Call me "old school" or a "fuddy-duddy" or whatever else might seem appropriate as it applies to communication and dominance. I recognize that to some, when it comes to communicating with others, there are those who feel it is vital that they dominate or control the interaction. This way, they reason, they can both control what is being said as well heavily influence how the conversation will go. In other words, they can tip the scale toward getting what they want from others. These desired results can range from achieving agreement and being understood to triggering action by others and gaini ..read more

I wish to officialy add my name to the list of those who believe evolution is a good thing. I like, for instance, the fact that once we used to walk bent over but now walk upright. I like that once the only thing that could fly were birds but now mankind has multiple ways to take-wing and not die in the process. I like that once there were diseases that could kill us but now thanks to numerous medical advances we can deal with pretty easily. On a personal note, I like that once I ate food with my hands but now am able to use utensils so as to not make a mess and get all of the goodies in my mo ..read more

The 2020 Presidential election is now history. The incumbent was defeated - something that has happened only a few times in our nation's history. More people voted in this election than ever in any in our history. The winner received more votes than anyone who has ever run for president. The person who received the second most votes in an presidential election was his opponent, the incumbent. The giant voter turnout is a good thing, of course. Seeing that many citizens do their civic duty is one thing we can all feel good about. In past elections, far too many folks elected not to do their dut ..read more

The entry I am making now falls on a very significant day in American history: 2020 presidential election. As I write this, over 100 million votes have already been caste. Experts are predicting this year's electrion between Trump and Biden will see the largest voter turnout very possibly in the history of our nation. If that turns out to be true, then I will be delighted. The more people who participate in our nation's democratic process, then the better it is for all of us. After all, an engagged citizenry is what we are supposed to be about. Particularly in a democracy, the health of the na ..read more

Our nation's next presidential election is now just days away. As is normally the case, there is much tension in the air and will be until the results are known. And even after a victor has been declared officially, dissatisfaction throughout much of the country will remain. The losing political party and its many members will be upset that their candidate lost. Many, no doubt, will continue to make known their ill-feelings about the "other side" as well as their unwillingness to make any thing resembling an overture toward reconciliation. In many ways, the presidential election will not resol ..read more

As of this entry, there is now one week to go before the 2020 Presidential election. By now, it is safe to say that most everyone knows there is much riding on the results. People on both sides of the political aisle are convinced that the country will be on the road to disaster if their side loses. The kicker is that each is probably right - given their perspective on life in the U.S. these past four years. That means there are going to be an awful lot of unhappy folks no matter the results. With that in mind, it seems as if the first order of business for either Trump or Biden will be to beg ..read more

Mud-slinging is an expression that has been with us for many years. It pertains to a high level of accusations and insulting that occurs between political candidates who are running against each other for office. I do not know the origins of the expression or who introduced it. Whoever it is should be recognized everytime we have a political campaign. After all, it is not every day one coins an expression that requires no explanation even among those who do not follow politics. Off-hand, the only other phrase that I can think of that ranks just as high on the familiarity scale and that require ..read more

A few entries ago I shared that I was attempting to write my autobiography. As of this entry, I am nearly 30,000 words into this project. I am not sure if that is good or bad or if what I have put down on paper thus far has any real merit. But what I am sure of is that taking a look at my history, actions I took, and decisions I made is turning out to be a bigger challenge than I anticipated. Why is that? At the outset, I figured writing about myself would be fairly easy. The only real challenge would be the time commitment. Once I was on board with this, then I should be able to knock out thi ..read more

Each of us communicates every day. And you know what? We are pretty good at it. If I want an extra piece of toast, I know how to make that known. If any of us are ready to go to bed early, then we are fully capable of making that known as well. The point is: day-in-, day-out, we all communicate our wishes with success with great consistency. As a result, on that level, communication is as straight- forward and easy as most anything we can name. The challenge that comes with it is two-fold: how we communicate what we seek to communicate and the aftermath of whatever "style" we might utilize to ..read more

One of my all-time literary heroes was and is Studs Terkel. As an interviewer and author his lasting contribution was a reminder that we all have stories to tell. Within each of us, we carry around biographies that are worth telling. Terkel's most famous book was "Working" in which a host of what I will call "regular people" talked about their jobs and their feelings about the challenges that came with them. (Fun fact: This book was even turned into a Broadway musical.) As Terkel's style of interviewing was conversational rather than, say, confrontational, he was able to elicit thoughtful comm ..read more