Why Western powers want to ignore the Democratic Republic of the Congo. — 1960 was the Year of Africa. 17 nations declared independence from their colonial parasites and held democratic elections. But parasites don’t give up the host easily. In the newly formed Republic of the Congo, Pan-Africanist poet and scholar Patrice Lumumba was elected as the first prime minister, taking office in…

And I’m not going to replace it. — So I just sold my 2015 6-speed manual transmission Volkswagen GTI. I got so much out of that car. It’s been all over the US. Down to Key West, up to Montreal, and back and forth across the continent several times. I drove it in LA, parked it in Manhattan…

If aliens asked nicely, would you go with them? — What if aliens asked you to go with them into deep space? And they aren’t space elves — humans with pointy ears — but truly alien beings, like squid or giant cassowary, with eyes as deep as space and vocal sounds that makes us want to suck our thumbs, curled…

From my days as a bike messenger in Boston. — This is 200 Clarendon Street in Boston’s Back Bay. It’s the tallest building in Boston, looming over Copley Place, Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library. Back when I was a bike messenger in Boston, in the early years of the new millenium, this building was known as the John…

When I was younger and traveling in Guatemala, someone broke into my room, dug through my bag and stole my credit card from inside my passport. Before I noticed it was gone, they’d spent all my money. Should I have filed a police report and stayed on the phone long…

None of us know as much as we think we do. — A few months ago I wrote a short piece called You’re Not as Informed as You Think You Are. It’s about how we think we know the whole world, when in fact, we just know our own extremely tiny corner. Let’s say you’re a subject matter expert on solid waste…

The future of humanity hinges on these little details — Several years ago, Pre-covid, I was at a coffeeshop in Tucson, near the military base. There were only a handful of customers, and quiet. This is the conversation I had with a guy after asking him to take his 5th loud phone call outside: Me: Do you mind taking your…

James Cromwell brought attention to an important issue, but here is something we overlook far too often. — Props to James Cromwell for gluing his hand to a Starbucks counter in protest of alternative milk charges. With this single action, he brought a lot of attention to a valid issue, which is that plant-based products are generally healthier, somewhat more sustainable, and produce far less suffering than the…

I don’t really care. — Last night, doing some chores, I was listening to Robert Greene’s The Laws of Human Nature: Recent finds in anthropology and archaelogy, however, have proven beyond a shadow of the doubt that our ancestors (going back tens of thousands of years, well before civilization) engaged in warfare that was as…