FirstPunch

Last week, I did something that my better judgement, which I typically heed, usually screams at me to avoid. I took an online detour through the Twitter feeds of Donald Trump Sr. and Jr., clicked on the user responses, posted a few clever, if snarky comments, and quickly ended up tumbling down the rabbit hole into Alt-Wonderland.  Beyond the rampant bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, and poor language and critical thinking skills I have come to expect from the Twitter-dees and Twitter-dums that lurk in the darker recesses of that particular form of social media, I noticed a loud and consistent refrain echoing throughout Alt-Wonderland, as loud and crazed as the Mad Hatter's tea party, "the alpha males are back!"  You know the type-the overt ones the hyper macho guys with profile pictures posing defiantly with an assault weapon slung over the shoulder, an image in the background of a waving flag or Washington crossing the Delaware. These real men list their pas...

It is high time we sat down and had "the talk." Ok, here it goes, I won't sugar coat it or tap dance around it any longer. Your job is doomed. There, I finally said it.  I know it is a hard pill to swallow, and you may be tempted to dismiss me as an alarmist, but hear me out--virtually every non-technical career from taxi driver, to salesperson, to factory worker, to plumber is at high risk of near-term automation. This is true whether you live in the US, Europe, or even, believe it or not, China which is fast becoming a leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI).  If your job isn't based on personal touch, think personal grooming, massage therapy or surgery, or if it doesn't require creativity, think musician or author, or isn't technical, think engineer or doctor, then your days at work are numbered. And unless you are on the brink of a comfortable retirement, you should be worried. By mid century we will be looking at, conservatively, 40% unemp...

Those of you who know me, know that I am a quiet but unabashed atheist. So you may be surprised to hear that my wife and I, as we occasionally do, attended Sunday Mass with our closest friends. When we go, it is typically because our goddaughter is singing a solo in the choir. She is turning 12 and has only been singing for a little over a year, but already has a resonant and very disciplined voice. But it was not just her singing that was remarkable this Pentecost, but her unwavering strength throughout her solo, as I shall relate. The priest was a somewhat frail older man, pushing 80, who had recently undergone knee surgery. He began his sermon exhorting his congregation to remain fearless in the face of adversity, much as the disciples did after Jesus was said to have appeared to them, which gave them the strength to go out and evangelize. This seemed only appropriate given that it was Pentecost and that several terrorist acts had struck Europe in the last few weeks. But I did...

In our increasingly complex world defined by the growing interdependence and cooperation between nations, President Trump is proving himself to be poorly adapted to this new environment. His blunt, old-school, winner take all approach to business and politics, lack of intellectual curiosity, and unpredictable temperament make him ill equipped to take the global leadership role to which he believes he is entitled as a wealthy and successful alpha male--particularly the autocratic brand of leadership that he is used to as a corporate CEO. The critical skills of collaboration, compromise, and win-win negotiation needed to thrive in a global economy and community are foreign to him. And at 70, he's not about to acquire the skills necessary to become a modern leader. Instead, with his withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and promise to tear up other international agreements, he is actively seeking to reengineer his environment--our nation and people--to favor his particular...

If you were a red state Republican and met me, you might be tempted to ask, "how can you as a straight, educated, well paid white man, vote against your self interests as a liberal democrat? How can you support everything from sensible border controls, to sanctuary cities, to "special" gay and women's rights, to handouts to the poor? You should be a Republican!" The question of voting against one's self interests is typically asked by liberals like me of poor, working class Americans who vote Republican, but it bears asking liberals as well. In my case I'll cut to the chase - I don't vote against my self interests - I consistently vote for them. Leaving aside the moral and ethical arguments that would only serve to drive a further wedge between me and a typical conservative, often Christian, Republican, I can look at my political convictions from a purely pragmatic standpoint. I am a partial urban American in that I work in a high population ...