The state of nature before civilization. The Austro-Hungarian Empire. Financial instability. Politics in Brazil. Refugees from Honduras. The philosophy of the Canadian thinker Charles Taylor. Paul von Hindenburg. The perils of automation. A French railway car. Thomas Hobbes. Swings in the stock market. The genocide of Armenians. The Reichstag fire. How Costco packages the milk […]

‘Tis the season…. That is, to not refer to the Christmas Season as the “Christmas Season.” Of course, that’s old news. But what’s new news, or recent news, is the bewildering refusal in some quarters to call a Christmas tree a “Christmas tree.” Unfortunately, this isn’t new to those of us from the Pittsburgh area. On that, I’d like […]

Will men in America speak out against domestic violence? To prevent and stop violence against women, men in all 50 states of the USA need to stand up and speak out. Mothers, sisters, and daughters are victims of domestic violence. Wives, live-in partners, and girlfriends are victims of domestic violence. Relatives are victims of domestic […]

For fun Christmas reading this season, I highly recommend John Grisham’s “Skipping Christmas,” or Maeve Binchy’s “This Year It Will Be Different.” For a more thought-provoking read, however, I suggest Charles Dickens’ short story, “A Christmas Tree.” I have often contended that Dickens is at his greatest when he is brief. Although I have enjoyed […]

After a string of cash-register robberies, the Crown and Anchor, a pub in south London, decided to stop taking cash altogether. The burglaries have stopped, but now the only way to pay for a pint and a pasty at the Crown is on credit. Since most of their customers used credit cards anyway, it wasn’t […]

Advances in electronic communication, competitors capable of shipping things faster and cheaper, and a distinct falloff in America’s writing skills have made the United States Postal Service an endangered species. I’m rooting for the post office to enjoy continued success, though, and not just because I own what is likely a lifetime supply of “Forever” […]

In a recent article titled “Spending More on Debt than Defense,” author Mark Hendrickson highlights the interest payments on our rapidly growing national debt in relation to defense spending. By 2023, Hendrickson points out, interest payments on the national debt will exceed the amount spent on national defense. There is one factor, however, which could […]

“It’s the economy, stupid.” That’s the famous quote attributed to a top Bill Clinton aide in 1992, when he was trying to come up with slogan for the presidential campaign. It is still true.  While the focus may be on immigration or President Trump’s problems, the issue facing the U.S. and underlying the next campaign […]

Mabel Adams was sitting in the day room at the Rest of Your Life retirement home when the children came in. She smiled and so did all the others in the room except for two who didn’t know what was going on. The old-timers in the home knew the kids were coming and had put […]

In October 1999, I spoke in Abu Dhabi at a conference on the 21st century sponsored by the United Arab Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. The audience was composed almost entirely of Moslems; soldiers, scholars, imams and government officials from throughout the Persian Gulf region.After futurist Alvin Toffler delivered the keynote address Zbigniew […]