Over 100 billion stars populate our galaxy, and our galaxy is just one of another 100 or more billion galaxies, so the universe must be teeming with intelligent life. Given that we live in a middle-aged galaxy, other life forms are surely far more advanced than we are. This means our comparatively primitive notions of […]
Requiem for Literacy I first noticed that the medium was indeed supplanting the message in 1967. Just back in the world, I was spending a lot of time at demonstrations against the war in Vietnam. We’d march around and hold our fists in the air, with or without the two-digit peace sign, and chant various
Turn Off the Bubble Machine Read More »
Growing up as a late ‘90s / early 2000s kid, I was well aware of the fact that almost every item I owned was stamped with the phrase “Made in China.” As years went on, I learned about outsourcing, as well as stories of horrible factory accidents and abysmal working conditions. It seems such a
Putting the “Fair” Back into Fair Trade Read More »
In recent years I’ve been dealing with a narcissist in my life. I think most people know at least one person with narcissistic tendencies, so with this article I hope to define some traits of narcissism in a way that makes it easier to understand. I’m not a psychologist, so I can’t diagnose anyone; I’m
Narcissism: Life in a Snow Globe Read More »
I would be lying if I did not feel any confusion or emotional disturbance from receiving a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. As I recall, I was with my unit in the Army, sitting at a table awaiting a leader’s meeting. The doctor called, and I answered, of course receiving bad news. I began to have
Just Survive, Warrior. Read More »
Caves, shadows, and rings. In his 1955 article for his high school newspaper, The Spectrum, Hunter S. Thompson wrote that “Security” was “another word for rut.” From what I have seen in my 10 years of higher education and 3+ years of teaching anywhere from 11 year-olds to 65 year-olds, I have found the most common
The Gollum Conundrum Read More »