Christmas day falls very close to the solstice, and also to the shortest day of the year in North America. It finally got cold in Boston just this week. We had an extended remix of what we used to call “Indian summer,” and then briefly,…
Whatever you think of the “Occupy” protests, please consider: If they cannot be in the parks, and they cannot be in the schools, and they cannot be in the town squares – then where should they go? If the public squares of our cities and…
I recently read Griftopia by Matt Taibbi. He’s the Rolling Stone blogger who came to national attention with his 2010 Vampire Squid characterization of Goldman Sachs. To wit: The first thing you need to know about Goldman Sachs is that it’s everywhere. The world’s most…
I’ve spent a few hours over the last couple of weeks wandering near various of the “occupy” protests in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. On Friday, I grabbed a chunk of curbside next to the Boston encampment. I sat, listening to the babble, and tried…
I write this from the Northbound Acela, returning home to Boston at the end of – I think – my third trip in as many weeks. Perhaps it’s the fourth. I’ve learned that it’s better to not spend too much time counting the little wounds,…
I see a lot of things in the world that could be better than they are. I’m not talking about the part where we will all get sick and weak and die eventually. That’s unavoidable. I’m talking about the crappy systems that we build for…
The four noble truths of buddhism, restated: 1) The vast majority of us are suffering.2) More than likely, you are suffering because you are an idiot.3) If you were less of an idiot, you would probably suffer less.4) Just keep going along those lines. It’s…
Nearly a year ago, I received a very nice present of a Groupon certificate to “drive a ferrari for an hour.” Here’s the groupon ad. The company is The Motorsport Lab. They had substantial scheduling issues. Between their flaky website, limited availability, and the fact…
Just like every year, I’m running for president, god-emperor, and tzar of the world. My assumption is that I would have such an incredible popular mandate that I wouldn’t have to negotiate with either political party, nor would I have to respect existing law or…
Greetings from the business center of the Shigatze hotel. Shigatze is a complete dust bowl right now. Every sidewalk is ripped up in preparations for the celebrations in early July. Based on my casual assessment, I don’t think they’re going to make it. They still…