Switching banks is not a fast process these days, but I did it!  I moved from Wells Fargo bank to Financial One credit union.

It's a slow process because there are so many pieces to manage.  1) I ordered new checks.  2) I switched my paycheck direct deposit.  3) I updated my annual recurring charges (like webpage registration).  Having my money ( Read more... )

The world is a hugely complex place. Pretty much by definition, each species has its own unique place within this maelstrom of activity. If two animals served precisely the same role within the system, they would essentially be the same species. Instead, each plant, animal, and microbe exploits some unique way of conserving, acquiring, or ( Read more... )

What's given is not the same as what's taken.

With the Roman Polanski case in the news recently, I've seen a lot of online chatter about rape and consent. I have opposing thoughts on the issue, and I thought that exploring them through writing might help me achieve a single coherent stance. At the end, I discuss my own history on this topic.

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They say that man's best friend is the dog, but another creature has suffered on our behalf and contributed more to our well being than all the canines ever have. The lowly mouse is so very similar to us in genes and health and disease. This similarity costs it a great deal of ill treatment. I'm not opposed to learning from animal experimentation ( Read more... )

I have inconsistencies of thought on the matter, so obviously I need to spend more time pondering the subject.  By my definition, a warrior is someone willing to die, not someone willing to kill.  I respect the warriors of peace.  What, though, do I call those who do both?  I think, in particular, of the Sacred Band of Thebes... the famous warrior ( Read more... )

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I was wrong. Well, maybe I'm still accurately remembering what I was told at the time, but what I believed is incorrect.


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I've been doing some websurfing to try to learn more. My economic view has a name after all. You'd never guess what it is. I was surprised when I found it.  I'll give you a hint first.You cannot have a satisfactory society made up of competitive, self-interested individuals! In a satisfactory society there must be considerable concern for the ( Read more... )

It was 1983 when the government arrived to take over a failed bank in my hometown. Mr. Franks, my high school economics teacher at the time, took the opportunity to demonstrate to us just how our money system really works. It was a powerful lesson. I understood it, and yet I abhored it. It was a system that, by definition, must fail. It's a ( Read more... )

TED speeches are a bountiful source of insightful knowledge. One speech that was uploaded recently is by Jonathan Haidt on "the moral roots of liberals and conservatives", as the webpage title states it. It's a video well worth the 19 minutes of your time, and it's relevant to the current debates on politics and economics here in America.

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