This weekend marked the beginning of the Jewish High Holidays, a time for great introspection and reflection. It’s also a time when I’ve long fantasized about being born Irish.
Khalid David and Black Entrepreneur Stereotyping
Given the current climate to support black businesses and entrepreneurs, one might expect that it would be a walk in the park for Khalid David to raise a modest $500,000 for his fledgling software company. David’s pioneering app is already being used by a major construction company and his educational background includes degrees from MIT and Columbia.
David is working harder than ever on his fund-raising efforts. His biggest challenge? Overcoming white stereotypes of black entrepreneurs.
Maybe the Sky Really Is Falling!!!
Finally, evidence has emerged that makes negative thinkers like me think positively about our glass-is-half-empty outlooks!
Why Ohio State Trumps Michigan
In a democracy, people get the leaders they deserve. Michigan residents should be asking themselves why Ohioans are so much more deserving of great leadership. President Trump has an opportunity to capitalize on the failure of Michigan’s Whitmer and Nessel to investigate their state’s biggest health care network.
The Passing of Ben
Ben, a loving Labrador pit bull mix who taught me the specialness of dogs and inspired me to adopt my own, was put down this morning after the pain from his cancer ridden body became too much to bear. I’m forever grateful for the gift he left me.
Kamala Harris’ Defense of Police Brutality
Given the national furor over the excessive police force, it’s a wonder that Kamala Harris is rumored among Joe Biden’s top picks for a running mate. Harris once prosecuted a mentally ill woman who was severely injured in a police encounter. She also refused to prosecute a corrupt California utility whose negligence resulted in eight deaths and the decimation of an entire neighborhood.
The Liberalism of Conservatism
Liberals were once the champions of free speech. Conservatives have picked up the mantle and fighting the media’s attempts to destroy it.
The Execution of James Bennet
The circumstances leading to the firing of editor page editor James Bennet make clear that when it comes to dishonesty, intolerance, and creating alternative realities, the New York Times and President Trump are two peas in a pod.
Elaine Luria for (Vice) President
If you know who AOC is and are unfamiliar with the accomplishments of Elaine Luria, I’ve proven my case as to why America can no longer allow Twitter and the media to dominate the country’s political discourse.
Heroes and Cowards Amid the BLM Protests
Adversity is a test of a person’s courage and character and the Black Lives Matter protests revealed the leaders who were up to the task and those that weren’t. And, of course, there were the shameful.
Rhetoric Won’t Cure America’s Racism
Racism in America won’t be overcome unless executives like JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon and Amazon’s David Zapolsky are held accountable for how blacks are treated at their institutions. Sadly, Democratic leaders and the corporate media have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
TV’s Most Memorable Opening Theme Songs
Reminiscing about my favorite TV characters from years past made me nostalgic for the opening theme songs and sequences that preceded popular shows in the 60s and 70s. Producers of these shows put considerable thought and effort producing them. They serve as visual tombstones to the characters that starred in them.
Here are my favorites.
TV’s Most Memorable Supporting Characters
Ken Osmond, who played the two-faced Eddie Haskell on the 60s sitcom “Leave It to Beaver,” died last week. It’s been nearly a half century since I watched the show, but I remember Osmond’s Haskell character with great clarity and fondness.
Osmond’s passing got me to thinking about my other most memorable TV supporting characters. To qualify for my list, a show had to be off the air for more than three decades.
Sheryl Sandberg’s Bottomless Kool-Aid
She’s back! Eighteen months after a damning report revealing that Sheryl Sandberg was a ruthless executive ultimately responsible for smearing a prominent Facebook critic and Holocaust survivor with false accusations of anti-Semitism, Sandberg is again fashioning herself as a feminist activist and promoting a dubious Facebook small business program. These are good “make work” activities because indications are Sandberg has quietly been shunted aside.
Ten Things that Really Piss Me Off
Today marks my second month anniversary of home captivity. I’m tired and cranky. Doing nothing is quite exhausting.
We Californians pride ourselves on being in touch with our feelings, so I’m sharing with the world my list of everyday petty annoyances, including being the Rodney Dangerfield of LinkedIn.
