Food Waste and The Cult of Perfection

The idea that we are wasting a lot of food is not new, the idea that we insist on produce to be perfect, is not new either. What is new is the extent to which food is wasted. Also new is that the waste is not limited to households and restaurants, but throughout the whole food chains, farmers, packers, truckers, food researchers, academics and even government officials all attest to how much waster there is. How much depends on how it is measured, whether it is from “farm to fork” meaning the whole food chain, or Continue reading “Food Waste and The Cult of Perfection”

Professional Licenses For Undocumented

It takes courage to be an illegal immigrant, not only to brave the journey but then to live with whatever one has to do to avoid discovery, not to speak of the accompanying fear. When I read that those in the US illegally could apply for a driver’s license in California, I wondered if I’d have the courage if I were an undocumented immigrant. It’s hard enough to be an immigrant, being undocumented would make it daunting. According to a recent L A Times feature some 300 people Continue reading “Professional Licenses For Undocumented”

Victims and Victimhood

A NYT essay by Arthur C. Brooks made a distinction between being a victim and what he calls the culture of victimhood, meaning anyone being slighted or hurt by others or the system feeling victimized whether or not in his eyes it was deserved. He sees the practice as being so frequent and prevalent and as not having much merit. As much as I find the concept evocative, I am not sure about the examples he cites, for example those of students feeling hurt by the use of micro-aggression. I am sure there are exaggerations, no one is perfect, but micro-aggression which I have heard and seen is a real issue, and even if one makes a distinction between a racial slur and violent rape, Continue reading “Victims and Victimhood”

Spending on Others

If you want to be happy spend money on others. Psychology professor Elizabeth Dunn and marketing professor Michael Norton document all this in their book Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending. They’ve of course conducted research and experiments and on a recent PBS program Elizabeth Dunn even spoke of living what she has come to believe. She and a group of friends are engaged in a project pooling resources to sponsor a refugee family. To these authors happiness is not Continue reading “Spending on Others”