On January 6, 2021 there was a violent attack on the United States Capitol.

This seems like a self-evident statement, to the point that people might even say ‘no duh’. However, the ensuing time has made the memory of these events fade for most people, except for those who were directly involved. While normal, this does not mean that the gravity of that event is lessened just because the passage of time has taken place, and the news channels all the social media fanfare have moved on to other travesties and drama.

However, it’s fair to say that no matter how vague the memories, the January 6th events were horrific in nature. Some might even call the events of 1/6/21 a terrorist event, of the ‘domestic extremist’ kind. Most would agree that it was a tragedy for all involved.

Mostly.

  Read more….. »

 

If you are looking for a quick and easy way to pay it forward this Earth Day, and have access to the World Wide Web, Ecosia has a solution for you.

What the heck is Ecosia?

According to its website https://www.ecosia.org, Ecosia is “the search engine that plants trees”.

Now, how does it manage to do that?

  Read more….. »

 

If you are concerned that business has gotten too cutthroat and Machiavellian, and believe you can’t have your ice cream and save the world at the same time, there may be some hope to alleviate your dilemma: Certified B Corporations (1).

What the heck are “Certified B Corporations”?   Read more….. »

 

Only three weeks ago, there was a forest here.

All of these are now gone.   Read more….. »

Democracy is an ideal which is experienced on different levels, depending on where you are in the world. For some, it is a fixed concept in everyday culture. For others, it is a brand new reality which still needs to be defined and refined. For still others, it is still out of reach. Social scientist Larry Diamond examines the scope of democracy on an international level in his book, “The Spirit of Democracy”. It a manifesto which examines how successful the experiment of democracy is in the world today.   Read more….. »

Recently, the truthfulness of Greg Mortenson’s memoir, “Stones into Schools”, was called into question by 60 minutes. The report questioned some of the events described in the book by author.   Read more….. »

War is a subject of endless debate. Should we go to war, is war evil, when is war just, when is it justifiable, and on and on. But what does war actually feel like? This is what Sebastian Junger explores in his book “War” as he lives amidst an American fighting platoon in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley.   Read more….. »

What happens after a nuclear accident, especially to its human victims? The recent disaster in Japan is only the latest major incident to raise this question. One might also think of Chernobyl, the 1986 disaster in Soviet Ukraine, and its aftermath. Dr. Robert Peter Gale is an American who witnessed this aftermath. In “Final Warning”, he writes his personal account of living with the human tragedy of a nuclear disaster.   Read more….. »

It’s been eight years since the beginning of the American military theater in Iraq. If you don’t know anyone in the military and rely on the media for your truth, it’s easy to forget that there still is a war going on over there. The facts get blurred with the next headline. How and why the war came to be gets buried in the landfill, along with old newspapers that contained its storyline.

George Packer’s “The Assassins’ Gate” brings the reality of the war back to light.   Read more….. »

Gas drilling is being considered for many parts of Central New York. Leases have been issued and approved. Marcellus shale, the bedrock which comprises much of the area, has been found to hold considerable deposits of natural gas. Municipalities in the counties of Chenango, Madison, and Otsego have been informed that they need to prepare their communities for this new venture.   Read more….. »