A space for observation, discovery, and growth
It Was the Best of Times; It Was the Worst of Times…
Well, That Was Interesting
Much still going on out of the elections and important matters yet to be decided. Still, we know some important outcomes from all this. First of all, at least two people were right – Joe Biden and me (forgive the hubris on this one).
Biden went straight to the country in hammering home two points. One, this is not a referendum on himself – it is a choice on what we do and who we are as a country.
Lots of Odds and Ends in the News & in Our Heads This Week
It is That Time of Year
A lot of things man-made and natural come to the forefront this time of year, and a few extras are up front this year. Let’s take a look. The first three are inexorably linked to each other, the rest, free range.
Lack of Electoral Enthusiasm by Youth and Blacks
This promises to be one of the more unusual and more important midterm elections in many decades. Some polls and pundits indicate that enthusiasm is lower than it might be among young voters and among Black voters
I surely get it that any number of people and groups feel that not enough has been accomplished yet on their agenda priorities and for the nation’s good.
Nature is Kicking Our Butt Over Water, with Too Much and Not Enough. It’s Mostly Our Fault
The Term “Our Chickens Have Come to Roost” Sounds Right
I have been thinking about this posting for a few weeks. A good assortment of articles and reflections are being written about all this just now. Many are well worth your time to read, based on what I have been seeing
For our time together today, I thought we might reflect on the extreme opposites that are pounding the world and what their occurring at the same time mean for us all.
Join the discussion at: Water, Water Everywhere. And Yet, Not a Drop to Spare
In Fact, It’s Way Past Time. These are Not Just Personal Decisions
Polio is Back. Can You Believe That?
Polio, which we defeated in this country in the 1950’s and which was only occurring naturally in two underdeveloped countries in recent years has returned to the United States. Seems unimaginable. The vaccine is exceptionally effective, has absolute minimum risks, and widely available at little or no cost. Herd immunity across the US has further protected us all.
So, what happened? Anti-vaccine nonsense happened. It turns out that in some communities only about 30% of children,
Join the discussion at: Time to Declare War on the No Vaccines Crowd
Turns Out Some Good People are Doing Some Good Work
Take a Break
We do a lot about politics and governance in this space. You may have noticed that. How about we detour a bit and look at six encouraging stories in other areas? Well, one is a political story, but it too is a bit of unexpected, good news.
Read on, enjoy, and reflect. We will get back to current events soon enough
Let’s Get The Political Stories Out Of The Way First
A Productive Congress! Who Knew?!
The NY Times had a most interesting article a few days ago about how surprisingly effective this Congress has been.
Join the discussion at: A Round of Good News in Medicine, Science, Technology – And Even Politics
The Last Few Days Show Promise on Many Fronts
Public Perceptions Count
It seemed as though two thought patterns kind of ran through the country over the last few months.
One has been dissatisfaction with Biden, which in turn led to even worse than normal forecasts for the president’s party in the upcoming midterm elections. The other has been a general national grumpiness, post pandemic peak, which we have commented on in this space before. People, in their eagerness for normalcy, are in something of a bad mood generally, and that reflects back on politicians.
The Last Week Was Full of Noteworthy Topics. Some Highlights to Look At Closer
Russia and Ukraine: Good News, Bad News
First the bad news. Russia continues to make some progress in its aggression, now occupying about 20% of Ukraine’s Eastern sectors. And it continues a clear policy of terrorizing civilians and destroying communities. Bombing cities can be an acceptable if terrible thing in wars with much at stake, as WWII. But doing so in this conflict is clearly immoral. The list of war crimes and abuse gets ever longer.
But there is good news,
Where Are We Heading? What Does July 4th Mean? The Key Questions Call Us Out
What Started This Blog in The First Place?
This little blog came to life in June of 2018. The first post raised the issue of how we could relate to each other going forward as fellow Americans:
Of Tribes, Truth, and Our Country –
https://agentsofreason.com/of-tribes-truth-and-our-country/ .
This was followed the same week by a sobering reminder of what I saw on the ground in trips to the Middle East – Countries that had lost the ability to talk among themselves,
Join the discussion at: Three Old Blog Posts Came Back to Haunt Me This Week
A Few Less Obvious Reflections on the Past Week
Well, THAT was Quite a Week – We Were Deluged with News
We cannot say the past week was a boring one. A hastily schedule but powerfully executed January 6 Insurrection hearing. Important battlefield changes in Ukraine. A series of disastrous Supreme Court decisions. An historic NATO summit. And more, in every sector .
Today is the Fourth of July. We have much to think about, America. Somethings to celebrate, some things to regret. Let’s briefly observe some of the important side notes to some of these sagas.
America Will Take a Big Leap to the Next Peak – or Into the Abyss
This Will be One for the History Books – and the Rest of Our Lives
How many times have we have heard – or said – “This is the most important election…”? Yeah, they all seem to feel that way, and at the time, each met that criterion. Surely the presidential election of 2016 did. Elect Donald Trump? That would be a disaster. Thanks to the anachronism of the Electoral College, we blew it. The rest is,
Join the discussion at: Mid Term Elections Unlike Any in Our History
