.html?th&emc=th
December 5, 2009
What do we mean by the much-used phrase “middle class”?
Click Comment to read my response to a friend’s blog post that discussed “middle class” spending habits: