Category Archives: General commentary on the world as I see it…

It’s been a while…

Posted on June 20, 2018 by BigBill

It’s been a long time since I posted anything, but I’m feeling like I should get back into blogging. I think part of the reason I took a hiatus is because my posts were too often political, railing against the … Continue reading →

Posted in General commentary on the world as I see it..., Political commentary | Leave a comment

Eclipses, buckets lists and mortality.

Posted on August 24, 2017 by BigBill

The Bucket List is a movie with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, with Nicholson playing an extremely wealthy (mostly retired) businessman who’s pretty much a total jerk, and Freeman is a middle-class man who finds himself in the next hospital … Continue reading →

Posted in General commentary on the world as I see it..., Travel | Leave a comment

Should morality determine legality?

Posted on August 14, 2017 by BigBill

In my last couple of posts I talked about the legalization of marijuana throughout the country as it is already in more than half of the states (I think it would be a good thing). That got me thinking about … Continue reading →

Posted in General commentary on the world as I see it..., Religion and philosophy | Leave a comment

Drugs, booze and personal choice (part 2)

Posted on August 11, 2017 by BigBill

In my last post I made a case for legalizing marijuana use across the country, as it already is in 26 states including my own. I think we’re being hypocritical as a society in making that particular activity a crime while … Continue reading →

Posted in General commentary on the world as I see it..., Political commentary, Religion and philosophy | Leave a comment

Booze, drugs and personal choices

Posted on July 31, 2017 by BigBill

One of the greatest blunders in American constitutional law is arguably the 18th Amendment, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States. It was submitted for ratification exactly 34 years before my birth, and took just … Continue reading →

Posted in General commentary on the world as I see it..., Political commentary | Leave a comment

The difference of a split second

Posted on April 11, 2017 by BigBill

My brother Jim was skiing in Colorado in early March and some guy on a snowboard ran into him, knocking him down. When he hit the snow, Jim’s leg (femur head, actually) was broken, his arm dislocated and the shoulder … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, General commentary on the world as I see it... | Leave a comment

An old debate, redux

Posted on April 2, 2017 by BigBill

My friend Mark and I had a discussion the last time we were together that somehow devolved into free will vs determinism. This is a topic of philosophers since, well, forever, and of course Mark and I weren’t going to … Continue reading →

Posted in General commentary on the world as I see it..., Religion and philosophy | Leave a comment

Anti-intellectualism

Posted on March 20, 2017 by BigBill

In my last post I explored where I think the current denigration of intellectual rigor may have come from (I think it has its roots in the American rejection of British class distinctions and a more egalitarian, personal-opportunity model). But … Continue reading →

Posted in General commentary on the world as I see it..., Political commentary, Religion and philosophy | Leave a comment

How did “elite” come to be “elitism”?

Posted on March 15, 2017 by BigBill

I’ve commented in several posts here how concerned I am at what appears to be a devaluing of intellect and the loss of critical thinking skills. These are obviously not the same thing, but I think they are related, and … Continue reading →

Posted in General commentary on the world as I see it..., Political commentary, Religion and philosophy | Leave a comment

Small talk and mutual respect

Posted on March 11, 2017 by BigBill

I’m not especially good at small talk. No, that’s not right; I suck at it. It’s not that I find it boring; it’s that I can never think of stuff to say in casual conversation if I don’t know the … Continue reading →

Posted in General commentary on the world as I see it... | Leave a comment