And then of course there’s #FeelTheKerm Kermit and Joey Say the Alphabet
Author: JosieHolford
An Election Season Briefing: Cultivating Optimism as a Habit of Mind
Earlier today, a friend posted on Facebook an article by Charlie Pierce, “This Thing Is Nowhere Near Over,” which sent me down a trail of my own thoughts about where this election is headed, and needs to head, right now. Here, first, are a couple of thoughts about the Pierce article itself. The subheading for the article is “Trump has…
Perfect for the Fall: Tuscan Tomato Soup: Pappa al Pomodoro
It’s the first day of Fall and here’s the perfect dish – pappa al pomodoro. And it’s simple to make. Tomatoes are still abundant, tasty and fresh and the frost has not bitten the basil yet. While you are at it – make a couple of extra pints to freeze for the dark days ahead. You’ll be glad you did one…
The Poison of Projectile Politics
You’ve heard of projectile vomiting. It’s when vomit exits the mouth with such force that it is propelled over a short but significant distance. It’s not a pleasant topic but then neither are presidential politics right now. I’m certainly not the only one to see that one of our major party candidates has a compulsive habit of projecting onto others the crimes and…
Why Newsweek’s story on Trump’s worldwide financial dealings is THE story of this election, and how to give it legs
As I know a number of us are, I’m concerned not only by the lack of media coverage of the Newsweek story, “How the Trump Organization’s Foreign Business Ties Could Upend U.S. National Security,” but also by how little interest I’m seeing about it in my feed and among some friends. A link to the story is here. Generally, I…
The Double-Down False Equivalency of the Eviscerated Dog Whistle Pivot
Every election cycle has its themes and a language all its own. Words and phrases rise up to capture the attention of the moment. Here are a few from this season. Doubling Down This comes from the world of gambling and is apparently what Trump does after saying something outrageous and being called out for it. The first outrage, insult…
In Celebration of Labor Day
In celebration of Labor Day: It’s Steel Workers 1939 by Philo B Ruggles and his brother John Ruggles, a study for an unrealized mural for the Post Office in Bridgeport, Ohio. It’s part of the current exhibit Celebrating Heroes: American Mural Studies of the 1930s and 1940s from the Steven and Susan Hirsch Collection at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar…
Keep Calm – Hillary Has the Hot Sauce
Sometimes things just get too delicious. Here’s how #TacoTrucksOnEveryCorner met #HillaryHastheHotSauce First there was the incomparable Joy Reid interviewing a hapless Trump surrogate. Then along came Twitter with the hashtag: #TacoTrucksOnEveryCorner Twitter was alight with gleeful responses. Here was my contribution. A reminder of the GOP outrage when Hillary mentioned that she travelled with a bottle of hot sauce. Pandering they…
The future happens very slowly and then all at once
My title line is from Kevin Kelly whose new book The Inevitable is about the deep trends in the next 20 years that will shape our lives. And a little reflection helps us understand that truth. The future happens very slowly and then all at once. First it seems outlandish, strange, unusual and possibly impossible. Then it looms over us and then…
The Headship: History Matters
Ok – so you wanted to be a head of school and you applied for a job and then you got it. Congratulations. Among all the things that you now have to make a priority is becoming the expert on the history of your school. This will take time. Schools are not alike and independent schools often take pride in…
Social Media and the Two-Minute Hate
Near the beginning of George Orwell’s 1984 our hero Winston Smith attends a rally at the Ministry of Truth where he works in the Records Department. It’s the daily ritual two-minute hate – a routine emotional release designed to keep everyone full of fear and enraged at the enemies of the state. Before the Hate had proceeded for thirty seconds,…
Election Update: Landslides and Reality, Cynicism and Hope
I: LANDSLIDES AND REALITY WHY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY NEEDS TO DISAPPEAR. Ron Reagan, Jr., recently offered, as clearly and succinctly as anyone, why the Republican Party, as currently constituted, needs to disappear. We have a two-party system in this country. You could argue that maybe we should have a multi-party system, and maybe that’s what will happen in the end…
Teaching the Election: Clinton v. Trump: What are the Plans at Your School?
As we head into Back-To-School season, what are your school’s plans for teaching the 2016 presidential election? Seems to me that the some tried-and-true routines of the past are not going to work in any valuable and instructive way this season. One approach would be to ignore it all together. More peaceful that way for sure. But what a lost…
Without Empathy There Is No Leadership: “All America Felt My Pain.”
“You Have Sacrificed Nothing” Grieving father Khizr Khan said four simple words: “You have sacrificed nothing”. It was one of those moments of astonishing clarity. A father grieving over the loss of his son – and speaking without notes or a teleprompter – delivered a resounding rebuke of everything Trump is and stands for. These words sang out in a…
“So you want to be a head of school ….” Communication
I’ve been asked on occasion to add my two cents on a panel at the NYSAIS conference for assistant heads and division directors in a session they call “So, you want to be a head.” My participation has more to do with the geographical proximity of Poughkeepsie to the conference venue at Mohonk Mountain House than with any presumed super…