Love and Discipline

Lately, I have been reading too many news stories about an old man man exhibiting the following behaviors: frequent temper tantrums, angry outbursts and irritability, argumentativeness and defiance, destruction of property, serious rule violations, arguing with adults or refusing to comply with adults’ rules, being resentful or spiteful, often deliberately annoying others or becoming annoyed … Continue reading Love and Discipline →

Three Years in the Blogosphere: Learning, Sharing, and Connecting

Three years ago, I embarked on an interesting journey after retiring from the military. I needed a way to keep my mind engaged after 26-plus years of doing just that on a daily basis. Blogging gave me that outlet. I have stayed very consistent with my blog’s purpose of offering my thoughts about leadership, history, … Continue reading Three Years in the Blogosphere: Learning, Sharing, and Connecting →

The Lessons We Keep Forgetting

“Benjamin Franklin was eighty-one years old, hunched and crooked, when he signed the Constitution in 1787, with his gnarled and speckled hand. In 1731, when he was twenty-five, straight as a sapling, he’d written an essay called 'Observations on Reading History,' on a 'little paper, accidentally preserv’d.' And he’d kept reading history, and talking notes, … Continue reading The Lessons We Keep Forgetting →

Book Review: The Creation of the American Republic 1776-1787

“By ‘reading and reasoning’ on politics they had learned ‘how to define the rights of nature, – how to search into, to distinguish, and to comprehend, the principles of physical, moral, religious, and civil liberty,’ how, in short, to discover and resist the forces of tyranny before they could be applied.” (p. 4) They – … Continue reading Book Review: The Creation of the American Republic 1776-1787 →

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Books

The topic of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be at the center of seemingly every conversation and news story. I, for one, read or listen to something about AI on a daily basis. From trying to find consciousness inside AI, to books being rejected because of undisclosed AI content, to legal cases where AI logs … Continue reading Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Books →

The College Bubble and the Real World

This weekend, while reading the Wall Street Journal, I came across an opinion piece that I almost didn’t read because of its title, “How Colleges Produce Socialists.” But then, as I started to look for the next article, I read the following: “When your first brush with adulthood involves endless consumption and no cost, it … Continue reading The College Bubble and the Real World →

Book Review: The Last Days of Socrates

I have been focusing part of my reading plan on the subject of philosophy. My main interest is the Stoics, but I took a little detour to examine Socrates. After all, the Stoics considered him a role model and a sage. I read The Republic by Plato, which focuses on justice and what a just … Continue reading Book Review: The Last Days of Socrates →

Marriage Is a Partnership, Not a Competition

I recently read an article in The Economist that discusses, among other things, how men suffer serious psychological distress when their wives earn more than they do or become the primary breadwinner in the household. The article specifically states: "Men whose wives and partners are the primary earners are roughly one and a half times … Continue reading Marriage Is a Partnership, Not a Competition →

Book Review: The Federalist

The Federalist, edited by J.R. Pole, was a great read, but I'm glad the American Heart Association says it's fine to drink up to five cups of coffee a day because I needed a few of those—especially while reading Alexander Hamilton's essays. Still, the book was absolutely worth it. For those who may not know, … Continue reading Book Review: The Federalist →

Puerto Rico’s Constitution and the Island’s Unfinished Political Story

Two years ago, I wrote a post titled Reflecting on Puerto Rico's 72-Year Constitutional Legacy. As the island approaches the 74th anniversary of its Constitution on July 25, I decided to update that post. At some point, Americans will have to decide what to do not only with Puerto Rico but also with American Samoa, … Continue reading Puerto Rico’s Constitution and the Island’s Unfinished Political Story →