Reviewing Serhii Plokhy’s Chernobyl

After watching the HBO series about the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine during the Soviet Union, I wanted to read more about the tragedy. Readers of my blog know, I’m an avid reader. While there is a place for television, books, especially if done right, tell a more accurate picture of… Continue reading Reviewing Serhii Plokhy’s Chernobyl

Reviewing Where we go from Here

Bernie Sanders’s Where we go from Here is a book recapping his efforts to bring about a more progressive America in the era of Donald Trump. As someone who has supported Bernie and donated to his campaign, I was excited to read the book. Now that I have finished, I can say something really left… Continue reading Reviewing Where we go from Here

Why Sanders is Better Than Warren

I have supported Bernie Sanders since early in the 2016 campaign. I have made two contributions to his 2020 campaign. I like Elizabeth Warren. Her focus on policy is refreshing. I agree with much of what she says. While Warren is the only candidate besides Sanders I would enjoy voting for, there are to fundamental… Continue reading Why Sanders is Better Than Warren

Reviewing The new Jim Crow

Michele Alexander’s The new Jim Crow: mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness is one of the most important books I have read in a long time. Alexander demonstrates in revolting clarity how America has used the facially-neutral war on drugs as the current way of controlling and punishing black people, especially black men.

We Should Use Less Plastic

Bans of plastic straws and bags has been in the news for months. Yesterday, Donald Trump gave a speech at a developing Shell factory that will someday produce a million tons of plastic each year. Stories of dead animals washing ashore with stomachs full of plastic have become heartbreakingly familiar. Efforts to remove a fraction… Continue reading We Should Use Less Plastic

Reviewing the Flu that Killed 50 Million

The Flu that Killed 50 million is a BBC documentary on the worldwide pandemic of 1918. As someone who enjoys history and didn’t know much about the pandemic, I found The Flu that Killed 50 million to be an interesting documentary. I’m not entirely sure it’s completely accurate, but the documentary paints a reasonable picture… Continue reading Reviewing the Flu that Killed 50 Million

Trump is a symptom

Yesterday, Joe Biden gave a speech in Burlington, Iowa where he criticized Donald Trump for failing to condemn white supremacy. Biden accused Trump of “fanning the flames.” Biden’s seminal message was that Donald trump is encouraging white supremacy. All we have to do is beat Trump, and things can return to a more normal state… Continue reading Trump is a symptom