Tim Bray, Chris Smalls, and Amazon’s Hollow Soul
Do the names Tim Bray and Christian Smalls mean anything to you? If you’re concerned about the pervasiveness of corporate wrongdoing and the widespread toadyism that enables it, they should.
Showing Meaningful Support for Covid-19 Heroes
Lots of lip service is being paid hailing frontline health care and retail workers as heroes for risking their lives and working during the Covid pandemic. But talk is cheap and as 9-11 rescue workers know, the public has a short memory. Here’s some initiatives that could really make some noise.
The PC-Correct Pulitzer Prizes
The Pulitzer Prizes awarded yesterday made clear that journalism’s highest awards are given to stories that promote liberal causes. To the delight of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, the Wall Street Journal was robbed.
Hoisting Joe Biden With the Democrat’s Petard
Joe Biden and his media enablers sent a powerful message to women who want to come forward with accusations of sexual misbehavior against powerful politicians: Unless your abuser is a Republican, best to keep your allegations to yourself.
Exclusive: Donald Trump’s Chug N Clean Disinfectant
Donald Trump once again is about to show the world why he considers himself a “stable genius.”
Why You Should Boycott Ruth’s Chris Steak House
The Payroll Protection Program was intended to bail out small businesses, the lifeblood of the American economy. Instead, money was used to protect investors of publicly traded restaurant chains, including one whose entrées most Americans can’t afford. The obscene use of funds will contribute to an American dental pandemic. Allow me to explain.
The Identity Politics of West L.A.
Walking my dog in my West L.A. neighborhood this glorious morning I got to thinking about the presumed Republican in our midst.
CBS News: The 99 Cents Store Network
A crisis forges great leaders. It also distinguishes great journalists from the wannabes. That’s certainly the case with the novel coronavirus pandemic: The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post are duking it out 24/7 for journalism supremacy, while CBS, ABC, CNN, and NBC are fighting mightily in their race to the bottom.
Commentary includes links to a Journal and a Post story that will so frighten you about the coronavirus that you won’t even dare think about going out or not observing the six feet rule until the pandemic passes.
David Zapolsky: Amazon’s ‘not smart’ PR Genius
David Zapolsky, Amazon’s general counsel and a corporate officer, thought it a great idea to publicly trash a warehouse supervisor with only a high school degree, calling the worker “not smart or articulate.” The worker, Christian Smalls, may lack Zapolsky’s Ivy League education, but thanks to a leaked memo he’s out finessed Amazon’s entire senior management. Yet another example of what happens when lawyers gain control of a company’s PR practices.
The Gentle Toughness of Alex Cohen
Chuck Todd, Jim Acosta, and the rest of the White House press corps would do America a great service if they stepped aside and let L.A. anchor Alex Cohen handle Donald Trump’s daily coronavirus briefings. Cohen has the talent, temperament, and temerity to engage Donald Trump and expose truths about the president that would be undeniable even to his longtime supporters. Donald Trump talks tough, but he’s no match for the tattooed roller derby terror infamously known as “Axels of Evil.”
Donald Trump’s Admission of Failure
While many journalists on Saturday were suffering bees in their bonnets because President Trump was disrespectful to NBC correspondent Peter Alexander, veteran Wall Street Journal reporter Jacob Schlesinger was busy reporting out the story White House correspondents have coveted for years but didn’t appreciate was out there: Donald Trump’s admission of failure.
Joe Biden and the Comcast Peacock
Even in the midst of a global pandemic, some journalists still want to make themselves the story. NBC correspondent Peter Alexander has called attention to himself so it’s fair game to shed some light on the compromised network he works for.
America’s Ensuing Mental Health Pandemic
It’s tragic and necessary but the measures required to prevent the spread of the coronavirus are going to kill more Americans than the disease itself.
Serving the Airlines their Just Peanuts
U.S. airlines are reportedly negotiating a $50 billion bailout with the Trump Administration. I say: Let them eat the stale, salted peanuts they deserve.
