I’m not sure I should write about this. I am trying to find something edifying, enlightening, ennobling that will render my attempt useful.
Monthly Archives: January 2013
Sports on Campus?
I have written about football on campus more than once. (OK, I know some were closer to rants.) Not only because of the infractions of the coaches and players. Not only because of the injuries that are rampant in this game. (Only now are we beginning to talk about the plethora of TBI- traumatic brain injury- that accompany this sport). Not only because the graduation rate is below those for the rest of the school. But, mostly because of the drain on college finances.
It’s that time of year again
It’s that time of year again. No, I don’t mean the aggravation (or glee, in my case) of completing one’s (or all of your!) tax returns. No, I mean completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Don’t let the name fool you- almost every institution of higher learning demands its completion, as a determinant in the awarding of financial aid.
It’s not what I do…It’s what I say
Love him or hate him, Frank Luntz is a wordsmith par excellence. This Republican consultant spends his time concocting words that evoke good feelings- despite the misgivings one may have for the principles that lie beneath the words. He asserts (correctly, in my opinion, as it applies to the American electorate) that “80 percent of our life is emotion, and only 20 percent is intellect. I am much more interested in how you feel than how you think”. Continue reading It’s not what I do…It’s what I say
Confused by the Tax Changes?
Congress, the Senate, and President Obama agreed on a tax compromise for 2013 and 2014. I know everyone thought it was a tax decrease- but that was ONLY because the taxes had INCREASED automatically with the change of the calendar to 2013. For most of the US, those who earn money from salaries, they will see a tax INCREASE, since the payroll tax holiday that obtained for the past two years disappeared. (The Social Security tax on one’s pay was reduced from 6.2% to 4.2%. Unfortunately, that meant that the trust fund was not collecting enough money to keep solvent.)
Headaches
I guess I am lucky. I don’t recall a single instance of having a headache. (OK. I know some folks provide me pains- but they are NOT in my head, but another part of my anatomy.)
Knock, knock….Is anyone listening out there?
There is a growing realization that high growth for many nations is no longer in the cards. Oh, if you live in one of the developing nations of Africa- you can say this is wrong. But, even in China, which is slowly entering that state of economy that includes Israel… While neither which is officially a “First World” nation, they are, for all intents and purposes, there- and their growth rates are so demonstrating. Robust growth- growth over 3-4% over 5 years or more- is something that will only occur in those states that are becoming industrialized, not for those with existing corporate/services infrastructure.
Continue reading Knock, knock….Is anyone listening out there?
Two tales- one true, one fiction.
So, my friend, Gustavo Silva, has started a new series about superheroes. No, not like in the comic books, but how much of how they perform is really based in science. I even recommended he check out a book that I read a long time ago (The Physics of Superheroes) to help bolster his case. (That book is really developed to help explain principles of physics to “Everyman”, not to discuss Superheroes, though.) And, it got me thinking…
Com-mu-ni-ca-tion (a useful definition)
Leadership requires someone who can lead- and at least one person who can follow. It does not require exhortation. It requires someone with a vision, a goal, and a direction- and the ability to communicate that vision so that others feel compelled to join in the quest.