Trust is on the ballot this November. And too many well-intentioned voters seeking objective advice have become disillusioned about the efficacy of research scientists, academics, historians, policymakers and other conventionally trustworthy intellectual experts. The root of the distrust, no surprise,…
Read More
Once upon a time, good communication mattered. Proper use of language was core schooling. A skill we aspired to command. Socially and professionally, strong vocabulary impressed. Eloquence was a virtue. Oratory, a thing of beauty. Until, that is, Donald Trump…
Read More
Donald Trump’s arrogance will leave the United States sick, nearly to death. There is reason for hope, though, that incoming President Biden’s humility will be a healing antidote. Consider the result addition by subtraction: replacing Trump’s humblebrag style with Biden’s…
Read More
The past four years have taught us so much. That language matters. That words matter. That context matters. And most of all, that listening and learning matters. Here is an alphabetical mnemonic cheat sheet. Alternative facts. Kellyanne Conway tried to…
Read More
The sensational New York Times headline “Believe Me: Not All Liars Are Created Equal” caught my eye immediately. Naturally, I assumed the article would rightly dissect and castigate Donald Trump, our nation’s Liar-in-Chief. It did not. Instead the report objectively…
Read More
With the presidential and vice-presidential debates just around the corner, this Humble Sky post from last year seems worthy of a second look … for laughs and consideration. Hypocrisy is dead. Good riddance, right? Except … the loss is exposing…
Read More
It never ceases to amaze me how often a handful of painful decades-old childhood memories come to mind. And the bully wallop they still possess. Being a short, four-eyed Jew were my vulnerabilities. Without a doubt, others endured much worse,…
Read More
This is a public service: Please read “What Pete Buttigieg Understood,” in The Atlantic by Peter Wehner, a self-described conservative who offers an intelligent and objective perspective on political morality and Mayor Pete’s eloquent and hopefully transcendent impact on political…
Read More
The verdict is in: President Trump is a serial killer … of words. The illiterate recidivist is most recently guilty of fatally wounding “imminent,” just as he did “hypocrisy” and at least a dozen other words and actions (truth, religion,…
Read More
Hypocrisy is dead. Good riddance, right? Except … the loss is exposing a hazardous void, like a sewer manhole without a cover. So, how did this happen: the passing of hypocrisy, which served with such distinction as the universally scorned…
Read More