The newspapers are full of statistics about how many people are living in poverty, which is defined only by income: $11,139 for a single person and $22,314 for a family of four.  But the circumstances of other factors are not at all considered.  Let’s reflect on them a bit, since I’m roughly at the poverty level for a single person. First, I’m mystified by that...

Russian-related planes or plane trips seem to be tragically having bad luck especially after the much publicized deaths of Poland’s previous President Lech Kaczynski and 96 others last year in April. Now the unfortunate 43 deaths of Russian hockey team Lokomotiv (including former National Hockey League Players Brad McCrimmon and Pavol Demitra) and others on the...

When I first came to Montana, aged 21, all frisky and up for anything, there were pads of counter checks at all the stores — you wrote in the name of the bank and kept your balance register in your head. Your change came in silver dollars so your pockets were always a little baggy and clinked. If you had an overdraft, the bank called you up, you jumped in the pickup...