Stand behind your comments: Use name
April 28th, 2009
You can chalk this up to the grumblings of an old fart who refuses to see bliss and wisdom in progress, but I grew up believing that standing behind what you say, write, and even murmur was the better choice. If you write something, you should put your name at the top and be ready to defend it. That’s integrity. It shows you have fiber and strength. To refuse to stand behind your own words reveals you as dishonest and gutless. It shows you are at least a weenie.
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Wanted: Something to believe in
April 2nd, 2009
It is going to be tough for this new generation to carry the torch. Perfectly good kids say they have very little to believe in, that they were taught this truth by not being taught something else, and that they learned it well. As our education system bolstered the curricula with meaningless glop, the same system also retreated from giving students the tools and ideas for them to find something to believe in. So students now go to college and consider journalism and advertising and public relations as pretty much equal. They are not equal. How can you “believe in” anything to do with, for example, public relations?
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Feared economic dark cloud: Deflation
November 5th, 2008
But the declining price spiral tends to feed on itself, and over a few months the robust, healthy economy of old now has pneumonia. Worse, nobody seems to know how to fix it. Now what we have is deflation, and that economic condition is deadly. In my estimate, that’s what we shall soon experience in America, and it won’t be any fun at all. Let us hope that people smarter than me are working on this. Deflation is best remedied in advance, but while that’s true, it’s easier to control inflation than deflation. Deflation leads to despair, economic ruin, bread lines, and depression, aptly named psychologically and economically.
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Government 101: A few tips to understand it
October 2nd, 2008
Government is a mess today.
That’s not a political comment. That’s the view of reporters who suddenly must understand government based on the pathetic education provided them in high school and college. A high school senior today can believe states have presidents, not governors, and still graduate at the top of the class. Why would anyone want to learn all that government crap, anyway? Let’s assume you might want to know, and I’ll give you some basic things about the nature of government to help you out.
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Use active verbs, pursue an active life
September 13th, 2008
If you say things like, All my decisions are made by someone else, or, Things just seem to happen to me, or, My grades are being destroyed by circumstances. Do you get the idea? Let me put that passively for you: Was the idea gotten by you? Doesn’t that sound ridiculous? It’s worse than ridiculous. That mode of existence can and will demolish your self-respect, dismantle the respect from others who can make a difference for you, and will undermine your future.
This podcast goes beyond advice about using active rather than passive verbs and urges you to begin living active lives. This is the cheapest and best psychological lesson you will get today.
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Why you should learn to write well
May 14th, 2008
Many of you are now in college, and like your high school teachers, professors still settle for papers exploring your reactions and your feelings. How do you FEEL about politics…. After all, most professors can’t write, either. Meanwhile, you’ve discovered that the professional world demands you write well, clearly, and concisely. Who in the hell is going to teach you to write? I can’t teach you everything, but I promise that you will learn much from me about being a good writer who also thinks clearly, explores complex concepts, and struggles to find words and phrases to capture those concepts in words. A good writer works intensely at this craft.
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Welcome to Remedial Academy
April 26th, 2008
Most college students cannot write, and it is not their fault. No one bothered to teach them how to write. But, alas, they find themselves in situations and seeking professions where writing is not only important but absolutely required.
In this series of PodCasts, beginning with this introduction, we’ll provide a series of writing tips so that you, too, can write with clarity and intelligence.
We begin with journalistic writing, but we’ll soon move to all kinds of writing. Begin with us now to make up for those dolt teachers you’ve suffered who never thought you were worth all the trouble.
