Archive
Making Haste to Buy Stuff That Makes Waste
At long last, our dream has come true, freeing us from the drudgery that has oppressed so many people over the past 500 years or so — namely, having to use our hands to open a bottle of wine. Yes, the electric corkscrew is here, and just in the nick of time for that...
Donald Kaul Un-Retires Again
Editor's note: OtherWords sent this note to people who wrote us after Donald Kaul said he'd take a break from writing following a heart attack. If you would like to get on that list, please send a note to him too or just let us know with an email to...
This Week in OtherWords: Kaul Writes Again and Richardson Becomes Our Newest Weekly Columnist
He's back. This week in OtherWords, columnist Donald Kaul makes a surprise return to weigh in on the chilling Newtown shootings. Since he's still on the mend and says that life's just so much better without deadlines, my best advice to his many devoted fans is to...
Our Great Fiscal Opportunity
Could anything positive come out of the knock-down, drag-out fight over the deficit? The CEO leaders of a multi-million-dollar PR campaign think so — and the analysts at my progressive think tank agree — although for the opposite reasons. The "Fix the Debt" campaign,...
Funding our Future
It's not just about the bird. When Mitt Romney declared in the first presidential debate that if he were elected he would cut funding for Big Bird, he really meant he'd take the knife to the whole kit and kaboodle. His policy platform called for the total elimination...
Turning our Tears into Action
A movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. A Sikh Temple in Wisconsin. A shopping mall in Oregon. A political event outside a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona. The streets of big cities like Chicago. And now an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. When will the madness...
A Grim New Year for Women
While some prominent Republicans appear to be more open to raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans as part of a budget deal that would keep us from tumbling off the so-called "fiscal cliff," others are digging their heels in deeper. Re-elected House members in...
The New Agenda on Guns We Need after Newtown
I'm glad I retired five months ago. Think of it: I was spared writing about the presidential election, an event so vacuous it made reality TV seem interesting. If there was any serious discussion of an important national issue — global warming, our obesity epidemic,...
A More Humane Holiday Ham
"What are your Christmas traditions?" I asked the family I was staying with in Kenya earlier this year while doing some research. I wondered whether Kenyans decorated Christmas trees or awaited Santa Claus like American children do. My host's response surprised me....
The Emperor of Avarice
The essence of greed? Simple. Greed amounts to taking more than you need when you already have enough — and others don't. Who among us, by this yardstick, rate as our greediest? Those who have the wherewithal to take whatever they want — and deny others the basics...