ABC News’s Mickey Mouse Musketeers
Journalists are supposed to speak truth to power. They are admirably relentless when it comes to taking on political leaders and advocating the PC-correct causes they passionately believe in. But when it comes to speaking out against institutional wrongdoing within their own organizations or challenging the leadership that oversees them, too often they become meek little lambs. The “journalists” at ABC News are a case in point.
Bernie Sanders and his BDS Supporters
Israel is on the verge of developing the first vaccine against the novel coronavirus. If Bernie Sanders’s biggest supporters had their way, U.S. pharmaceutical companies would be prohibited from licensing it.
My Mistaken Awe of Michael Bloomberg
Why I’m saddened to support Michael Bloomberg.
Why the Media Should Fear Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders’ emergence as the Democratic frontrunner is yet another blow to the media’s credibility. What should have journalists running scared is that Trump and Sanders supporters share a common disdain for the media, and they have fared quite well despite negative coverage. If Mike Bloomberg and his people don’t quickly learn from the example, they likely are headed for defeat.
The Selfishness of Airplane Seat Decliners
People who recline their seats on airplanes say their behavior is justified because airlines allow the practice. Here’s my explanation: They’re just plain selfish.
Rashida Tlaib’s Hate Speech Enablers
World leaders on Monday marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp with calls warning against the rise of global antisemitism. A day earlier, Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib promoted a false “blood libel” claim that Jews murdered a Palestinian child in Jerusalem. Jewish leaders demanded that Tlaib apologize. Here’s why I’m glad she didn’t.
The Boeing Accountants Overseeing 737 Max Safety
Boeing’s grounded 737 MAX, which experienced two crashes and claimed 346 lives, was a cost saving move to tweak an existing airplane design rather than develop a new plane from scratch. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that nearly half of the Boeing directors who approved the initiative have ties to private equity. One of them is David Calhoun, who took over as Boeing’s CEO on Monday.
The flying public can take great comfort knowing that Calhoun is an accountant by training, as are two of the three Boeing directors who comprise the board’s aerospace safety committee. What more could possibly go wrong?
Harvey Weinstein’s Delusional PR Offensive
Most PR professionals will tell you the importance of getting out before the media and telling your story. Harvey Weinstein and his advisors offer a case study as to why that’s sometimes a very bad idea.
The Electoral College of Bandy X Lee
Yale faculty psychiatrist Bandy X Lee wants medical health professionals to have the final say on who’s fit to serve as president, preferably before candidates can run for office. Had the Constitution’s framers allowed for such a panel, Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy would have been deemed mentally unfit, as would Pete Buttgieg prior to December 1973. Nazi Germany provided a lesson as to what can happen when psychiatrists are allowed inordinate influence on the political process.
Mike Bloomberg’s Prison Labor
Mike Bloomberg on Christmas Eve immediately terminated his campaign’s involvement with a call center staffed with inmates after The Intercept reported on the initiative. While it’s possible Bloomberg’s campaign used exploited prison workers, Microsoft and other Fortune 500 technology companies are proudly involved with programs that successfully give inmates second chances. Here’s an example of the potential damaged caused when reporters make assumptions about issues they know little or nothing about.
Merry Impeachmas! Washington Post
If a Pulitzer Prize was awarded to the reporter who most rallied Donald Trump’s supporters, Washington Post’s Rachael Bade would be the journalist to beat.
Why Canadians Suffer Horrific Air Canada
My commentary in support and solidarity with the countless Air Canada passengers in 222 cities on six continents who found themselves in travel hell these past few weeks. Maybe it’s time Canadians rebelled against corporate monopolies that exploit their tolerance and good nature.
The Angst of New York Times Readers
New York Times readers say the Trump presidency has impaired their health, including a New Jersey woman who blames Trump for her 20-pound weight gain and her inability to focus on anything but voter turnout. A Columbia University sociologist has quantified why Times readers are so distraught, and the Justice Department’s inspector general last week confirmed the Times and other major media published “fake news.” Some tips to avoid the Times’ carefully honed digital ensnarement.
