People read prediction of environmental problems like climate change or biodiversity loss and think the problems we face will be from things like crop failure or heat exhaustion from a warmer globe or lack of plants from honeybees dying. Those results won’t cause the most suffering. They will provoke what causes the suffering, but fighting between people and societies will cause the most suffering. I’ll illustrate. Say crops start producing[…] Keep reading →

I was curious if the neighborhoods where I got mugged, beat up, and learned to be a white boy meant being targeted for violence with impunity growing up were officially redlined. I didn’t know where to find maps. They could be from insurance companies, government agencies, and who knows what other sources. I finally found one, though from 1937, decades before I was born and with a world war in[…] Keep reading →

First, I grew up in Philadelphia, and in Philadelphia, we have something called “water ice.” It’s like cheese steaks in that it’s local. I didn’t know it wasn’t universal until I moved away. Elsewhere they call something like it Italian ice, but we don’t. Here’s an article on it from USA Today: What is Philly-style water ice? We explain how it’s made and where to get it. On to the[…] Keep reading →

Coming home this evening, I noticed a window of the apartment a few floors directly below mine was open, I estimated by 8 to 10 inches. The light was on and someone was home. The temperature outdoors was about 30 F (-1 C). I presume the person wasn’t freezing, which meant they probably blasted the heat. (EDIT: I later learned from my doorman that that neighbor smokes and may have[…] Keep reading →

The library near me displays books, changing them every day or week or so. Today they had Roots by Alex Haley. I read the book in college, I think in my first year, which would mean 1988-89. It wasn’t for class and it’s a long book so I don’t know how I found time for it. I don’t remember much of it, but there are a few words in it[…] Keep reading →

Doing things consistently and daily for a long time enables you to notice nuances, which increases self-awareness. Since I have a six-day exercise cycle that I begin on the first of each month, in months with 31 days, I like to vary what I do with the extra day. In December I did two things. Sorry for the long post, but what I describe below felt like a meaningful experience[…] Keep reading →

I’ve been posting my usual posts on Christmas Pagan trees. Here’s a picture of my alternative and the story behind it. In conversation with alumni from my workshops (which I recommend you take), one mentioned all you need to do to grow garlic is stick a clove in the dirt and water it. Could it be that easy? It wasn’t hard to try. I did it the other day and[…] Keep reading →

Regular readers know I volunteer once or twice a week to deliver food from stores that were going to throw it away to community fridges, shelters, and other places for people to get it for free. I wasn’t scheduled to volunteer yesterday (Christmas Eve day), but the person who was reported so much overstock that we needed three people to clear it all. Not many other volunteers were around so[…] Keep reading →

Last night I dreamed people actually wanted to act, themselves, personally, not just talk. Memories of dreams fade fast, so I don’t remember the details, but I remember people asking, “What should I do?” with interest and curiosity instead of, with cynicism and incredulity, “What should I do?”, as if there was no answer. I dreamed that people realized they had to change their lives and wanted to. I woke[…] Keep reading →