I am lying in a meadow high in the Rocky Mountains. The sun is warm and comforting. I watch the clouds, puffy white in the blue sky, but soon pull a cap over my eyes…
Poisoning People in Apollo: All in a Day's…
Apollo is a small town in western Pennsylvania, part of the old coal and steel belt that surrounds Pittsburgh. The shallow Kiskiminitas River, a tributary of the Allegheny, flows through the borough. Although it is…
The National Parks Were Made for You and…
Arches National Park in Utah is a jumble of strange and beautiful rocks, spires, arches, and fins. The more times you come here, the more amazing wonders you might find: a fifty-feet long natural rock…
On Vacation
Cheap Motels and a Hot Plate is going on vacation for awhile. I've run out of things to say. Thanks for reading.
Whoopee! We're All Gonna Die (Working)
We were in a Wal-Mart in Richfield, Utah. The greeters at the door were an elderly man and woman. Both were in wheelchairs. At a grocery store in Colorado, an old man bagging groceries was…
It's Still Slavery by Another Name
Right-wingers like Fox’s Bill O’Reilly are fond of saying that whites don’t have a monopoly on racism. Some black people hate whites, so they are racist too. Whites must stop being racist, but so must…
After the Wisconsin Uprising
The most important thing that has taken place since Wisconsin is another uprising, the phenomenal Occupy Wall Street (OWS). It began in Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park in September 2011 and spread rapidly to more than 2,600…
If I Were a Rich Man
When the great populist Huey Long was campaigning for governor of Louisiana, he wrote some clever slogans and songs. One song began: "Every man a king, for you can be a millionaire." Back then, in…
Fools' Gold
As I was channel surfing a few months ago, I stopped to watch a new Discovery Channel reality show called Gold Rush. Since then I have seen every episode. The show is now in its…