Be Good For Goodness Sake

Volume 70. December 12, 2025 You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I’m telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town. Santa Claus might be coming to town for some people, but not for the vast majority of the U.S. population. Federal Reserve data (2024) indicates that enormous financialContinue reading “Be Good For Goodness Sake”

Democratic Power Outage

Volume 59. January 18, 2025 American scholar Joseph Campbell once wrote, “Politics is the art of gaining power over men.” Elbowed out of office, Democrats are feeling pretty low these days. As Republicans gleefully assume control over the three branches of federal government (legislative, judicial, executive), and as Donald Trump gleefully resumes his three ringContinue reading “Democratic Power Outage”

Bro World Cheers Their Once and Future King

Volume 57. November 10, 2024 Trump supporters are in hog heaven. Kinder and gentler is out. Ruder and cruder is in. Women are out. Men are in. Like James Brown, the godfather of soul, once sang, “This is a man’s world.” Ever since the dawn of the Iron Age, ever since about 3500 BCE, everContinue reading “Bro World Cheers Their Once and Future King”

Election 2024

Volume 56. October 28, 2024 Perhaps the legendary American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan was thinking of Donald Trump when he sang sardonically, “Patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings.”  After three consecutive presidential elections, most Americans like Bob Dylan know the score on that dishonest, anti-democratic demagogue and 34-time convicted felonContinue reading “Election 2024”

Happy Fourth of July Buddha-style

Volume 53. July 4, 2024 Happy birthday, America! It’s time to celebrate. Founding Father John Adams thought Independence Day should be celebrated “with Pomp and Parade, with Shows, Games, Sports, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other.” He didn’t mention music, but that hasn’t stopped songwriters. Even classic rockContinue reading “Happy Fourth of July Buddha-style”

A Poignant Moment

Volume 51. May 15, 2024 My friends, we have reached a poignant moment. This moment marks the end of the Buddhist Studies Certificate Program at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Waukesha. What started in India in 500 BC, what spread across Asia for millennia, what ended in Tibet in 1959, will continue after we are gone.Continue reading “A Poignant Moment”

Solar Powered Enlightened Wisdom

Volume 50. April 12, 2024 “It was a scam!” she proclaimed after school. On April 8, 2024, there was a total eclipse of the sun across North America. In areas of totality, the moon blotted out the sun’s light, plunging the daytime Earth into nighttime darkness. Reactions across the natural world were mixed. Owls hooted.Continue reading “Solar Powered Enlightened Wisdom”

A World in White Gets Underway

Volume 47. January 10, 2024 Rock ’n roll heralds of calendrical beginnings U2 proclaimed immortal words of annual genesis, singing, All is quiet on New Year’s Day. A world in white gets underway. The new calendar year offers us a pristine state of clarity. Quiet. White. Tranquil. Serene. Fresh. Unspoiled. New Year’s Day is aContinue reading “A World in White Gets Underway”