Blog 147. Is the Constitution Outdated?

Constitutional crises threaten when a single authority can direct all three branches of U.S. government.  At present, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell can prevent or promote an appointment to the Supreme Court, stop any legislation, and enforce a party loyalty system that blindly follows the President. Continue reading

Blog 145. The Backyard Fence

In those neighborhoods where single-family houses still exist, back yards are usually fenced. So are some front yards. Why is this? What motivates us to put up fences when a once-popular western song was Don’t Fence Me In? Continue reading

Blog 143. Blaming the consequences of climate

We experience events, not the global situation, but the world seems simpler if we can trace each event to a cause. However, within a complex system, an event cannot be ascribed to a unique “cause.” Birds flock and fish school and the stock market tumbles due to the many interactions among the participating individuals. Continue reading

Blog 142. Saving souls at Salinas

This is a story about a fantastic place that few travelers find, a place once alive with intense human efforts and then abruptly left to the grass, trees, and brush.  It’s a story of an American native society-I would call it  “civilized”—that flourished and then disappeared.  Continue reading