A week ago, as part of my process of capturing title ideas on which to write stories, I heard someone reference the best days of their lives and I wrote it down as a title for a story, not really thinking at the time, exactly what it was that I would be writing about. That is just one of the many quirky things about the way I write and how I manage to do what…
At what point is dialogue more harmful than helpful? Dialogue is fundamental to healthy political discourse, though it faces significant challenges in practice. Here’s why it matters and what makes it difficult. Political dialogue serves as the primary mechanism for peaceful conflict resolution in democratic societies. When people with different viewpoints can engage constructively, they can find common ground, develop nuanced solutions, and maintain social cohesion despite disagreements. Dialogue also helps prevent the kind of…
Today, Kim and I are flying north to join our friend Frank for a birthday celebration by going with him into the California Gold country for a few days. This feels like an appropriate way to celebrate his 88th birthday because, as a Marshall Scholar, Frank is not only a font of knowledge about California history but also one of the most brilliant global macro economists I know. Given the importance of gold to both…
Colbert…Kimmel…WSJ…NYT…Fallon…Myers… The censorship of the German press in the 1930s was a systematic process that began even before the Nazis fully consolidated power and became increasingly severe throughout the decade. Even during the Weimar Republic’s final years, press freedom was already under pressure through emergency decrees and political intimidation. The SA (Stormtroopers) frequently attacked newspaper offices of opposition parties, particularly Social Democratic and Communist publications. The process accelerated rapidly after January 1933. The Reichstag Fire…
There is so much going on in the world today. I’ve been around for most of 72 years and I understand that there is almost always a lot going on in the world. Some people like to keep their focus tight to what’s directly in front of them, watching their feet at each step. Whether they choose to wear blinders or are just naturally only concerned about their immediate surroundings doesn’t change anything. The universe…
I’ve never printed a rebuttal, but there is a first for everything and I think Steve’s zealousness on this topic, not to mention his well-argued stance deserves air time…… Rich, I couldn’t miss responding, even if you hadn’t called me out. Where you say: “political violence has generally had broader transformative effects on human civilization, though religious violence has often provided the ideological framework that makes political violence possible or acceptable to populations.” And then go…
The Charlie Kirk killing has spawned a good deal of controversy, some about the underlying ideology he espoused and some about the reaction that has come forth on the event of his death. His death seems to have reawakened lots of opinions about things he has said and those thoughts have shifted from the debate stage he so enjoyed to today’s most popular forum, social media. The result has been a lashing out by the…
I’m listening to a podcast, something I almost never do, because my good friend Melissa (the one who is a therapist in Utah and partner to my good friend Deb), sent it to me and told me I needed to listen to Scott Galloway and his Prof G Markets podcast with Ed Elson. I didn’t know Ed Elson. He is a writer, analyst, and co-host of the Prof G Markets. Ed worked as a research…
Traditional wedding vows have evolved over centuries and vary by religious tradition and culture. Christian/Anglican tradition (from the Book of Common Prayer, dating to 1549) is “To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.” This is clearly the vow most of us know best. The Catholic tradition is somewhat different and…
I just saw the New York Times mornng news summary and one phrase caught my eye. It said that based on extensive discussions with Americans, they were mostly saddened, but not surprised about the Charlie Kirk assassination. On Wednesday evening, our two nephews were over for dinner. Nephew Will, who is suffering from a serious neck injury, said that while the shooting was deplorable, he was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner given the rhetoric of…