Hunting and gathering at Safeway

Previous to the last 10,000 years during which farming, agriculture and establishing fixed cities emerged as dominant social structures,... Continue

Loss and gain

Though I moved to California in 1968 when I was nineteen and made it my home, in no small part I’m still a “New Yawkah.” Even... Continue

Is knowledge power?

The defining character of the modern age is its relationship to acquiring knowledge: the idea that knowledge is power, specifically... Continue

The psychology of the inconceivable

In a previous column about money I wrote about symbolic and imaginary mind, and its place in human experience and psychology. The symbolic... Continue

Rich good, poor bad

The downside of poor is fairly obvious; no money – no food comes to mind. But in America being poor seems to have fallen on particularly... Continue

The thing upon which we all agree

There is no shortage of disagreement in the world. On topics petty to profound, human beings exhibit an infinite range of opinions... Continue

On the passing of an old friend

Death often arrives unannounced, of course, and at my age more frequently. This past year has brought the passing of family and most... Continue

Marijuana madness

So here’s my prediction: during the next decade there will be a huge crackdown on marijuana users. Evolving technology for drug testing,... Continue

The tyranny of fiction

In the beginning, there was The Word, and not too long thereafter, The Book. The first books were all about The Word, and other genres... Continue

Happy Old Year

Orwell wrote “Who controls the present controls the past” and in light of the current state of politics in America, Orwell proclaimed... Continue