Category: Society

Where You Live is in Your DNA

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 In Ways Not Always Obvious, Where We Live Shapes Our World View

When I was in high school (a very long time ago), I eagerly signed up for a course in political geography. I was sorely disappointed that the course never took off. Out of a student body of hundreds, we could not find 10 or 12 students who thought this might be a useful field of study. Most people thought technology had made geography irrelevant.

Technology has freed us from much of the limits of geography. That was true when the telegraph spanned the West.

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It’s Easy to Forget the Remarkable, Good People Among Us

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Four Recent Documentaries Remind Us There is Reason for Hope and Celebration

 

Lights at the End of the Tunnel

More days than not, we see and read a lot that leaves us discouraged. Our fellow human beings leave a lot to be desired, it would seem (present company excluded, of course…). But that is only part of the story. It is a good and healthy thing to be reminded that there are near angels among us.

Four documentaries have come out recently that do a splendid job of reminding us of that fact.

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Are You Sure You Know Who is Most Electable?

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History Tells Us We are Not Very Good at Recognizing the Ideal Candidate

A majority of Democrats are most focused on having a candidate that can defeat Donald Trump. They would support a candidate not aligned with their views if that person is the most electable. That is a mature, even a noble position. It is one we could all aspire to ourselves. But knowing who that is may be a tougher task than many would expect. Take a look at recent history, and the current roster of candidates on the Democratic side.

What Does Recent History Teach Us?

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Are You Willing to Commit to Proximity and Presence?

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Two Very Different Events Brought Home Lessons on How We Connect

 I had the opportunity recently to attend two very different events. Different, but both highlighted how we connect – or fail to connect – with each other. The thread of connection reminded me how important human communication can be. If you doubt that, take a look around at our national conversations today. Still think we are doing OK? Yeah, me neither.

Let’s Get Close

The first event was a presentation by a well-known social activist. This is a man who has done a lot of good in the world.

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Think You Have Computer Problems? Ask the Feds How They are Doing

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Automation is Critical in Modern Life. In Some Key Areas, it’s Not Going Well.

Not a Good History

I’ve been reading a hair-raising story in the current edition of Fortune magazine about the nation’s medical Electronic Health Records system (EHR). The article follows an extensive joint investigation by Fortune and by the Kaiser Health Foundation. What they found will keep you awake at night (http://fortune.com/longform/medical-records/).

But that is not the central story we are looking at today. It’s the fact that this is not all that unusual a story.

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What do Robots, Fast Food, & Guaranteed Income Have in Common?

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More in common than you might think. Interesting how different things intersect in life.

 

I read an article recently that noted something like 90,000 fast food jobs go unfilled daily. I can believe it – every such place I pass has signs out advertising jobs. Many proclaim free meals, signing bonuses, and other enticements. The industry is in a hurt for hires everywhere it seems.

Automation and Fast Food. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

I stopped off at a McDonalds to get a snack recently while on a trip and I saw one potential solution.

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How Do We Choose Our Personal and National Priorities?

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This is a Missing Link in What Passes for National Dialogue and Personal Reflection

What We REALLY Are Asking…

I learned an important lesson a long time ago. It’s one that comes to mind today as I look at how we talk with each other as a nation. The lesson? People often ask a leader “What is the number one priority I should focus on?” What they were often really asking me was “Give me one thing I can focus on and drop everything else.”

I see a variation of that on a national level now.

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Let’s Talk About People Touching People

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What could possibly go wrong with THAT conversation starter?

Much media in recent days has been covering Joe Biden being too much of a touchy sort of guy. My initial reaction to all this was to not devote any blog space to the subject. Goodness knows, there are enough other sites talking about it. But the way the story has developed over the last few days causes me to rethink my position.

We Live in Complex Times

When the story first broke, I had two thoughts.

First, that this should not surprise anyone.

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Welcome to My Precinct – County, District, etc.

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I Came Out of a Weekend Immersed in Politics- and I Liked It

This past weekend I attended my first county political party convention. I did so as a new Precinct Chair. I did not know what to expect. Curiosity was high and expectations hopeful. Some eight hours later I left more encouraged and inspired than I might have expected. Given the division and anger in American politics today, this was a pleasant surprise.

So why the happy face conclusion? There were moments of eye rolling and periods of concern,

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That First Grade Teacher – An Homage to Teachers

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Reflecting Back Reminds Us of the Powerful Role Teachers Play in Our Lives

Unless you have children in school, you may forget about teachers for long stretches of time. You don’t see them, don’t have the opportunity to talk with many of them. But over the last year or so, teachers have reminded us they are here. Teachers have been on strike from coast to coast, in a desperate effort to get justice on many fronts. For the most part, the tactic has worked. It is forcing governors and legislators to recognize the vital role these people serve.

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