I'll admit it. Over the years there have been times when students have asked me a question to which I didn't quite know the answer, but for some reason, I decided to answer anyway. Sometimes I got lucky and gave the right answer, and sometimes I've given the wrong answer. And sometimes I gave an … Continue reading The Art of Giving an Effective Non-Answer
A story in the Wall Street Journal this week indicated that Americans are staying in their houses much longer than they used to. Homeowners nationwide are remaining in their homes typically 13 years, five years longer than they did in 2010, according to a new analysis by real-estate brokerage Redfin. According to data from the … Continue reading I Guess I Don’t Like Change
The quote above comes from the famous Aesop's fable of the Lion and the Mouse. Here's the short story, in case you've forgotten it or never heard of it. A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright … Continue reading “No Act of Kindness, No Matter How Small, Is Ever Wasted”
Note: this article will be of little interest to most, if not all, readers. Unless you're into hearing someone complain about how changes to a search algorithm ruined their life, it's best that you just hit the like button and move on. For those who decide to continue reading, you've been warned. In late September … Continue reading Thanks, Google, for Crushing My Hopes and Dreams
Probably more than any other day of the week, Monday is picked on by musical artists. We don't need to be reminded that it is our least favorite day of the week, and putting such thoughts into lyrics doesn't really change such sentiments. In fact, listening to such songs may just amplify our feeling of … Continue reading Music Monday: What Do Musicians Have Against Monday?
Back in 2016, I wrote an homage to community colleges, and I wrote a follow-up in 2017. In those posts, I described community colleges as the crown jewel of our post-secondary educational system, and noted that "If you believe in the power of education to change people’s lives, then you’d be hard-pressed to find a … Continue reading College Not For You? Then You Need to Read This.
That is the motto of the Special Olympics, and it was in full evidence this weekend for the annual Fall Festival held at Villanova University. It is my favorite weekend at Villanova, and each year I leave impressed both with the athletes as well as with the Villanova students. Held during the first or second … Continue reading “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
This week, the U.S. House voted to endorse an impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Not surprisingly, the vote was nearly unanimously along party lines. All 194 Republicans voted NO and 232 out of 234 Democrats voted YES. I decided to try and calculate the probability of such a vote happening if every Representative voted the … Continue reading Dear Members of Congress: Please Think for Yourself When You Vote
A few weeks ago a neighbor posted the following to our local NextDoor site: "I am going to be speaking with the Police this week about shutting down our neighborhood to car traffic during Trick or Treating hours (6-8pm). In order to do this I need to get neighbors signatures for a petition to present … Continue reading OK, I’ll Admit It. I Was Wrong. That Was a Good Idea.
Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, tweeted the following message earlier today: We’ve made the decision to stop all political advertising on Twitter globally. We believe political message reach should be earned, not bought. Why? A few reasons…🧵 — jack 🌍🌏🌎 (@jack) October 30, 2019 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Jack then went on to offer several reasons for the … Continue reading Three Cheers for Twitter
Borden's Blather 