2016

Two Cheers for Diversity and the Unfinished Work of America: Stronger Together

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The NAIS Annual People Of Color Conference opens this week in Atlanta. It will draw independent educators from across the country. They will gather in groups small and large; renew friendships and make new connections; listen to speakers and attend, participate in, and lead workshops and meetings. I am sure it will all be a necessary time … Read more

From Rage And Grief To Action: What We Need To Do Now

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Guest Post by Susan Scheid Writing in the Washington Post today, Fareed Zakaria weighs in once again, as many already have, on “what went wrong.” His solution? “Democrats need to focus on the gut, not the head.” Zakaria is often insightful, but in this case, he’s way off the mark, offering, as so many do, … Read more

The Great Unleaving: When Life Throws Rhubarb on your Custard

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I left full-time employment at the end of June with a grand plan of doing nothing. After 45 years in education it seemed only reasonable. The send-off was great, people were kind and generous and the summer was ahead. I had an unspoken notion that once the election was over I would begin to focus on what … Read more

Pandora and Her New Box

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This 1809 cartoon by the political caricaturist James Gillray is in the National Portrait Gallery. London. It is entitled Pandora Opening her Box. It depicts spokesperson Kellyanne Conway letting loose all the evils of the world as proposed by the Trump administration. The story behind the woman in the cartoon – Mary Ann Clarke – … Read more

Leadership, Problem-Solving, Compassion and Empathy

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As Donald Trump spirals deeper into madness and depravity the toll on the collective psyche just grows. Fortunately help is at hand in the form of the example of Hillary Clinton who recently demonstrated her tremendous problem-solving and self-calming abilities. We all know that cats saved the internet. Now it seems they are saving people … Read more

An Election Season Briefing: Cultivating Optimism as a Habit of Mind

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Earlier today, a friend posted on Facebook an article by Charlie Pierce, “This Thing Is Nowhere Near Over,” which sent me down a trail of my own thoughts about where this election is headed, and needs to head, right now. Here, first, are a couple of thoughts about the Pierce article itself. The subheading for … Read more

Why Newsweek’s story on Trump’s worldwide financial dealings is THE story of this election, and how to give it legs

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As I know a number of us are, I’m concerned not only by the lack of media coverage of the Newsweek story, “How the Trump Organization’s Foreign Business Ties Could Upend U.S. National Security,” but also by how little interest I’m seeing about it in my feed and among some friends. A link to the … Read more

The Double-Down False Equivalency of the Eviscerated Dog Whistle Pivot

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Every election cycle has its themes and a language all its own. Words and phrases rise up to capture the attention of the moment. Here are a few from this season. Doubling Down This comes from the world of gambling and is apparently what Trump does after saying something outrageous and being called out for … Read more

Keep Calm – Hillary Has the Hot Sauce

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Sometimes things just get too delicious. Here’s how #TacoTrucksOnEveryCorner met #HillaryHastheHotSauce First there was the incomparable Joy Reid interviewing a hapless Trump surrogate. Then along came Twitter with the hashtag: #TacoTrucksOnEveryCorner Twitter was alight with gleeful responses. Here was my contribution. A reminder of the GOP outrage when Hillary mentioned that she travelled with a bottle … Read more

The future happens very slowly and then all at once

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My title line is from Kevin Kelly whose new book The Inevitable is about the deep trends in the next 20 years that will shape our lives. And a little reflection helps us understand that truth. The future happens very slowly and then all at once. First it seems outlandish, strange, unusual and possibly impossible. Then it … Read more

Social Media and the Two-Minute Hate

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Near the beginning of George Orwell’s 1984  our hero Winston Smith attends a rally at the Ministry of Truth where he works in the Records Department. It’s the daily ritual two-minute hate – a routine emotional release designed to keep everyone full of fear and enraged at the enemies of the state. Before the Hate … Read more