Washing our heads of plastic

October 25, 2019

Earlier this month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a ban on those small plastic bottles for hotel guests that contain shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, moisturizer and other personal care items. They’re convenient, particularly for airline passengers who, since 2006, haven’t been allowed to carry on containers of liquids any larger than 3.4 ounces and so often leave their own products at home. And they’re fun to collect. But they’re also a waste. They’re too difficult to clean to make them easily recyclable, so they end up in landfills in enormous quantities ...

Why Zuckerberg wants to recruit outside liberal bubble

October 24, 2019

Mark Zuckerberg wants you to know that Facebook strives for diversity in its workforce — and not just on the basis of race or gender. The CEO says he works hard to recruit people who attended a state school, are rooted to their local communities and come from traditional backgrounds. “We certainly do,” Zuckerberg said of his 40,000 mostly U.S.-based employees in an interview with the New York Post. “There’s a woman who runs our commerce product and is deeply religious,” he said. “The person who runs policies of the company is quite a prominent Republican. So we have ...

Identity politics are still a dead end in 2020

October 23, 2019

In her post-mortem on Hillary Clinton’s failed candidacy, Donna Brazile noted that her students at Georgetown University truly disliked identity politics. “They thought that Hillary spent too much time trying to appeal to people based on their race, or their gender, or their sexual orientation,” the Democratic strategist wrote in “Hacks,” “and not enough time appealing to people based on what really worried them — issues like income inequality and climate change.” On the opposite end of the political compass, right-wing agitator Steve Bannon said this about identity ...

Quince becomes new fall favorite

October 22, 2019

I love traditional autumn flavors. I’m all about the apple butter and pumpkin spice. Now a new fall favorite has entered my life: Quince. It’s all thanks to an old ornamental growing near my house since before my family moved here. Many folks are more familiar with quince trees, which can also thrive in this part of North America. But quince bushes, while they share similarities to quince trees, are usually grown for decoration. This bush has never let me down. It is lovely in the spring — covered in bright pinkish red blooms; its early color always fills me with spring ...

It’s not safe to go in the water

October 22, 2019

The moment I drove over the causeway — my favorite Florida beaches on the islands of Sanibel and Captiva beckoning — the stench in the air foreshadowed bad news. Before me, the normally glittering blue Gulf waters were an infuriating thick shade of brown. At the Sanibel Lighthouse beach, the heaps of toxic-smelling red algae were so large and smelled so overwhelmingly bad, that all I could manage was a quick sprint over a walkway for a look — and I had to flee. I almost vomited. My eyes were instantly on fire. I felt I couldn’t breathe. And I knew. Once again, Florida’s ...

We must be free within ourselves first

October 21, 2019

I was about to give a speech — I can’t remember when or even where — when this teacher brought a student up, hoping I could help her. The teacher was white, and her student was a black girl, perhaps 13 or so, of painfully shy demeanor and very dark skin. The woman told me the child thought she was ugly because of her sable complexion. Could I say something to encourage her? I was stunned. Is this true? I asked the girl. Eyes down, she nodded and whispered that it was. I have no memory of what I told her. I do remember feeling it wasn’t enough. Then the event began and I had to ...