The place to be last week was El Paso, Texas. That was where the 69th annual International Juggling Association (IJA) Festival was held. It's an event that's on my bucket list; I can't imagine how awesome it would be to be surrounded by juggling 24/7 for a whole week. While there are a variety of … Continue reading The World’s Greatest Athletes?
I've often wondered about the price some people seem to pay for caring too much, for being "too committed" to certain causes. Is their life just full of Pyrrhic victories?** Pick any cause - gun control, abortion, global warming, immigration, racial injustice, prison reform, etc., and there are likely to be people who have dedicated … Continue reading The High Price of Caring Too Much?
This is the 71st in a collection of newspaper ads written by Harry Gray, then CEO of United Technologies, that appeared in the Wall Street Journal from the late 1970s through the early 1980s. Here is the text from that ad. If one day were singled out as the most important day of the 20th … Continue reading A Day to Remember
What do all of these topics have in common? They were among the 31 lessons I learned as part of the TED-Ed July challenge. The lessons consisted of watching a 3-5 minute video each day and then answering a series of multiple choice and short essay questions on the topic. I found the lessons to … Continue reading Earworms, Refugees, Poetic Patterns, and the Ethics of Self-Driving Cars
There are not many movies where the characters celebrate Noam Chomsky day instead of Christmas, or where the father orchestrates a "Free the Food" assault on a local grocery store. But then there aren't many movies like Captain Fantastic. When I first heard about the movie, I thought it was another superhero movie, along the … Continue reading Captain Fantastic Lives Up to Its Name
Chelsea Clinton did a wonderful job introducing her mom to the nation last night. She used personal stories about what her childhood was like, and how her mom was always there for the big moments, like games and recitals, as well as the small, everyday ones, like watching movies together. My favorite line from her … Continue reading “Smiled on by Fate”
I've watched a lot of last week's and this week's conventions (and I mean a lot), and there have been some impressive speakers. And I'm not necessarily referring to the content of what was being said, but more to the style and poise and grace of the speakers. I expected people like President Obama, Joe … Continue reading So Much for the Fear of Public Speaking
Early this morning my wife (that is not her in the photo) and I hopped on a train and headed into the great city of Philadelphia. The reason for our journey was to support Moms Demand Action (MDA), a non-partisan grassroots movement to mobilize moms and families to advocate for stronger gun laws. MDA takes … Continue reading Moms Demand Action on Common Sense Gun Laws
I recently came across an ad in Facebook for a course from Udemy on Leadership, featuring Seth Godin. Seth has been one of my favorite authors and marketing gurus for several years, and he seems to be a man of integrity, intelligence, kindness, creativity, and foresight. He is the author of 18 books that have … Continue reading Not Even Seth Godin Is Immune to Internet Trolls
This is the 70th in a collection of newspaper ads written by Harry Gray, then CEO of United Technologies, that appeared in the Wall Street Journal from the late 1970s through the early 1980s. Here is the text from that ad. A best seller in 1776 was Tom Paine's "Common Sense". Maybe someone should do … Continue reading Common Sense and the 2016 Election
Borden's Blather 