Clint Eastwood’s Must-See Media Expose
Reporters are doing Donald Trump proud with their dishonest attempts to smear and discredit Clint Eastwood’s upcoming movie dramatizing one of the biggest debacles in journalism history. Here’s why Eastwood has performed a great public service, and how the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s choice of attorney makes a mockery of the media’s supposed embracement of the #MeToo movement.
L.A.’s Big Little Lies
This month marks the fourth anniversary of my relocation to Los Angeles, a city I long romanticized after boarding a flight on a frigid Michigan morning years ago and walking around a few hours later in balmy 70-degree weather. Visiting the City of Angels is a lot more pleasant than living here.
Giving Thanks to L.A.’s Best
Today being Thanksgiving, I thought I’d give public acknowledgment and thanks to the dozens of individuals who routinely enhance my life and make my daily grind more enjoyable.
One Medical’s Healthcare Disruption
When it came to my primary healthcare, I had a charmed life during my time in New York and San Francisco. In New York, where I lived for more than 20 years, my primary care doctor was Harry Lodge, a distinguished Columbia medical school professor, a best-selling author, and the…
The Loyalties of Kellyanne Conway?
If you can judge a person by the company they keep, it speaks volumes that President Trump surrounds himself with people who want to undermine or destroy him. From the moment Trump stepped foot in the White House, there has been a continuous stream of media leaks from anonymous aides…
Dennis Muilenburg and Boeing’s Unsung Heroes
Congressional hearings of CEOs under fire make for great television, but that’s pretty much all they are good for. My favorite inquisitor is California’s Katie Porter, whose takedown of Equifax CEO Mark Begor was such a delight I’ve watched it multiple times. Begor is still Equifax’s CEO. This week it…
The Execution of Kenneth Fisher
Even before I learned about Ken Fisher’s crudeness and disregard for the lessons of the #MeToo movement, I’d have nothing to do with his eponymous firm. For seemingly forever, Fisher Investments has been junking up my mailbox with slick flyers touting the founder’s investment prowess. When it comes to money…
My Most Memorable Bars and Bartenders
Jen Agg, a Canadian restauranteur, recently had a rant published in the Globe and Mail decrying “Best” lists of restaurants and bars. Here’s a taste (pardon the pun) of what she wrote: I have always been suspicious of lists. From Michelin to En Route to Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants, they…
Mark Kern: A Moral Leader in an ‘Immoral’ Industry
I’m often accused of being too black and white in my thinking. My skepticism about ESG, a popular form of socially responsible investing, is a case in point. I applaud those who wish to apply moral considerations when investing in public entities, but companies comprising the biggest holdings of Vanguard’s…
A Bumper Crop Week for Liberal Hypocrisy
I tried, dear reader, I honestly tried. I’ve been working mightily to channel my inner Dale Carnegie these past few weeks trying to affirm what’s good, avoiding criticizing others, and acting with kindness. But less than a month away from the Jewish Day of Atonement, God decided to test me…
The Botched New York Times Kavanaugh Penis Story
A conversation on Sunday made me vow I’d never again write a critical story about the media. Someone whose opinion and values I greatly respect chastised me for my slew of very negative commentaries I’ve recently posted questioning journalism integrity and practices. “The media performs a very critical function, particularly…
Lynne Doughtie’s KPMG Culture Mismanagement
Accountants are the Rodney “I don’t get no respect” Dangerfield of the professional services industry. I know this because my father was the senior partner of a Toronto accounting firm and I learned about the abuse he took despite his unrivaled knowledge of Canada’s tax code. A former senior partner…
Democracy Dies in Blazing Sunshine
Back in 1965, an unknown young attorney named Ralph Nader published a bestselling book called “Unsafe at Any Speed,” accusing American automakers of being resistant to safety features like seat belts and questioning the design of a GM car called the Corvair. In those days, allegations that American companies would…
The Wisdom of Dale Carnegie, Cal Newport, and Jan Wong
When I moved to Boston to attend graduate school, my uncle living there worked in the book publishing business. He saw infinite beauty in books, not just the information contained between the covers but the covers themselves and how they were bound. He was appalled by the stack of newspapers…
