When I tell people I haven’t filled a load of trash since 2019, before the pandemic, they often ask what’s in my trash. Instead of looking in my trash, I think it would help them more to look at their own and ask what they could not have bought. Just cutting out doof would lower their garbage by a lot. Also not buying things they don’t need or that are[…] Keep reading →

About fifteen minutes into this conversation, it hit me how powerfully Stephen’s commitment affected him. (Sorry I took so long to catch on, Stephen!) All he had to do was volunteer around a body of water. His experience shows the impact of intrinsic motivation. Maybe observing and spending time by the water means as much to you as to Stephen. Maybe it doesn’t mean that much to you. It means[…] Keep reading →

Americans waste about 40 percent of our food. I’ve written how I eat healthy parts of plants like citrus peels, mango peel, and banana peel. When I tell people I do, the same people who decry food waste ask why I eat them. They’re healthy food! The challenge is to combine them to taste good, or to acquire the taste. I recommend eating all the edible, healthy parts of a[…] Keep reading →

Last night I finished what I expect to be my last substantive edits for the book. Barring a big error or discovery, future edits will be only within paragraphs, not moving them around. I’ve made it my primary focus for several months and a priority for years. This step is a big accomplishment. After hitting send to send it to my editor and publisher, I sat back in my seat[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: The Wise Men Know What Wicked Things Are Written on the Sky, by Russell Kirk: Before diving into the twenty hours of Kirk’s The Conservative Mind, the library had this shorter book. I’ve since started The Conservative Mind, learning his views about Edmund Burke, John Adams, and the development of conservatism in America. This book is a collection of essays with a conservative view of education,[…] Keep reading →

Regular readers know I write about addiction here a lot, especially the heavy addiction in Washington Square Park, where I see syringes all the time, as well as people smoking rocks in those small glass pipes. I guess it could be crack, meth, or other stuff. As you might expect, addiction features heavily in my upcoming book. I sent a part to podcast guest and bestselling author of The Urge,[…] Keep reading →

It hit me the other day while working in an NYU library. About 80 to 90 percent of students bring disposable food, doof, and beverage containers. I’d guess more than half the students are not American, meaning many of them fly home a couple times a year. In other words, they pollute more than nearly anyone who has ever lived. They act as if they don’t notice it or aren’t[…] Keep reading →