As technology keeps drawing  people around the globe together, tribal instincts that once served us well, are putting us in danger.  Some of the examples of tribalism are near to insanity: The owner of a convenience store in New Mexico put up a sign recently:  “Obama and other Mu

A reader commented on my blog of January 4, 2017.  The topic was about leadership.  In it, I referenced an article where researchers had concluded values, above intelligence or experiences, was the primary quality for a statesperson.  The woman recounted a discussion she’d had wi

Recently, a woman on Facebook admitted she received most of her news from social media.  If true, she is making a couple of mistakes.  First, she is  foreclosing on ideas outside her narrow group of like-minded friends.  Second, she’s vulnerable to fake news, much of it propagan

Writer Rick Perlstein draws some frightening comparisons between Richard Nixon and Donald trump, but concludes that of the two, Nixon, because he was an introspective man, set limits on his immorality.  (He’s Making a List,” by Rick Perlstein, New Republic, Jan/Fe, 2017 pgs. 18-1

Yasmin Nair, in “Rights Make Might,” gives us a damning picture of Hillary Clinton, the woman who  almost became the 45th U. S. president. (Baffler, Winter 16, No. 33, pgs. 37- 48.) One complaint the author levels is Hillary’s support for her husband’s welfare reforms during

When the housing bubble broke, taking with it the entire US economy, a number of people who thought they were middle class discovered they were poor.  Worse, they also discovered the safety net was so porous that many of them ended up with no job, no health insurance and a rapidly dw

My art collecting began with a student’s question.  “I have to copy a painter’s style.  Who would you chose?”  “Van Gogh,” I said, little knowing that when finished, the piece would come to me.  It has been on my wall for 40 years.  The moment I hung it opposite a sun

I opened the January issue of Wired hoping to  learn what magical algorithms were on the horizon for the coming year.  What I found was a publication stuffed with science fiction. The editor explained, “to get a greater sense of reality,” he’d turned to stories. (“The Power

As researchers probe into the secrets of our brains, we learn more about the characteristics of leadership.  Surprisingly, being smart isn’t high on the list   Good character tends to produce better workers and better leaders.   Does a person feel bad about a transgression, for

Continuing remarks from Monday’s January 2, 2017 blog. (Drawing the Red Line edition.  “Not Going Back,” by Gaylynn Burroughs, Ms. Magazine pgs. 20-25.)  Other woman’s programs to be affected. Women’s Programs Title IX – The Obama administration used Title IX to hold