Donald Trump’s “Treasonous” Aides
Here’s some PR counsel you can take to the bank: There is no such thing as an “off-the-record” conversation with a reporter. In fact, often the best way to get a story out is to incessantly repeat the information you are providing is hush-hush and on the QT. Here’s how…
Bret Stephens and the Toxicity of Twitter
George Washington University associate professor David Karpf hopefully enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame. Karpf’s tweet on Tuesday likening New York Times columnist Bret Stephens to a “bedbug” garnered the prof national media attention and ultimately drove Stephens off the social media site. Donald Trump piled on, demonstrating once again…
All the Victim News That’s Fit to Print
The mark of a great newspaper is if it handles its embarrassments with integrity. The Wall Street Journal set the standard in 1984 with its no-holds-barred reporting on a staff writer it discovered was leaking market-sensitive story information to a stockbroker. The story contained myriad details that were embarrassing to…
Top-10 Jobs for Tom Wright-Piersanti
WARNING: This blog post discusses and links to offensive content a New York Times senior editor deemed fit to print. The New York Times employs an avowed antisemitic senior political editor. That’s not my opinion but rather the admission of Tom Wright-Piersanti, whose decade-old tweets this week were uncovered by…
The Deceit of “Socially Responsible” Investing
When I migrated from journalism to PR decades ago, I was appalled at services major firms were promising but I knew couldn’t deliver. I shared my dismay with my father, a brilliant businessman who I always turned to for counsel and advice. He was neither sympathetic nor supportive. “Bullshit sells,”…
The Lipstick on GE’s Financials
I’m bad at math, much to the chagrin of my father, an award-winning accountant who rarely used a calculator or slide rule because he could process numbers faster in his head. I long blamed my algebraic impairment for my inability to analyze a balance sheet, but GE CEO Larry Culp…
My Two Shekels to Save The Forward
The Forward, a storied 122-year-old publication founded in New York City by Yiddish-speaking Democratic Socialists, recently announced that former New York Times editor Jodi Rudoren will oversee the newspaper’s editorial operations. Rudoren has impressive credentials, but the appointment announcement by publisher Rachel Fishman Fedderson has me worried. The announcement notes…
Uber and the Killing of the American Dream
Silicon Valley’s tech denizens fancy themselves as above reproach liberal do-gooders, disrupting antiquated business models and government regulations for the betterment of genderfluidkind, a term I imagine they’d prefer to “mankind.” Donald Trump is among the greatest things to happen to the Valley since the creation of the microchip because…
The Hypocrisy of #Boycott Equinox
Careful readers of this blog (of which there aren’t yet as many as I’d like) know that I’m no fan of Equinox Fitness, the swanky, ridiculously overpriced gym chain catering to celebrities, wannabes, and the self-absorbed. I’m also no fan of Stephen Ross, who I briefly met at a reception…
Hey Capital One: What’s in YOUR Wallet?
Fortune magazine four years ago published what easily ranks among the best investigative features of all time, an in-depth examination of the devastating cyberattack launched against Sony Pictures. The attack erased everything stored on about half of Sony’s personal computers and servers. A deleting algorithm overwrote the data seven different…
How Donald Trump and Jared Kushner View the Poor
I confess my wariness of the political media distracted me from the “character” of Donald Trump. Count me among the two-thirds of Americans who perceive journalists as promoting their personal agendas rather than objectively reporting the news. The more the media tarred Trump a racist, a fascist, or whatever ist…
The “Racist” Attacks on Ilan Omar and Rashida Tlaib
Margaret Wente, a U.S.-born columnist for Canada’s Globe and Mail, wrote a commentary in February pondering how to prevent the populist movement overtaking the politics of her adopted country the way it has in the U.S. and much of Europe. Canada would seem fertile ground for populism: Twenty percent of…
When Rabbis Know More Than Doctors
It was the call I long feared and dreaded. “Dad has taken a bad turn and the doctors say it’s only a matter of hours,” my eldest sister Janie advised on that early February 2014 morning. “You need to get to Toronto as soon as possible.” Driving home the severity…
On Becoming an Angeleno
