Archive
Enhanced Misinformation Techniques
When the Senate released its shocking report on CIA torture late last year, it renewed a debate from the Bush years about the merits of so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques." Polls released afterward suggested that most Americans thought that torture was...
Give Yourself Some Loving
Greeting cards treat Valentine's Day like it's a day for love. But for many people, it’s a day of self-loathing. "Why am I single, yet again, on another Valentine's Day?" they may wonder. And it goes on: "Why can't I get my house clean? Or get it together at work? Why...
Fudging the Future
I recently mentioned in a column on renewable energy that solar power could generate half of the world’s electricity by 2050. I cited the International Energy Agency as my source. Actually, the IEA is predicting that rooftop, utility-scale, and industrial solar will...
Pull Yourself Up by Your Bread Bags
In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama presented a bold economic vision for America. Do we want a country where only "a few of us do spectacularly well," he asked, or where everyone has a chance to succeed? Obama conveyed this vision by telling the...
Not Lovin’ It
McDonald's is scrambling, and I'm not talking about eggs. Your know your business has what image consultants call "quality perception issues" when your public relations team is fielding such questions as: "Does McDonald's beef contain worms?" Thornier yet for the...
Here’s the Beef
Hair-Raising Hypocrisy
As messed up as it sounds, in the unending struggle for justice, there is such thing as a "positive negative." This occurs when you win a struggle that you never should have had to deal with in the first place. A prime example is presented by the long saga of Isis...
In OtherWords: January 21, 2015
This week in OtherWords, I point out that President Obama channeled "his inner FDR" during his State of the Union address and Sam Pizzigati describes a way to gauge inequality's price. Do you want to make sure you don’t miss the latest from OtherWords?...
Obama Tips His Hat to FDR
Whatever happens over the next two years, you can bet that 22nd century school children will know more about President Barack Obama than kids learn today about, say, Calvin Coolidge. He made history just by being the first non-white man to occupy the White House. What...
Fighting for Europe’s Soul
In the first Crusade, armed Christians set out to "liberate" Jerusalem from Muslim rule. In addition to slaughtering thousands of Muslims between 1096 and 1099, the crusaders also launched pogroms against Jews, pagans, and even other Christians. What animated the...
