January 2020 Back in the 50s, my father used to say that the difference between a stock broker and a bookie was that a bookie knew he was a crook. His point was that a stock broker and a bookie both sell gambling services, but for some reason, society had decided that a bookie was…
January 2020 While closing the aging Plymouth nuclear plant may have been a wise decision, the world’s withdrawal from nuclear power since the tragic tsunami at Fukishima in March, 2011 will likely lead to disaster. Before Fukishima, a recent piece in the New Yorker points out, “there was serious discussion among energy experts about a…
November 2019 The two main economic theories that have been guiding most world economies for the past 150 years or so are capitalism and socialism. In a socialist society the government owns the means of production and decides what goods and services will be offered and how much will be charged. The Soviet Union and…
October 2019 When I was a kid in the 50s, it was common for local TV stations to produce kids’ shows. WBZ in Boston (Channel 4) had two. One featured “Rex Trailer” and his horse (I had the thrill of helping chase that horse down when it got loose while I was delivering newspapers near…
September 2019 Yesterday, I thought about how I used to be excited at the thought of getting something new – a new toy, a new game, a new bike, a new TV…. a new car. “Why,” I thought, “am I nervously sitting here – worried, anxious – waiting for my new computer?” The answer is…