Jan 17
I began my language studies of Western Abenaki (one of the many Algonkian dialects native to the Northeastern part of Turtle Island) in late 2019. I live in the homelands of the Mohican people (Muhheconneok), but at that time all Mahican classes were being conducted in Wisconsin. I had met Jesse Bruchac at a story-telling …
Nov 28
Barack has been diagnosed with terminal lymphoma. The story of how he came to me, and how he received his name, is for another time. For now, I have been reflecting on our friendship of more than 12 years. As I write this, he is still vibrant, active, and loving. I know his days are …
Aug 10
I found this page floating around. I think I must have pulled it from a file to share a copy with someone about my time in Japan. Now I don’t remember if the “2” at the bottom of the page is really an indication of this being the second page of a letter from my …
May 09
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Town of Alford Town Moderator Michael F. Wilcox mfw {at} mfw(.)us Alford Town Meeting 2020 Advisory Committee In Formation as of May 8, 2020 I have begun the process of forming an advisory committee to assist me in my role as Town Moderator. I will need the help of many people to …
Jan 20
Here is a list of links to the slides I used in my classes, as well as various blog posts, articles, and other resources that have been referenced during my lectures, or mentioned in my emails to the OLLI students, or that came to mind as I was preparing this list. Background Here is a …
Nov 18
… only a carefully designed mechanism for redistribution can compensate for the natural tendency of wealth to flow from the poor to the rich in a market economy. Is Inequality Inevitable? The “natural tendency” mentioned here ^ is the hypothetical outcome of a random process. It is remarkable that, in a market economy, although there …
Nov 16
On a planet increasingly dominated by people—even the deep oceans today are being altered by humans—it probably makes sense to think about wilderness, too, as a human creation. Elizabeth Kolbert, in “Recall of the Wild” When I read Bill McKibben’s book The End of Nature, back in 1989 (it first appeared in The New Yorker), …
Nov 10
Thanks to a heads-up from BEAT, I was able to enjoy a session of Abenaki culture, with well over 100 people in attendance. Jesse Bruchac put on quite a show, and I learned many things. I also came away with 4 books and 4 CDs, so I expect to learn even more as I have …