Why are an estimated 650 million people still living on less than 2.15 U.S. dollars a day ? — Saturday mornings are times of reflection for me. I routinely travel from my home state of Connecticut, one of the most affluent states in the US, a state which ranks #3 or #8 depending on which source you consult, to the Bronx, the poorest of the New York City boroughs…

The growing stranglehold on the American Economy by Private Equity, Venture Capital and Elite Investors — The food pantry line just wrapped around the block. Hundreds of people, waiting to fill a few bags of basic food goods. A spectacle that is probably happening on many Saturday mornings across the United States. When I see things like this, I become sad and unsettled for I know…

Changing the way of how we think about our relationships with others — Inspired by Daily readings on Sunday 24, 2023 Today’s mass included two great reminders of how we, as children of God, are often caught in our human ways and, more often than not, interpret and react to others, their deeds, their successes through our limited, earthly minds. …

The Rejection Atheism in Favor of Traditional Religious Belief — I recently decided to refresh my knowledge and understanding of Albert Camus, a fascinating intellectual in the modern French literary, artistic and philosophical scene. [1] He seems to be one of those characters that emerged when the world, and especially Western Europe was trying to rationalize the aftermath of two…

How the sad walls of Affluence and White Privilege keep us in worlds light years apart — Once in a while, you just gotta rant. I recently heard the somewhat disturbing story of soon-to-be newlyweds who, despite all a steady stream of horrific news out of Hawaii, insisted on honeymooning on the devastated island of Maui. One hundred fourteen deaths, over 350 unaccounted for. Ashes still smoldering…

Is Singularity the Next Stop or is ChatGPT just a bad psychedelic trip? — Folks this stuff on GenAI (short for generative AI), LLMs and generalized “Artificial Intelligences”, abbreviated AIs, is at the same time wondrous and unsettling. Are we experiencing a an explosive hype-cycle or are we at a true inflection point of ascent that will change the world, that will redefine the…

Five themes that tell me I have a long way to go — Article Refined by a Pentecost Sermon on May 28th 2023. Catholicism is more than a theory, a set of long lived, and slowly expanding traditions of orthopraxy and orthodoxy. It is about faith, a deep personal belief in time tested traditions, often embattled, that have seen more, for more than…

A Microcosm of sorrows, vibrant hopes and a balanced life that unravels at much slower pace — Author’s Note: A emotional reflection inspired by a late night conversation with my “Zia Clara”, that took place during a recent trip to my land of origin Calabria, the region of the Italian peninsula which often refer to as the “tip of the boot”. I reckon, that at least four…

Experiencing Latin from the Corner Pastry Shop -The ChatGPT Installment — ChatGPT is making headlines, positive and negative on a daily basis. And it has spurred some thinking on my end. Don’t know what ChatGPT is? Well, it is an A.I, an Artificial Intelligence, that is based on what researchers call a Large Language Model that is trained in “Natural Language…