rpoydock

Creation Care

Last Sunday in church, our congregation celebrated Earth Day as we do each year. Some Christians believe humanity was given the Biblical imperative of dominion over the earth. Personally I believe that this means the responsibility of being stewards of the earth, caretakers of the big blue marble. And God said “Let us make humankindContinue reading “Creation Care”

DEI is Good for Business

My professional society had a workshop today with a theme of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. DEI is a hot topic today in the world of business. Some of the advantages of an inclusive culture at work are: better performance increased customer understanding better decision making new ideas stronger governance Some of the traits of anContinue reading “DEI is Good for Business”

Less Code = Less Carbon

At a conference that I attended yesterday, the keynote was on sustainability. One of the topics that was an eye opener for me was the energy required for our digital life. I’ve heard about the amount of energy required to mine cryptocurrency but did not understand it. Heck, I’m trying to figure out which IndianContinue reading “Less Code = Less Carbon”

Social Democrat vs. Democratic Socialist

I recently saw the following meme which closely expresses my point of view on economics and politics: I’m a fan of Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and consider them to be important voices in today’s political scene. Even though I mostly share their vision, I’m not comfortable with the label Democratic Socialist. IContinue reading “Social Democrat vs. Democratic Socialist”

An Epidemic of Hate

Throughout our country’s history, certain groups of people have been discriminated against. In particular, immigrant communities bear the brunt of being the other. In the mid-19th century, it was “No Irish need apply”. Around the turn of the century, it was immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe. For a century after the Civil War, blacksContinue reading “An Epidemic of Hate”

Ask the GINI

As a thought experiment, I sometimes ask myself if I had a magic lamp, what advice might I give to myself as a young adult. I would say explore the world and find the country that is closest to your values, learn the language if necessary, and move there. Most likely, I would be anContinue reading “Ask the GINI”

A Loss for Labor

I’m disappointed about the union vote at Amazon’s Bessemer warehouse in Alabama. While it’s true that Amazon pays its workers $15 an hour and offers health benefits, the working conditions leave a lot to be desired. The rapid pace expected of the workers could result in unsafe working conditions and who wants to have toContinue reading “A Loss for Labor”

A Profile in Courage

March 31st is International Transgender Day of Visibility, a day dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of the discrimination that they face. I have a Facebook friend who is transitioning and I have been following her posts as she describes the physical changes as well as practical matters such as legally changing herContinue reading “A Profile in Courage”

Get the ERA Passed

The Equal Rights Amendment is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. It seeks to end the legal distinctions between men and women in terms of divorce, property, employment, and other matters. “Equality of rights under the law shall not beContinue reading “Get the ERA Passed”

How Bad is Wealth Inequality?

Back in 2013, a video that provided a visualization of wealth in America went viral. Imagine one hundred Americans standing on a football field, one yard apart from each other, arranged from poorest to richest. They represent income percentiles. Now visualize each person’s wealth as a stack of $100 bills. The stack starts out veryContinue reading “How Bad is Wealth Inequality?”