My doctor gave me an absurd “living will” to sign that said “I want people to be cheery around me and, essentially, put on a happy face when I am dying.” WHAT? Don’t they care that they are losing me? Do we have to have a happy death followed by a celebration of life funeral … Read more
I am in a profound state of grief. I find no comfort in Christmas sentiments. As one soldier fighting in Vietnam in December said in a moment of rage and despair, “Merry fucking Christmas.” Don’t give me your greetings of Merry Christmas. I am grieving for Rachel because she and her future children are no … Read more
Propaganda hijacks your beliefs and you don’t know it. You are sure they are your beliefs. It makes you angry when you hear an opinion opposite to yours, as if it goes against the “real” truth. This observation comes from experiences with a right wing intellectual group I belong to. Suppose you are an MD … Read more
My upcoming book, Redeeming Christianity, (soon to be published by Bilbo Books) contains these quotes on skepticism by Paramahansa Yogananda. Useful principles for thinking… “There are two kinds of doubt: destructive and constructive. Destructive doubt is habitual skepticism. Men who cultivate that attitude disbelieve blindly; they shun the work of impartial investigation. Skepticism is a … Read more
They’ve been called a lot of different names over the years: ad guys, mad men, spin doctors, Satan’s little helpers. And those are just a few. These are the people who tell us what to buy, where to buy it, and how it will make us cooler and more attractive to the opposite sex. They … Read more
Your morning bathroom routine, much like your ear hair, is something that never stops growing until you die. By my reckoning, this process, when fully explored over the course of an average American lifetime, slowly grows, then dips greatly, then begins its true slow rise from a process that takes roughly ten minutes every morning … Read more
The League of Women Voters took a circuitous path to its current mission. It began The League of Women Moaters, a traveling moat upkeep operation, which suffered mightily to stay profitable, mainly due to America’s severe lack of castles. Next it became The League of Women Motorists, and was taunted so mercilessly that it quickly … Read more
Two Wisconsin gas stations are suing a local competitor for selling gas at TOO LOW A PRICE. For real, this is actually happening, at a time when everyone is overpaying for gas, mainly because of opportunism. Apparently there is a law in the Badger State, Wisconsin’s Unfair Sales Act, that prevents stores from selling products … Read more
I hate it when the news reports on something offensive that some famous guy said…and then doesn’t mention the offensive something. Don’t get me wrong, I love it as much as the next guy when, in an unscripted moment of rare celebrity honesty, Justin Bieber is caught on tape professing his hatred for Asian midgets, … Read more
or (alternative title) We’re All Aging, We’re Just Doing It Wrong Despite what The Disney Channel, “The National Enquirer” and your mother told you, aging isn’t everything. Reporters seem intent on mentioning their subjects’ ages, even when the article has nothing to do with age. We have these pre-set notions about what we’re supposed to … Read more