Archive for May 2019
The most disturbing aspect of a Trump Presidency
The most disturbing aspect of the Trump Presidency has been this: A President can commit a felony, behave unethically, attack the pillars of democracy, and violate the Constitution with absolute impunity if his party controls even one house of Congress and chooses to do nothing to stop him. As the law stands today, Trump could…
Read MoreSpeak Up Storytelling: Live Episode (Part One)
On episode #50 of the Speak Up Storytelling podcast, Matthew and Elysha Dicks talk storytelling and celebrate our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY IN OUR FIRST LIVE EPISODE! In our followup segment, we hear from our friends in Australia, who are attending the show virtually! We also hear from a listener who suggests a way of using…
Read MoreStar Wars got better. Seriously.
I can’t believe it. Star Wars nerds have actually won me over. I love Star Wars but have always found the overly-indulgent, obsessive nerds a little too much to handle, but then I see this: A legitimately brilliant, seamless improvement to the movie that started it all. I support this. I love this. My apologies…
Read MoreA tennis shoe is designed for tennis.
Sometimes I rail against something of great import: Our racist, incompetent, self-described sex offender of a President who puts children in cages and refers to Neo-Nazis as “very fine people,” for example. But sometimes I rail against something slightly smaller and only slightly less enraging. In this case, it’s the tennis shoe, or more specifically,…
Read MoreFight to ascribe good intentions
They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I hate this phrase. I hate it so much. I understand the sentiment: Good intentions do not always produce good results. The law of unintended consequences often demonstrates that that despite a person or government’s most noble intent, effects that are unanticipated or…
Read MoreStoryworthy in academia
Exciting news! My book, Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life Through the Power of Storytelling, is being used by professors at least half a dozen colleges and universities around the country, as well as many middle and high schools. Yesterday one of those professors posted a photo of the books on the college…
Read MoreElysha knew.
Here’s a crazy thing: Apparently I make noise while listening to stories. Elysha and I were driving home from a storytelling show recently. After each show, we run through the stories, discussing what we liked and perhaps didn’t like about each one. At one point, she said, “I know you didn’t like the ending of…
Read MoreCharlie supports the separation of church and state
It’s Mother’s Day. Elysha, the kids, and I are eating an excellent brunch at Big Daddy’s, a diner on the upper west side. We’re in the city to visit Elysha’s parents and her grandmother, who is a few blocks north at Mount Sinai, recovering from a recently broken hip. Elysha hands Charlie a dollar bill…
Read MoreSpeak Up Storytelling: Ted Olds
On episode #49 of the Speak Up Storytelling podcast, Elysha Dicks and I talk storytelling! In our followup segment, we hear from a linguist who tries to get me out of hot water, and we learn about a new and unique way of recording Homework for Life. In our Homework for Life segment, we talk…
Read MoreChecking in on our relationship…
Back in 2011, researchers from Rice University and the University of Nebraska—Lincoln analyzed data collected from more than 5,000 couples in order to identify similarities among spouses and how much these elements played a role in the success or failure of a couple. They found that some similarities play enormous role in the success of…
Read More