Data is the Story
In middle school English I remember we did a drama activity in which the class divided into groups. Each group wrote, produced, and performed a play. The point of the activity was that each part of the process – the writers, the actors, and the stage crew/promoters etc. was important to putting on a good […]
Advice for Joe Biden’s 2020 running mate in USA Today
USA TODAY OPINION ‘The vice presidency is a good gig’: Here’s some advice for Joe Biden’s 2020 running mate Aaron Mannes, Opinion contributor Published 5:02 a.m. ET Aug. 2, 2020 https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/08/02/biden-vice-president-running-mate-history-advice-column/5547954002/ You didn’t become vice president just for future opportunities. You want to make a difference now. There’s good news and bad news. Congratulations […]
Independence Day: The Morning After
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That […]
A Note of Hope on Anti-Semitism in America
Today is Tisha B’Av, the saddest day in the Jewish year. It is the day we remember the destruction of the ancient temples. It is a day of mourning, fasting, and contemplation. As it ends however, it turns to a message of hope, that what was lost will be rebuilt and renewed. As it is […]
Political Violence in an Age of Creedal Passion
My regular readers and pretty much everyone I talk to knows that I am trying to write about some deep cycles in U.S. history that are shaping our current political environment. I want it to be a book, and am writing academic papers for various conferences in an effort to make it happen. To that […]
Could Saudi Arabia Collapse?
I used to do Middle East. Not so much anymore. I haven’t followed the ins and outs of the Saudi royals either. That’s its own real world. If you are interested, I can send you pointers to people who know this stuff well. But, I do know this: every single Arab country, without exception, is […]
Listening to Women, Learning Empathy
Somehow this Rothko captures the mood. I am not writing this to advertise myself as some wonderful “woke” guy who really gets all of the indignities and awfulness that women suffer. My hope here is to share my path to at least a glimmer of empathy in the hope that it will help and inform […]
Tisha B’Av and the Ruins of Rome
As Tisha B’Av winds down, my thoughts return to my recent visit to Rome (and food, Tisha B’Av is a fast day and I’m really hungry.) I’ve been meaning to write up my visit, it was wonderful. I saw splendid things, met interesting people, tasted delicious food, and had lots of gelato. But, in the […]
Memorial Day Thoughts: No New Civil War
Suddenly everyone on them Twitters is talking about a coming civil war, based primarily on this expert assessment that is umm… meaningless. Memorial Day was, of course, started to honor the dead of the Civil War. It was established in great part due to the efforts of John Logan, a truly great American. He was […]
Technology, Risk and Facebook’s Dating Service
Facebook, thanks for providing the perfect demonstration of my recent paper on risk communication and technology, presented at WeRobot2018. In starting a new dating service, Facebook shows exactly the cluelessness that I worried tech world had about public attitudes. Full disclosure, I really like Facebook. I enjoy it immensely and there is a decent chance […]