When doing one's level best requires finding another level … The modern mantra – "Study hard, get these jobs and then you’ll be rewarded" – is getting a reality check. Is there something novel in the current interplay of AI […]

• LA Times > "Spared from life on streets again" by Doug Smith (7-15-2026) – New funds [for housing subsidies] and a waiver keep thousands in housing in L.A. County, officials say. An infusion of new funds approved by Congress this […]

Regarding the framework of the series: "focusing on ethical behavior rather than religious salvation." • LA Times Voices • 7-9-2026 • "In God he doesn't trust, yet he thrives in Capitol" by Mark Z. Barabak, Columnist Jared Huffman was unstinting […]

• LA Times > "Progress on Skid Row still falling short" by Steve Lopez, Columnist (7-9-2026) – There’s been a lot of focus on the area, but it resembles its old self. On my way through Skid Row to meet […]

I was reminded of a useful metaphor for dualistic thinking yesterday: the two-lane highway. Regarding, in this case, political identity. The reality is that any stark divide is misleading. Sadly, choices often are cast as one way or the other. […]

Regarding Storycraft … Illusion (mimicry) of Agency Simulation (imitation) of Mattering AI Q&A regarding the term "dunk" • use:the noun "dunk" as a metaphor in polemic [or posture] Here is an example of the noun "dunk" used as a metaphor […]

Regarding moral growth in The Good Places series … I found this article (cited below) fascinating because one of my longest running questions is "why do people change?" Or more specifically, "What finally impels change?" The desire for change often […]

So, how do I feel about my chat with Gemini on envisioning The Good Place 10.0? The good • Gemini's "attention" to what I said (wrote) I felt like I was being heard; Gemini directly commented on what I said […]

AI Overview Sweeping away homelessness in Los Angeles revolves around two primary multi-agency initiatives aimed at clearing encampments and transitioning unhoused individuals into interim and permanent housing. • The primary pathways to bring individuals indoors include: Inside Safe: A citywide emergency […]

A stylized folklore drawing set in a vast, open plains landscape under a dynamic twilight sky filled with swirling, starry patterns, a crescent moon, and a stylized spirit bird cloud formation. In the left foreground, the anthropomorphic Coyote trickster stands […]