First Blog

If you cheat to enter a college, you’ll cheat when you get there. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Economists make fortune tellers and astrologers look good.   - Author unknown /////////////////// Never underestimate the power of a well-made argument.   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ To be the best you can be is a journey – of both you and the term.   Your “best” at age 20 is different from your   “best” at age 40 or at age 60. “Best” is at best a moving target when it comes to you and me. /////////////////// Life’s journey is taken in steps, giant, tiny, sideways, backward , forwards, up, down, and stationary. You’ve heard the expressions, all about the steps you take Going Nowhere. Going somewhere. Going Backward. A giant leap... Heading up. Going in circles.

On the Presidency. With few exceptions, all are humbled, yet intoxicated by the office. Donald.   Never thought I think it, but his countless unforced errors leads me to think he may fear being President. He fears getting it, understanding that having it is a monumental job. Hillary. Her unbridled ambition overrides every other consideration. She primarily wants to get it, and then to worry about having it. Remember the two goals: to get and to have.  They are different.  ------------ Many important leaders have a handler or two.   Almost all lessor leaders, past and present, have handlers. These persons, living in the shadows, suggest   what to do heavy situations, point toward the greater vision,   guide them to say nothing when nothing should be said, and importantly reinforce how great they are in their quest toward the glory to come.   Some have or had no handlers preferring to follow their own vision, perhaps such Eisenhower, T. Roosevelt, Lincoln, and several

The Halo Effect There is in psychology a phenomenon called the halo effect . For the teacher it essentially comes to this: if a student does well on the first few exam problems graded, the teacher will normally grade higher the remainder of the problems.  The counter to this is to grade the first question of all exams, then the second, and so on.  It takes more time. But it erases the effect.  Of course, it is important to not know student names, to try not to remember handwriting, and other clues to whose paper is being graded.  But the halo effect applies to many other phenomena. Now suppose I was going to talk about science, like to tell you things that are generally new and mostly unknown.  How would you receive it?  If you knew me and trusted my words are carefully measure, you would look more favorably toward what I say, and vise-versa. Again, the halo effect.  On the other hand, if you didn't know me, you would read the words with a more questioning outlook and decide well i