Category Archives: Uncategorized

F.A.T. Chain Reaction

Posted on 11/29/2018 by

On the day after Thanksgiving, a non-shopper like me has time on his hands. I stumbled upon a satisfying Big Box alternative: the F.A.T. Chain Reaction (F.A.T. = Friday After Thanksgiving). For 21 years, the MIT Museum has sponsored a … Continue reading →

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The Balance Economy

Posted on 11/27/2018 by

This is the fifth in the series, A Soft Landing, which explores how we might achieve a more just, equitable society without violent revolution. A new Constitution, discussed in the last three essays of ‘A Soft Landing,’ is insufficient alone … Continue reading →

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Big Box Ethics

Posted on 10/15/2018 by

Caveat Emptor: Buyer Beware. Responsible consumers are supposed to always make sure they got the true deal. That’s why I watch Star Market cashiers with a keen eye: markdown prices taped to the peanut butter or dry bean shelf rarely … Continue reading →

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Statutes of Limitations

Posted on 10/07/2018 by

Does criminal behavior carry an expiration date? I recently wrote, in regards to Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination hearings, “I have reservations about how we apply 2018 standards to 1980’s adolescent behavior.” A reader who objected to that statement (“…young … Continue reading →

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A Chink in the Wall of Deny, Deny, Deny

Posted on 09/29/2018 by

Democracy creates strange bedfellows. This morning our precarious system of justice got a one-week reprieve thanks to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a soft-spoken, earnest professional woman; two strident protestors who blocked a US Senator in an elevator; and a lame … Continue reading →

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Hanging Pictures, Hanging Out

Posted on 05/08/2018 by

When was the last time you went to a barn raising? How about a threshing party? Or even a quilting circle? Coming together for shared work is an idyllic vision of our agrarian past, as alien to contemporary life as … Continue reading →

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The Primacy of Horizontal Space

Posted on 04/30/2018 by

How far will you walk over rather than down? How much farther will you walk over rather climb up?   As an architect who designed large, multi-story buildings, I learned early on to locate physical spaces that have important connections … Continue reading →

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