Which one of my fake Facebook accounts just wrote this column?

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Articles by Dr. Wes Browning

If you see a grumpy old man, report a grumpy old man

by Dr. Wes Browning | July 31st, 2019

Real Change columnist

The most entertaining news this week is that people as far away as Australia, Alabama and, I’ll bet, Austria have been using the Seattle city government ‘Find It, Fix It’ app to report seeing tents in Seattle. In many cases, the tents are reported as being...

Let’s put this week’s Donald Trump rant on hold while I catch this taxi

by Dr. Wes Browning | July 24th, 2019

Real Change columnist

Your regularly scheduled weekly rant against the Trump administration will be delayed while this columnist expresses his amusement at Uber’s support for congestion tolling. I love the idea of congestion tolling, for the same reason Uber should. It’s in my...

If George Washington were still alive I bet he couldn’t prove he was born here

by Dr. Wes Browning | July 17th, 2019

Real Change columnist

I just had a birthday. I’m now the oldest I’ve ever been, by far. I’m so old my childhood memories are all in a dead language. I remember first grade entirely in black and white. For a long time I thought steampunk was a nostalgia trend. I’ve read books...

Donald Trump and his followers are the gifts that just keep on giving

by Dr. Wes Browning | July 10th, 2019

President Trump’s Fourth of July speech at the National Mall was amazingly coherent and hardly at all nonsensical. I was impressed. Sure, he said that the Continental Army seized airports from the British during the Revolutionary War, but we all know that...

If you’re a fellow nadpobudliwość, put down ‘Ulysses’ and start reading this

by Dr. Wes Browning | July 3rd, 2019

Real Change columnist

This week I want to talk about hope. Emily Dickinson called “hope” the “Thing with Feathers” and then proceeded to conjure up an image of the little bird in my soul being abashed by a storm. Every time I think I get it, it slips away. In 2001, I responded...

Taking news personally can be bad for your health — or maybe not

by Dr. Wes Browning | June 26th, 2019

Real Change columnist

When there’s a major event in history I want to take it personally. Will there be an air strike on Iran before this issue comes out? So far Trump planned and canceled a retaliatory strike of some sort. They’re usually air strikes. Invasions are too messy...

People have been asking about homelessness for many centuries

by Dr. Wes Browning | June 19th, 2019

Let’s talk about a 12th century rabbi. I write about homelessness. So I often get asked questions like, “Yesterday I saw a homeless person. What should I have done? Would a dollar have solved the problem? What would the dollar have been spent on? Where do...

If you’ve enjoyed this column over the years, please send baking potatoes

by Dr. Wes Browning | June 12th, 2019

Real Change columnist

Readers often think writing these columns is my job at Real Change. No. I’ve been asking for going on 24 years to be paid one baking potato per column. I’ve been told no, because as soon as I was paid potatoes they’d have to pay every other volunteer writer...

Once the air clears from Trump’s trade war, we’ll be able to see the wildfire smoke

by Dr. Wes Browning | June 5th, 2019

Trump has decided I’m not paying enough for my avocados. I’m beginning to really dislike this president. I’m currently paying around $3.25 for an avocado big enough to feed me and Anitra and fill us up with its rich, omega-3-fatty-acid goodness — whatever...

Which one of my fake Facebook accounts just wrote this column?

by Dr. Wes Browning | May 29th, 2019

Sometimes, being good with numbers is a curse. This morning, CNN reported that Facebook removed 2.2 billion fake accounts in three months. The last time I checked, Facebook had 2.3 billion accounts worldwide. At first glance, that would suggest that...