Engaging Life with Courage and Intelligence
There can no longer be any doubt. The Trump Administration is hellbent on destroying American higher education. Trump is attacking higher education, as Mussolini did in 1931, Mao in 1968, and Viktor Orban in 2019. All dictators want to neuter and control the intellectual gold mines of their societies. This impulse is fueled by the…
On May 12, 2025, retired General Stanley McChrystal was interviewed on The Daily Show. Among the wide-ranging topics discussed were personal character and fidelity to the truth. He was asked if he ever called or texted his wife with, “Hey honey, we are bombing Kabul today.” He said certainly not; if he had, he would…
He is the Destroyer of Casinos, Hotels, Sports Leagues, and the World Economy. Did Donald J. Trump drive four significant real estate investments into bankruptcy and the United States Football League out of business? Yes, he did, and he should be called the Wrecking Ball from Queens. Trump lost the Trump Taj Mahal, his personal…
When America was “great” between 1890 and 1932, there was an active, overtly criminal culture, particularly in large cities. The most famous criminal icon in this era was Al Capone of Chicago. Capone and his associates were able to control neighborhoods in many ways, including violence and intimidation. However, over time, many gangsters were able…
Many aspects of life are predictable. Gravity has kept me grounded on planet Earth for as long as I can remember. If I do not sleep enough, I am cranky the next day. I do not keep friends if I am dishonest and treat them badly. Sometimes people believe they can overcome the “normal” world….
Trump’s Unintended Consequence Number 666 For millennia, humans have been omnivores. In addition to consuming fruits and vegetables, humans have eaten animal products. The scarcity of animals in the food chain or religious inhibitions in some cultures have led to various forms of vegetarianism. At the end of the vegetarian spectrum is a vegan who…
Fake news and theories form a growth industry that prospers in America. While our counterfeit information might be cheaply exported, America will not require a protective tariff to import foreign misinformation across our borders. No other country is in our league since we are self-sufficient, and no country does it better. The various factions in…
The NY Times reports the inadvertent or conscious advantage given to some Chinese exporters over American importers. Despite the Trump Administration’s bravado and anti-China bombast, Chinese companies like Temu and Shein can AVOID tariffs for purchases under $800 made by direct-to-American customers. For example, if an American buys a $400 set of bowls from Temu,…
This will be a brief discussion of LIMOs. LIMO is an acronym for “Less Is More”. Commonsense LIMO While MIMO (More is More) is often a better outcome than LIMO, sometimes pursuing LIMO is better. Poor dietary habits and MIMO food quantities result in obesity, and LIMO is a way to ameliorate the problem. Poor…
As a history student, I have seen patterns in which normal social relationships break down. Government changes, unaddressed social inequities, wars, and famines often cause these pattern changes. In one example, from 1979 to 2015, the Communist Party declared that most Chinese couples could not have more than one child. Aside from the inevitable decline…