Category: Society

Pillars for a Better America – Chapter 3

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Pillars for a Better America – Pillars 7-9

 

As noted earlier, the list will run up until the inauguration. It is not all inclusive, nor is it presented in priority order. It offers important choices for the new administration to tackle.

This is a mix of domestic and international, of national and regional/local. This list exists in part to address our requirements and shortfalls. It is also exists to encourage dialogue about what we want to be as a country. We need t to get things done.

What Do We Have So Far?

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Let’s Take a Break to Address Some Odds and Ends

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A Short Respite from the Pillars for a Better America Series

 

Recently, we have begun brief discussions of priorities for our new government. I thought to take a short break today, so we do not all suffer from list-fatigue. Let’s invest a few moments into looking at some other things going on around us. A reminder, if you will, that life is not linear, and we do not get to deal with things one at a time.

Shots are Coming! But First, We Must Pass Through the Valley

It is early,

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Pillars for a Better America – Pillars 4-6

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A Series on Priorities for the Biden Administration

Pillars for a Better America – Chapter 2

As noted when this series started, the list will run up until the inauguration. It is not meant to be all inclusive. But it offers a menu of important choices for the new American government to tackle. These recommendations are NOT in order of priority.

When the list is complete, the reader should note that there is not much that is linear or limited to one area. This is a mix of domestic and international, of national and regional/local.

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Pillars for a Better America

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A Series on Priorities for the Biden Administration

 

What’s the Game Plan?


Everyone seems to have a list of what the new administration needs to prioritize. Especially so for the oft cited Day 1 or the first 100 days. This blog joins the parade of advice. For the next few weeks, this space will provide a brief listing and discussions of such recommendations. These are areas that would serve the country well in the coming months and years.

Obviously, the pandemic and the economy, with an eye on security threats,

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Two Mindsets That Might Be Helpful

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Better Starting Points as We Try to Communicate with Each Other

So Here We Are

You may recall that a few weeks ago, we held national elections.

Turns out a lot of us are really angry at each other. Not a big surprise, all in all. But the level of divide and the strength of feelings across millions of people is a something of a surprise.

For a long time, many of us thought “the people” were not so far apart. It was just a lot of divisive talk by political and social opportunists.

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Time for My Inner Grinch to Speak

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The Choices Some of Us Make About Holiday Travel Endangers Us All

 

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Christmas is a few weeks away. An ideal time for my Grinch to speak out. The subject at hand: personal decisions about holiday travel.

What is at Play Here

Pandemics are interesting. They are so universal where they strike. Yet how much they spread depends to a great extent on individual, personal decisions. The current pandemic and people’s decisions about gathering are a classic case in point.

The variables are government (in)action,

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A Presidential Transition from Three Perspectives

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The Transition Affects a Lot and Says a Lot, Over 3 Timelines. They All Count

 

A Tale of Trifocals

A long time ago, I went for my flight physical just before my 40th birthday (I told you it was a long time ago). The young solider gave me my vision test, with the usual 20/20 results. Then he told me, “Sir, you know this will probably be your last 20/20 exam.” I chucked. I doubted it. Eagle eyes were part of my DNA.

About six months later,

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Thinking About Thanksgiving Through a 2020 Filter

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The Idea of Thanksgiving is Both Challenged and Reinforced This Year

 

It is Still 2020

Boy, is this ever a year we will all be glad to close the books on. In some ways Thanksgiving is no exception. Plans and traditions are disrupted for most of us for this most American of holidays. Still, it is not too much of a stretch to reflect on how very much many of us can be grateful for, even this year. Let’s take a small inventory.

You Can Be Grateful If…

  • You don’t have and have not had COVID 19
  • No one close to you has died from the pandemic virus
  • If you are working and you still have a job (and health insurance)
  • You have access to some technology that lets you see and hear those you would like to be with in person.

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Interesting Lessons for Us All on Remote Learning

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Some Worrisome Results and Exciting Possibilities – For Adults and Children

 

A Framework to Consider Remote Learning

We now have 9 months of experience with remote learning in schools. We have seen it from elementary to collage. By “we” I mean the world. Americans are examining what we are finding out, but so too are others.

The Dutch are an interesting case in point. This is a small, wealthy country. They early on ensured the technology infrastructure was in place. Authorities made sure that students had the equipment they needed. The Dutch had a pretty well performing student population going into all this.

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Pay No Attention to the Little Man Behind the Curtain

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Are Republicans Finally Starting to Figure This Out?

 

 The Short-Term Risk to the Country in Trump’s Intransigence

Much has been highlighted by others about the dangers of a delayed or blocked transition. The three highest risks are:

(1) Poor coordination and execution at the start of the COVID inoculations.

(2) The risk of the new Administration facing a surprise foreign crisis, that could have been forewarned.

(3) Someone deciding to launch such a crisis specifically because the seams are visible in our national leadership.

By the way,

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