By one account,* Halloween originated in the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sowan, rhymes with cow-an), which marked the end of the harvest season. Costumes provided protection from imagined spirits that came back to life. Continue reading
Blog Posts and Writings Tagged: social issues
Blog 125. What do you fear most?
Fear has always been the strongest motivation for uniting people, but Americans are now divided by fear. Fear of what? Continue reading
Blog 115. Is STEM best for education?
Is a STEM program the best guide for improving our schools? STEM—the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics—is advertised as “innovative learning,” and “the future of the economy.” That’s what you see when you type <STEM education> into a Google search. Continue reading
Blog 113. Information, misinformation and survival
Scientific news magazines now feature articles that reach out, not only to scientists, but to the educated public. The journal Physics Today, once of interest only to physicists, now has a section entitled People and History. How come? Continue reading
Blog 108. Can a system have integrity?
The notion of integrity—being what you say you are—remained unwritten but implicit in a recent magazine column* entitled “Issue of the week: Too wealthy to pay taxes?” Continue reading
Blog 99. Why can’t I make a difference?
As best I can tell, satisfaction comes from accomplishing something we regard as useful and meaningful. That seems to be true, whether you are a scientist, entrepreneur, gardener, or Mafia hit man. Most of us want to make a difference. We want to believe we’ve altered something for what we regard as the better. To assert our importance, we erect large monuments in graveyards Continue reading
Blog 96. Where did solar buildings go?
When I say “solar building,” I don’t mean a house, or a school, or a parking shed, or some other building with photovoltaic panels on the roof. Continue reading
Blog 95. Gentrification by Zen?
The term “Zen” suggests a process that is easy, masterful, and calming—something most of us are eager to experience. (1) And “gentrification” sounds like a gentle transformation of a pig sty into a pastoral abode. However, urban “gentrification” means conversion of decaying inner city housing into a “higher and best use,” Continue reading