Lately I notice that my ability to piss people off is on the rise. This well-honed irritating behavior targets all groups: Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, liberals, environmentalists, capitalists, politicians, community groups, Christians, Jews and atheists have all been offended by my work. Yet, on closer look, I see that it is the collective social response that […]
“What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor, but the silence of the bystander” – Elie Wiesel I personally saw the cruelty, greed and crimes of Donald Trump ruin families who were my neighbors in the Atlantic City area more than two decades ago. As president of a nearby chapter of […]
Thirty years ago in Doylestown Pennsylvania I was privileged to be part of the most successful team ever at Del Val University, and, I suspect, one of the most distinctive performing teams in the NCAA. We were a Division 3 team and we started the season by surprising some Division 1 teams in pre-season tournament […]
Over the years I’ve put together this checklist based on experience, mostly learned the hard way, and am posting it here today – on this 50th anniversary of Woodstock and 58th launch of the Philadelphia Folk Festival – in the event that someone else might find it useful. As I approach 60 and celebrate the […]
In the aftermath of revelations about the president’s financial scandals, a number of states are moving forward with bills that would require all candidates for public office to release tax returns in order to be listed on the ballot. This blog post does not attempt to list the states, the bills or their status. We […]
The best advice I can offer locally to help improve our world: 1. Get a local library card. 2. Get the Libby app for your smartphone or other device. 3. Get on the waiting list to borrow popular titles. 4. Take advantage of audiobooks; most of us have more listening time available than reading time. […]
Amy Jean Wojtaszek, age 44, of Aberdeen, Maryland died this past weekend. I knew her only on Twitter as @1pissedPolack where she was a powerful activist with over 44,000 followers. I was just one of them, often amazed by her world view. But I actually cried when I read a eulogy that said “rest in […]
Words supported by action matter more in leadership than anything else. Economics, money, tax policy and other topics often visited in this blog pale to the importance of the credible and meaningful words in our leadership conversations. We now face a critical choice defined by the words we choose to use in that public conversation. […]
I took comfort in John McCain’s final message this week. I do tend to despair in seeing that our lives, our finances, our whole planet are in far worse shape than ever before while some of those around us don’t even recognize the problem. Many of the people who continue to enable government to destroy […]
Proposition from an online friend: “I believe the world is no worse than it ever was. Everything is just more exposed now. Have faith and look for the good.” My Response: “That’s a great positive motivator. Unfortunately, as an evidence-focused guy I don’t see that the data supports that first conclusion.Yes, the data is more […]