I have a number of people who I highly respect who serve or have served in the military. I believe there is an important role for the military. But I also believe we need to look towards military spending, which has almost doubled in the last decade, as we look for ways to reduce the… Continue reading Why our military is needed in Libya

An interesting new article in the New York Times suggests we need to change our understanding regarding where our innovations come from.  But even the language chosen in the article indicates how far we need to go to reshape the paradigm we use to understand innovation.  For instance, their use of producer-innovation vs. consumer-innovation: if… Continue reading Where do innovations come from?

Last spring I wrote about proposals by Illinois politicians to cut health services to allow them to restore educational expenditures without increasing taxes or borrowing funds.  I realized that such choices ultimately borrow against human lives as it impacts the long term quality of life for those who no longer receive adequate care.  Wednesday a… Continue reading Borrowing Against Human Lives in Illinois

The apprenticeship system of training is one that I’ve always found exciting.  It is an on-the-job training program that recognizes learning can’t be divorced from doing real work.  While an apprentice studies under a master, it should not be misconstrued as a master/servant relationship.  Instead, in the best apprenticeships the master challenges the apprentice to… Continue reading My Apprenticeship

We watched the movie Amazing Grace this past week.  It was a wonderful historical telling of the struggle by William Wilberforce and his colleagues face during the late 18th century and early 19th century to pass legislation in the British House of Commons to abolish the slave trade.  I must admit only knowing the name… Continue reading Amazing Grace the Movie