Happy New Year! Three things to think about as we head into 2021

Free speech shouldn’t be up for debate, no single person has all the answers, and forgiveness and grace are essential What to say at the end of a challenging year? A wannabe pundit like myself has a few choices.  I can share my predictions for 2021 for those who care:  The media will remain obsessed… Continue reading Happy New Year! Three things to think about as we head into 2021

Stoicism: Can we stop the endless emoting and give the ancient philosophy a try in 2021?

The grievance and rage driving everything from erasing Abraham Lincoln to cancelling everyone we disagree with is unhealthy, but there is a better way to live your life and it’s certainly not toxic Stoicism is an ancient philosophy that has unfortunately fallen out of favor in recent years.  Oxford Languages defines the term simply as… Continue reading Stoicism: Can we stop the endless emoting and give the ancient philosophy a try in 2021?

At least 2020 had an awesome Bruce Springsteen album, “Letter to You” might be the most fired up thing ever released by a 70+ rocker and his band

“There’s too many outlaws trying to work the same line” enters the lexicon as one of the Boss’s most timeless lyrics, especially in this era of endless politicization of everything including Bruce himself Full disclosure:  I’ve been saying since at least 2002 that Bruce Springsteen will be remembered as much more than one of the… Continue reading At least 2020 had an awesome Bruce Springsteen album, “Letter to You” might be the most fired up thing ever released by a 70+ rocker and his band

The Lord of Misrule and other Christmas traditions through the ages merge in a classic Western holiday

Christmas 2020 is different from any other, but the spirit can remain the same even as we gather in smaller groups to celebrate without Phish shows at MSG  The modern celebration of Christmas is a wonderful combination of ancient festivals and traditions, crass commercialism, and religious observations developed over two millennia.  Even as an atheist,… Continue reading The Lord of Misrule and other Christmas traditions through the ages merge in a classic Western holiday

Even Tom Cruise can’t handle coronavirus, the actor explodes about restrictions

On what planet are our elites living where they believe they can shut down people’s livelihoods indefinitely while allowing our betters to keep making mad dollars? In college, I was fortunate to attend a seminar with two-time Oscar Winner William Goldman, author and screenwriter of The Princess Bride.  Mr. Goldman was asked how an aspiring… Continue reading Even Tom Cruise can’t handle coronavirus, the actor explodes about restrictions

An atheist’s case for life and what we can do about it

Reimagining humans as qualia machines populating the universe with unique mathematics and balancing all concerns against a harsh and ugly world Many people believe that atheists have an unsatisfying view of the world.  Humans reduced to survival machines, crawling on the surface of an insignificant rock, revolving around a merely average star, located in a… Continue reading An atheist’s case for life and what we can do about it

Cancelling Eric Clapton

The legendary musician teams up with Van Morrison to raise money for musicians affected by coronavirus and chaos ensues over 45-year old racist comments In August of 1976, Eric Clapton went on a drug fueled tirade against immigration at a show in Birmingham, England.  The content is startlingly racist to modern sensibilities: “Do we have… Continue reading Cancelling Eric Clapton