LET’S CELEBRATE “NO KINGS”—BUT AVOID THE 5 WHEN NECESSARY
THIS PAST WEEKEND EXHIBITED the legitimacy of the “No Kings” contingent, the puerility of Donald J. Trump, and the inanity of his cohorts. Let’s take these in reverse order. Indeed, … Continue reading
THE ATLANTIC’S UNFINISHED REVOLUTION PART 2
YESTERDAY, WE FOCUSED ON THE COVER of The Atlantic’s “Unfinished Revolution.” Today in Part 2, we continue with this magazine’s much appreciated (and much needed) civics lessons. Mad King George. … Continue reading
THE ATLANTIC’S UNFINISHED REVOLUTION PART 1
IF EVER OUR COUNTRY NEEDED LESSONS IN CIVICS, it’s as we approach its 250th anniversary. Authoritarian Trump, retro-Jim-Crow States, and an illbalanced Supreme Court are working hard to gerrymander the … Continue reading
DEMOCRACIES—MEASURING RISK
“WHY DEMOCRACIES DIE AND WHAT TO DO NEXT” is the thought-provoking title of Rachel Beatty Riedl’s review in AAAS Science, September 25, 2025, of Susan C. Stokes’ book The Backsliders. … Continue reading
CELEBRATING BRUCE MCCALL
I THANK ANDY BOROWITZ FOR “Another Reason to Love Canada,” The Borowitz Report, October 8, 2025: “Let’s celebrate a Canadian who, fortunately for us, decided to move here. Bruce McCall … Continue reading
ON TEACHING
STEPHANIE FRIEDMAN OFFERS A TANTALIZING TITLE “ ‘Born to Make a Difference’: The Best Teachers Share These 4 Traits,” Nice News, October 4, 2025. She begins her tale, “Dig deep … Continue reading
ONE BRILLIANT HELMET
MADELINE COLEMAN REPORTS IN THE ATHLETIC, The New York Times, October 9, 2025, “Isack Hadjar’s F1 Helmet is a Tribute to Physics, Fatherhood, and a Decade of Racing.” Coleman observes … Continue reading
HURRAH FOR M.I.T.—AND ITS PRESIDENT’S WORD COUNT! PART 2
WHEN I BEGAN THIS ANALYSIS OF TRUMP’S LATEST SHAKEDOWN of higher education, I didn’t realize how it would be a battle of word counts (or that it would evolve into … Continue reading
HURRAH FOR M.I.T.—AND ITS PRESIDENT’S WORD COUNT! PART 1
VIMAL PATEL WRITES, “M.I.T. Rejects a White House Offer for Special Funding Treatment,” The New York Times, October 10, 2025. Patel describes, “The proposal, called the ‘Compact for Academic Excellence … Continue reading
INTERACTIVE MEDIA & GAME DEVELOPMENT—WPI AMONG THE LEADERS
COMPUTATIONAL ADVANCEMENTS—ROBOTICS, EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AND EDUCATION—are a significant driver of modern culture. And Worcester Polytechnic Institute, my undergraduate school, is among those leading the way in Interactive Media … Continue reading
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