Category Archives: Writing & Social Commentary
Upcoming One-Man Show: Dena, Freud, and Me
My upcoming show will feature a couple of musical numbers. Here is a special preview [...]
Apr
My Love Affair With Venus
Visiting Paris in 1970, I spent a day at the Louvre. I wandered from room [...]
Apr
Dear Hollywood: Stop With the Drugs and Sex
Ray; Walk the Line; I Saw the Light; Born to be Blue; Miles Ahead; LaBamba; [...]
2 Comments
Apr
Q: What Do Donald Trump and O.J. Simpson Have in Common?
A: Supporters Driven by Emotion Their millions of supporters feel “dissed.” The Trump supporters are [...]
1 Comments
Apr
Why I Loved Merle Haggard
Voice That low, velvet baritone would take me to some other place. One of the [...]
Apr
The last words of Steve Jobs
Apart from work, I have little joy. I realize that all the accolades and riches [...]
1 Comments
Mar
The Amazing Dr. Allen Wheelis
One of my professors in grad school recommended “How People Change” by Dr. Allen Wheelis, [...]
Mar
Connecting the Dots of Our Lives
The meme of “connecting the dots” has become a cliché ever since 9/11. Somehow, the [...]
3 Comments
Feb
Grandpa says goodbye to Rickey
A Writing Experiment Last year I took a two-day writing class at Stanford. One assignment [...]
1 Comments
Feb
Why We Love Conspiracy Theories
Who killed Antonin Scalia? The CIA? Obama? Within hours of his death, the conspiracy theories [...]
Feb
My One-Man Show: Turning Points; Am I A Complete Phony?
What have been the major turning points in your life? You know, the time you [...]
4 Comments
Feb
Top Ten Reasons Why Beer Is Better Than Religion *
10. No one will kill you for not drinking beer 9. Beer doesn’t tell [...]
1 Comments
Feb
The End of My Corporate Career
As manager of Corporate Communications at Amdahl, 1984 – 1985, I wanted our team to [...]
1 Comments
Jan
Janis, Little Girl Blue (a documentary)
This powerful new documentary about Janis Joplin tells the story of her painful childhood, her [...]
1 Comments
Jan
The Story of Dorothy, NSA / NC, 1989
In 1989, the Northern California chapter of the National Speakers Association hosted the winter workshop. [...]
Jan
The Big Short, Assault on Wall Street, and Class Warfare
The world is run by the fat cats at the top. Always has been. Under [...]
1 Comments
Jan
What Have I Learned?
In retirement I experience a richness that is palpable. My health is good enough. Everything [...]
3 Comments
Dec
A Treasure
One of the best treasures I found digging through the geological history of my work [...]
Dec
Are You a Greek or a Roman?
One of my fondest memories as Northern California National Speakers Association chapter president was being [...]
3 Comments
Dec
Mary McGlynn and PowerSpeaking, Inc. Hit the Big Time!
(Note founder’s name, “Robert Gilbert”)
1 Comments
Dec
The Decline of Religion
From Galileo forward, religion has been in a duel to the death with science. Breaking [...]
2 Comments
Dec
Reactions to “Kill Obamacare”
Readers comments: JAN ROBERTSON Nov 13.15 Right on Rick! You summed it up very well. [...]
Dec