politics | Mostly Bright Ideas

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A Cool Look at Global Warming (Part 2)

September 29, 2014

“The debate is over.” Al Gore said that about man-made climate change. A lot of other people have said it, too. But it isn’t true. If the debate were over, then no one would be debating it anymore. There was a time when it was widely believed that there were canals on Mars and bathing was […]

More Energy, Less Work (Part 2)

December 13, 2013

Most of us take energy for granted. We drive to the gas station, crank up the thermostat, or flip a switch, and we have all the power we need. And while solar, wind, and other alternative sources are growing more prevalent, most of our energy still comes from the process of taking a raw material […]

Careering Out of Control

November 4, 2013

In a recent moment of inexplicable self-assurance, I blurted out my intention to run, simultaneously, for president of the United States and prime minister of Canada. It isn’t that I think I could do a better job than either of the two people currently occupying those positions. It’s that I no longer believe anyone could. […]

Dueling with Citizenship

October 26, 2013

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I’m an American citizen, a privilege I acquired decades ago when I was born in the United States. This year, I became a Canadian citizen, too, after filling out a long application, providing additional paperwork to prove that I exist, and paying a fee of several hundred dollars. I also swore my allegiance to the […]

People Everywhere

July 5, 2013

I peer out the window on a sunny July afternoon, scanning right and left, and covering the full semicircle within view. All is quiet, and still. The scene is unsettling, like a dream that’s disturbing for a reason you can’t quite identify. Two bicycles lie on their sides in the driveway next door. A basketball […]

My Predictions for 2013

January 7, 2013

I know it’s already the second week of January, and it may seem a little late to be making predictions for 2013. But people are still saying “Happy New Year,” eating stale cookies, and slurping down eggnog. Plus, as far as I know, none of the following things have happened yet, so technically they qualify […]

Wishing for a Hollywood Ending

November 6, 2012

Over the past week, news reports and commentary about the final hours of the presidential election have intertwined with coverage of Hurricane Sandy’s assault on the East Coast of the United States. Warm smiles behind shiny promises of a bright future fill the screen, replaced a minute later by dazed and frantic faces surveying a […]

Crossing the Line

October 4, 2010

My wife and I are American citizens, and so are our kids, but we moved to Canada twelve years ago. It wasn’t a political statement of some kind. We weren’t trying to escape anything or looking to pursue a different lifestyle. We were just visiting and happened to find a house we loved. In our […]