Thinking Citizen Blog

Thinking Citizen Blog — Wednesday is Climate Change, the Environment, and Sustainability Day Today’s Topic: The Caspian Sea — Geology (the Three Seas), Biology (Beluga Sturgeon), History (Baku) The Caspian, the world’s largest inland body of water, is “a remnant of the ancient Paratethys Sea.” It stretches 750 miles from…

Thinking Citizen Blog — Saturday is Justice, Freedom, Law, and Values Day Today’s Topic: Dobbs: Upholds Mississippi Law 6–3, Overrules Roe 5–4 Today, three topics: first, how the court split on Roe. Second, the outlook for abortion, state by state. Third, the likely political fallout. Experts — please chime in…

Thinking Citizen Blog — Sunday is Political Process, Campaign Strategy, and Candidate Selection Day Today’s Topic: Is Joe Biden too old? Is It a Fair Question? What is the Best Metric? “Playing the age card against an elderly opponent is a familiar maneuver in American politics,” wrote Jeff Jacoby of…

Thinking Citizen Blog — Friday is Education and Education Policy Day Today’s Topic — The American flag as a Teaching Tool (with an Assist from the “Orion of Rights and Duties”) What is the first word that comes to mind when you see an American flag? Is it “freedom”? Is…

Thinking Citizen Blog — Tuesday is Economics, Finance, and Business Day Today’s Topic: “Oceania” or “the Pacific Islands” — Who Is In? Who Is Out? ho Cares? The terms Oceania and “the Pacific Islands” can refer to a.) all the islands of the Pacific, b.) Australasia (Australia and New Zealand)…

Thinking Citizen Blog — Monday is Foreign Policy Day Today’s Topic: Ukraine Update: What Are the Most Important Facts? Is History Repeating Itself? Bret Stephens, New York Times columnist, recently gave this summary: “The Russians are running out of precision-guided weapons. The Ukrainians are running out of Soviet-era munitions. The…

Thinking Citizen Blog — Sunday is Political Process, Campaign Strategy, and Candidate Selection Day Today’s Topic: LA Mayor Race: Will Rick Caruso Defeat Karen Bass in November? Last time, the story of Chesa Boudin’s recall as District Attorney of San Francisco. Today, the LA mayoral election prospects for Rick Caruso…

Thinking Citizen Blog — Saturday is Justice, Freedom, Law, and Values Day Today’s Topic — What Does Juneteenth Commemorate? Emancipation. But Why June 19th? Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 declaring all slaves within the rebel states to be free. On April 9th,1865, General Robert E…

Thinking Citizen Blog — Friday is Education and Education Policy Day Today’s Topic — The Return of Phonics and the Retreat of Lucy Calkins Why do only a third of American fourth and eighth graders read at grade level? Well, there are many reasons. But Lucy Calkins was one I…