Jun 7King For a DayIn 1604 King James of Scotland was super pumped to be getting another country. His cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England, had died, leaving him first in line of succession to the British throne. He was on his way to London to impose his will on his new subjects, when…Voting4 min read
Feb 2My Valentine to Teachers“Shall we play a game?” is a gateway question to many learning opportunities, not just a great line from a movie. My dad’s cousin Anne was an elementary school teacher when I was growing up. She had many subjects to teach to her students, but her lesson on what it…Teachers4 min read
Nov 2, 2021Thanksgiving and the true gift of traditionsWhen my siblings and I were growing up, our mother had great go-to phrases when we complained about our sad lot in life. …Thanksgiving4 min read
Nov 2, 2021Balancing rights and responsibilities, the search for social grace in the age of social distancing.Once upon a time, there was a young woman named Mary. She was a cook in private homes in New York and New Jersey in the early twentieth century. She had quite the reputation as a cook, her employers were particularly fond of her ice cream recipe. When she left…Vaccines4 min read
Dec 29, 2020Wondering why Donald Trump is attacking his Republicans? It’s in his nature.“It’s in my nature”. That’s what the scorpion said after fatally stinging the frog who had carried him safely across the river. In September 2019 a friend asked me who I thought would be president in January 2021. I thought about this à la the frog and scorpion fable. The…Trump Attacks Republicans4 min read
Sep 23, 2020Why I VoteEveryone has a story of why voting matters. If you don’t vote, you are writing someone else’s story. Today voting matters to me because we in the United States of America have been given a gift that many people never get, the right to put our needs on the record…Vote3 min read
Feb 10, 2020Voter Registration: our rights and the real time consequences of our penal systemA two part essay on re-entering society and reclaiming rights. It is said that there are only so many plots, no truly new stories. The parable of saving one starfish is the age old story of the underdog. You know, the one about a child on a beach filled with…Voting Rights7 min read
Aug 6, 2019Problem solving, collective unconscious, and social evolution one piece at a timeWhen a critical number of people see a problem, some start seeing an answer. This essay has to start with a shout out to one of my favorite urban legends/intellectual theories — The Hundredth Monkey Effect. In short, this is a reference to a 1950’s research study of monkeys, which…Disability6 min read
May 14, 2019China and the World Have Some Interesting History — In the Game of Negotiations, Trade or Otherwise, It Helps to Know the PlayersChina and the Unites States are in the midst of trade negotiations. There are China-Europe and China-Everywhere-else-in-the-world negotiations going on as well. There is a long and complex history which illuminates the differences, striking or nuanced, between the players. Here is one small piece of that history. In 1911 Eva…China4 min read
Jan 1, 2019Hope for the UnknownWhatever is coming next is opportunity for success in ways you haven’t imagined yet. Happy New Year 2019! Many have said goodbye and good riddance to 2018. I can empathize. …Disability7 min read
