Ten days before Christmas people are already throwing away their Christmas pagan trees. Regular readers know I post pictures of how much people throw away trees they paid for being cut down. They’re following a pagan tradition grafted onto one branch of Christianity. They probably try to believe some self-serving lies that the trees are grown or harvested sustainably, but we know they know. This year I told myself I[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, by Michael Lewis: I read this book after watching the movie based on my expectations on recent legislation. I expect that top-down sustainability efforts like the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, moving trillions of dollars toward technologies that won’t work, will create market bubbles that will burst. In the process, they won’t help on our[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: A People’s History of the United States, by Howard Zinn: This book came out swinging, on Columbus, and kept on punching. In my opinion, every American would benefit from reading this book. If you believe government should solve social problems, this book will bring depth and history to help you understand your cause. If you believe government shouldn’t get into an individual’s business, you’ll see how[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: Giants of Political Thought: Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, volumes 1 and 2, read by Craig Dietschmann and a Supporting Cast: This audiobook isn’t the Wealth of Nations, but is a summary with many quotes from it. I got it from the library as a quick review. I don’t think I’ve read any of Wealth of Nations since college and never read it cover to cover.[…] Keep reading →

I’m always working on more effective ways to lead on sustainability. Recall my definition of leadership: helping people do what they already wanted to but haven’t figured out how. To help others, I have to learn what they want, the opposite of opposing my values on them. Most people I ask tell me they support sustainability and are doing their best. They seem to think they aren’t anywhere close to[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life, by Arnold Schwarzenegger: I got this book expecting something to pass the time and got much more. Maybe it’s just me, but I find it easy to forget how Arnold Schwarzenegger is just a regular person like you and me who has achieved a lot. He isn’t lucky. He wasn’t born rich. He didn’t have any special advantages. He isn’t[…] Keep reading →

When I mopped, I used to think I should start with the middle of the floor. That’s where I spend the most time and the saw the most. I’ve included mopping in My sidchas, standard operating procedures, and preferences on one day of my six-day exercise cycle, meaning I haven’t skipped or missed mopping every sixth day for years. Performing a task with a measure of quality teaches a lot[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Two podcast guests created works on Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Eric Metaxas wrote a book on him. Martin Doblmeier created a documentary. I confess (no pun intended) to have learned about him only recently, but everyone who knew about him valued his influence on their lives. Learning about him as a Lutheran helped me understand things about my mom, who was[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished two great works: Serpico, by Sidney Lumet starring Al Pacino about Frank Serpico: I watched this movie again since starting volunteering as an auxiliary, not that I see anything like what this movie covers. Before commenting on the content, Pacino’s acting made watching the movie watching him. He didn’t upstage others. He just played the role masterfully. On par with Pacino’s acting is the story of[…] Keep reading →