Gary Conkling Life Notes

We Should Look Under the Hood of Our University Labs Oregon’s sluggish economy calls for action. For action to occur requires some level of political consensus. Without it, Governor Kotek could find herself in a political scrum while seeking re-election this fall. Her choices at the moment are tax cuts versus the status quo. There is another path. She could target state investments to…

From Trump Trash Talk to Pragmatic Straight Talk Nobody asked or perhaps cares, but my early choice for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination is Pete Buttigieg, better known as Mayor Pete. My reason is simple: He speaks clearly and directly, reflecting thoughtful points of view. He isn’t a shrinking violet on issues, but doesn’t spout venom when he speaks. He is reasonable and well-spoken…

Barcelona’s ‘Little Sister’ Grew Up Into an Architectural Rival Valencia is more than a cruise ship stop with an old town featuring Roman, Moorish and medieval architecture. Barcelona’s ‘little sister’ has grown up.  On our cruise ship stop, we made a beeline to Valencia’s The City of Arts and Sciences, a massive, futuristic complex that includes Europe’s largest aquarium, a spectacular…

Facing New Headwinds, Wineries Embrace New Strategies Beside loving Oregon wine, I’ve been associated with the industry since its long-time lobbyist flipped off an Oregon legislative committee chair. I was hired the next day. During my tenure, the Oregon wine industry was thriving. Now it faces stiff headwinds as young consumers favor other beverages, purchasing habits have changed and exports…

Gubernatorial Election Will Be Lively, Contentious and Fateful The legislative special session and war with Iran influenced the latest Oregon revenue and economic report. The war and job losses could make an even bigger difference going forward. Oregon’s economic plight, plus the conundrum of funding transportation, will fuel a lively and contentious gubernatorial election this fall. Latest…

New Law Defines Personal Identity as Intellectual Property Denmark is confronting the growing threat of AI deepfakes by defining personal identity as intellectual property, allowing victims to seek compensation and punishing platforms that post them. AI deepfakes have become a global headache as artificial intelligence tools allow non-experts to clone famous voices and faces in as little as 30…

Rely on Clarity, Credibility & Knowing an Audience’s Appetite A blog by Lisa Camooso Miller about early journalism careers sparked memories of my own early journalism career and the lessons I learned about effective communication. In her blog, Miller, who hosts The Friday Report, traces the lineage of credibility for reporters: “Are you clear and direct, or rushing to fill space? Are you…

Born of Treason, the Flag Salutes Injustice and Prejudice Displaying the Confederate flag in America is akin to Germans flying the Nazi flag or South Africans unfurling that country’s apartheid-era flag. It isn’t sentimentality. It’s offensive and unpatriotic. Defenders of Confederate, Nazi and Apartheid flags complain that total repudiation overlooks positive virtues of their respective…

For Imperial Leaders, ‘Governing’ Is the Family Business Governments can be reduced to two fundamental types – proceduralist and patrimonial. The U.S. Constitution exemplifies proceduralism. Donald Trump reflects patrimonialism. When it was ratified in 1787, the Constitution ushered in a new era of proceduralism that set rules and limitations for American political actors who were chosen…

Hospitals, Insurance, Doctors and Drugs Line Up for Profit The United States is drifting toward a national healthcare system largely controlled by for-profit corporations without clear evidence corporate medicine is more productive or healthier. For-profit corporations already own one-quarter of the nation’s community hospitals, 70 percent of nursing homes and growing percentages of outpatient…

But Adaptations Cannot Sacrifice Its Support of Democracy As a public media junkie, I share the concern of how this invaluable information source will survive following elimination of federal funding. Will it mean grave disaster or greater freedom? Andrew Ramsammy, president of the Vermont College of Fine Arts, put those concerns and possibilities into perspective in a recent blog. His core…

Studies Show Thymus and Appendix Protect Our Health The thymus may be the most overlooked and misunderstood organ in the human body. It also may play a key role in extending life and avoiding cancer. The two-lobed organ hiding behind our breastbones was called “the seat of the soul” by ancient Greeks. In the 1800s, the thymus was branded as an “organ of mystery.” A Nobel laureate in the 1960s…

Our Paris Trip Ranged from Hilarious to Sad to Marvelous When you go to Paris, you think of grand things such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Sometimes less than grand things occur. We witnessed one from our apartment balcony. While staying in a small apartment in Place Dauphine, located on the same small island as Notre Dame, we witnessed a photo shoot for women’s gauzy casual wear. A very…

NASA Calls It Nonsense and Explains How Gravity Works A conspiracy theorist claims a secret NASA experiment will cause earth to lose gravity for seven seconds on August 12, causing untold damage and killing millions of people. NASA says it’s nonsense and issued a statement describing how gravity works – the more mass, the more gravity. For gravitational suspension to occur on earth, even for…

Our Costumes Convey Who We Are – or Want to Be I haven’t worn a costume since I was a kid. Or have I? A post in Peaceful Mind Psychology by clinical psychologist Meg Bonnell observed, “We don’t just wear costumes at Halloween. We wear invisible ones every day – the ‘professional,’ the ‘carer,’ the ‘peacemaker,’ the ‘competent one.’ In a sense, clothes function as a second-skin costume…

Sicilians Feel Closer Connection with Greeks Than Italians It was fun to walk on the same street as Archimedes may have walked when he shouted “Eureka” after his war machines repelled Roman invaders in his home town of Siracusa. It was sad to walk on the same road where Archimedes was killed in 212 B.C. by a Roman soldier, despite orders to capture him alive. It is fair to imagine Archimedes…

Instead of Bombs, Iran Drops AI Images of Lego Trump Iran has created a new diplomatic weapon – AI-generated animated memes featuring Donald Trump as a rocker singing “Blockade” and a Lego figure barking orders at toy soldiers. One meme shows the downing of a U.S. fighter jet. The memes have earned millions of views on YouTube, Instagram, Telegram and X, while inspiring the term “slopaganda”…