There’s a super upscale L.A. area food emporium that makes Whole Foods look like a 7-11. It’s called Erewhon, and while the quality of its food is unrivaled, so are its prices. A donut costs $7 (okay, it’s gluten free, vegan, organic, made with toctrienols, superfoods, and 10 grams of…
Why Journalists Have Short-Term Memories
When I was a still youthful reporter at The (Montreal) Gazette, a top editor at the newspaper nabbed me in the hallway and suggested I do a story about the state of Canada’s banking industry. Two small western Canadian banks had recently failed, and the editor thought it wise to…
The Purpose of Colin Kaepernick
Millennials and Gen Z fashion themselves as being driven by their morals when purchasing goods and services. According to a survey by Deloitte, many “will not hesitate to lessen or end a relationship when they disagree with a company’s business practices, values, or political leanings.” Understandably, corporate America is falling…
Sonos: A Rare Tech Company with Common Sense
Technology has long been my enemy. The torment began in junior high when I was forced to take a computer science class and master an understanding of now obsolete punch cards used to store digital data. I hated that class more than I hated shop, and the tech gods have…
Rx to Protect Investors: Kill the SEC
Darryll Bolduc, a former Charlotte bond trader who became a whistleblower long before there were riches to be had from the practice, was among the people I proudly represented when I worked in PR. Bolduc was fired after alerting NationsBank (which merged with Bank of America) of what he believed…
On Being Buried with Bonanza’s Lorne Greene
I’m in the process of planning my funeral. Relax, I’m hopefully not checking out soon. I’m just a control freak, especially when it comes to my travel accommodations. If I leave it to my family, I could end up back in my native Toronto. After three years in L.A., I’d…
The Power (and Boredom) of Iyengar Yoga
My elusive search for a meaningful yoga practice began nearly three decades ago when I was living on New York’s Upper East Side. I was looking to meet spiritually minded people and, in those days, yoga was associated with the crunchy granola set. The practice was still sufficiently foreign that…
The Greatness of Restaurateurs Danny Meyer and Wolfgang Puck
If it were not for a senior editor at Fortune agreeing to meet me for lunch about ten years ago, I would have never discovered the wonders of a Danny Meyer restaurant. Journalists have champagne tastes (at least when someone else is buying), and the editor suggested we meet at…
My Fascination with Ayelet Zurer and Israeli TV
Jews have long been great storytellers. The tradition began in the BC era with Moses’ publication of his five-book anthology “The Bible,” a record bestseller. We’ve been on a roll ever since. Acclaimed Jewish novelists of more recent times included Philip Roth, Saul Bellow, Franz Kafka, Herman Wouk, and Joseph…
The Mob Tactics of California’s PG&E
Summer has begun and millions of tourists will soon be swarming San Francisco, Napa, Big Sur, and other California scenic wonders. I welcome these guests (providing they don’t decide to move here), but I’m honor bound to share a secret California’s tourism bureau wants to keep quiet. For some tourists,…
How Charles Zook Rescued Me From New York City
My intentions weren’t entirely honorable when I struck up my first conversation with Charles Zook eight years ago. He was sitting next to me poolside at an unconventional retreat in Northern California, and I was admiring the redheaded woman he was with. She was naturally pretty, poised, and exuded intelligence.…
Why Facebook Should Fear CrossFit’s Greg Glassman
I wouldn’t want to mess with Greg Glassman, the founder and CEO of CrossFit. You might mistakenly perceive CrossFit as just a gritty gym in your neighborhood, but it’s a global network of 15,000 facilities in 160 countries, generating an estimated $100 million in revenues. Glassman is reportedly also worth…
Lessons Learned from Doggie Parenthood
I dreamed of owning a dog from the moment I watched my first episode of Lassie. For those born after the series ended in 1973, it was a TV show about the heroic adventures of a Collie named Lassie who was always rescuing people and saving them from misfortune. Lassie…
The Perilous Trend to Regulate Journalism
In his book “The Other Side of the Story” about his dealings with the media, Jody Powell, President Carter’s press secretary, presciently observed that if Americans knew the people responsible for covering the news, they wouldn’t believe anything they read. In Powell’s day, cable news was in its infancy and…
