Judge, jury, and executioner — assert and punish.

“Once I thought that anti-Semitism had ended; today it is clear to me that it will probably never end.” — Elie Wiesel, Jewish Holocaust Survivor

Throughout history, anti-Semitism has continued to raise its ugly head. It first appeared under religious pretexts in the Middle Ages, then appeared as nationalism from the nineteenth century onwards, before assuming a scientific claim in Nazi ideology. Since the conclusion of WW2, it has reappeared in the guise of anti-Zionism.

There has been an alarming eighty percent spike in antisemitic acts in this country since May amid…

We exist in a world where it is not difficult to find extreme forms of social hostility. The case of discourse directed at specific groups is exposed. Prejudice affects not just separate individuals but communities and nations. It moves between people, formulate and reformulated, resisted, or internalized.

Prejudiced attitudes — produced and reproduced.

Extreme prejudice and moral exclusion are unmistakable in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. Atticus Finch deserves distinction as one of the greatest fictional moral heroes of all time, demonstrating heroism by his willingness to oppose tradition and institutionalized racism.

Atticus shows his heroism through the worth he places on justice and compassion…

An assumption is a conclusion that someone comes to on their own based on combining different clues. An opinion is based only on someone’s personal feelings about a matter, a belief without proof. In fact, a story is created! That story may contain facts, but it weaves assumptions, guesses, and speculation with emotions to arrive at something that is just an opinion.

Let’s go beyond the comfortable categories of politics.

We haven’t populated a post-truth society yet, where facts no longer exist and opinions rule the day, especially when pitched into the public square by the news media. …

As I mentioned in my last article, appearing in podcasts as a guest is a powerful way to grow your brand, whether you’re launching a book, growing your podcast, or getting more attention for your business.

Growing your audience isn’t always a straightforward undertaking, and at times, you’ll need to go out of your comfort zone to generate some noise around your brand.

There are more than 400,000 podcasts on the airwaves. There are podcasts on everything from marketing to entrepreneurship, from essential oils, and everything in between. Listeners are eager for content that matters to them.

How do I get on podcasts?

Getting yourself in…

People often ask me where I get my ideas for my books. It’s simple. I watch TV. The best ideas don’t come as a big explosion of inspiration. Instead, it whispers as a single visual, or a line of dialogue, or a character trait. Or watching good shows on TV.

Some of the best writing in the world is in the scripts of my favorite shows. Lately, my inspiration sparks as I journey into the vault of Rod Serling, the creator of The Twilight Zone. And then, I create sounds and visuals, which affect the reader’s mind, taking them into…

In Mornings, the air is full of wings beating as the birds circle the house before settling in a branch. Spring is here, and soon it will be time to plant. And like the green tips of new grass-shoots that are beginning to push out, so are unique and innovative thoughts and ideas.

I don’t particularly like promoting myself on social medial. I do use social media, but minimally. There is an enormous amount of competition for customers who view ads on Amazon and Facebook. …

Have you ever been wronged and wished you could punish the perceived offender? You are not the only one. This desire is wired within us.

For example, the Bible instructs us “an eye for an eye” to penalize an offender. But about 2,000 years later, Martin Luther King Jr. saw it differently: “The old law of ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves everybody blind.”

As much as we hate to admit it, revenge is one of those intense feelings that come up for most human beings.

Why do people seek revenge? What do they hope to accomplish?

Revenge is a powerful internal force. But revenge is counter-productive, reopening and aggravating emotional wounds. Because the person who feels wronged is angry and hurt, thinking revenge will somehow even the score, and take away the pain.

But revenge…

Ending poverty is a modern idea, not widely documented in pre-modern times. Intended to relieve poverty in the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson introduced in the 1960s, the war on poverty by extending social welfare legislation. The program, known as the Great Society, was part of a more extensive legislative reform that Johnson wished would make the United States a more fair and just country. Johnson stated, “Our aim is not only to relieve the symptom of poverty, but to cure it and, above all, to prevent it.”

I carry some residue of having grown up poor

My childhood affects me every day in ways most people may struggle…