Category Archives: Spirit of communication

We Have Met the Candidates, and They Are Us

Posted on November 6, 2018 by

Let’s make this Election Day a kind of “Feast of All Saint-Candidates,” following up on the Catholic Church’s recent “Feast of All Saints.” I’ll explain this modest proposal, but first I’ll acknowledge its flaws. They’re found in the candidates we’re … Continue reading →

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It’s Saint Francis’ Feast Day! Any Implications?

Posted on October 4, 2018 by

These are days for recognizing fragility. How vulnerable we are to destructive temptations–and to others’ accusations that we are sinful. We tend to let our recognition of sinfulness drive us apart, but it actually should draw us together. We share … Continue reading →

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“Farsighted” Decisions and Nearsighted News

Posted on September 17, 2018 by

You’re familiar with Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. Steven Johnson has produced a book that serves as a valuable response to that celebration of spontaneity. Farsighted: How We Make the Decisions that Matter the Most … Continue reading →

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Echoes of Hope from a Journalistic Legend: Seymour Hersh

Posted on August 22, 2018 by

   Book TV’s coverage of a June 2018 interview with veteran New York Times journalist Seymour Hersh, discussing his book, Reporter: A Memoir, yields a video that is compelling almost to the point of exhausting. No action-hero scriptwriter in Hollywood could … Continue reading →

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Accordion in “Africa”–Truly the World’s Instrument

Posted on August 11, 2018 by

Here’s something you don’t see–or hear–every day! A great performance of the great Toto song, “Africa,” with an accordionist in the band. And not just any accordionist, but the one and only “Weird Al” Yankovic. Enjoy it, courtesy of the … Continue reading →

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All Politics Is Local? That’s News to Me!

Posted on July 27, 2018 by

I grew up reading the New York Daily News and other local papers available on Long Island. Perhaps the biggest take-away message from my newspaper habit–and the most influential message, since I wound up becoming a journalist–was that local news is fun. … Continue reading →

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Society’s High Stakes, High Tensions, High Hopes

Posted on July 22, 2018 by

A Reflection from C-Span’s BookTV “We’re at a point in the course of social evolution when the demands of survival converge with the higher ideals of humanity and the well-being of human society.” That’s an observation at the close of A … Continue reading →

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