[February 5, 2016] In the military one of the most stressful of times for soldiers is when a unit gains a new commander. It’s not because the new commander is unknown, although that is part of it, but because not everybody is ready to a leader at the commander level. Studies have shown that leaders make their most… Read More »
[February 4, 2016] Growing up most of my friends and I didn’t see many films because we simply couldn’t get our dads to drive us to the theater (our town didn’t have a movie theater). After my first movie in a theater at age 9 watching the original King Kong (1933), we were not inclined for another similar… Read More »
[February 3, 2016] It comes as no surprise to me that Al Jazeera America television is shuttering its doors. According to reports, the Qatar-funded cable news network’s last broadcast will be April 30 this year. After watching a CNN advertisement on an airport monitor two years ago, I wrote that no one would watch it because of its… Read More »
[February 2, 2016] Continuing on the theme that strong leadership is the key to effective propaganda, a recent example of its employment will be discussed. Admittedly there are many types of propaganda but I will focus this discussion of it at the national level for the purpose of understanding its wide-ranging affects. “Why is propaganda so much more… Read More »
[January 31, 2016] In this short series on propaganda, my central theme is that in order for it to be successful it must rely on strong leadership at its core. Predictably, propaganda is associated with war since many a nation’s strongest leaders appear in their military services. Of course, it is not limited to wartime and often makes… Read More »
[January 30, 2016] On this date in 1943, the Royal Air Force began a daylight massive bombing of Berlin, the Nazi capital. It was to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Hitler’s rise to power.1 The British knew that Hitler’s propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and other high ranking officials would be giving speeches on this day about the… Read More »
[January 30, 2016] For those of us who study leadership, we know that style varies over circumstances and over time. Each individual leader has their own preferable way of leading others; one they are most comfortable with and have had past achievements using. The bombastic leader is a popular approach for a leadership style. One of my favorite… Read More »
[January 29, 2016] In the study of military conflicts, history teaches us about the impact of “disguised information” on the outcome. More commonly referred to as propaganda, a number of governments and militaries have benefited from its use. Interestingly, U.S. presidential candidates have been accused of using it in their election campaigns. This short series on propaganda is… Read More »
[January 25, 2016] My father refereed men’s basketball games at the local high school for many years. Well-liked and known for his impartiality and accurate play calls, he was in high demand. But what I remember most about the games was that whenever a player fouled or made an error, that player raised his hand up to show… Read More »
[January 23, 2016] A few years ago while visiting my mother-in-law in a local rehabilitation center, I overheard a nurse talking with an elderly man. She told him, in a room of about 20 people, that “it’s time to change your diaper.” A lady sitting next to me said quietly, that there’s no dignity in here. “When it… Read More »