On The Fly

In this episode, Civil Discourse . . . Civil discourse is simply this - respectful conversation that promotes understanding among individuals with different perspectives, enhancing the learning experience - characterized by dialogue that supports the societal good. Seriously, are you concerned about the current state of education for young people? Are we teaching our children to follow the same old rules passed down from generation to generation, or are we encouraging creativity and innovation in our children. If you answered yes to these questions, let me re-introduce you to Dr. Don Hanley and his new blog, Hope for a Better World . Dr. Don's blog is launching today, October 7th, 2023. Join us as we explore history, philosophy, education, and self-esteem. I’m proud to partner with Dr. Don; our goal is to create a virtual space where you can share your views with like-minded individuals and challenge the status quo. Now retired and approaching his 91st birthday, Don’s writings inc...

In this episode, the Who Was? - Series . . . With over 250 titles, Penguin Random House Books Who Was?  - Series tells the incredible stories of trailblazers, legends, innovators, and creators. Are you a bibliophile, an individual who loves and frequently reads books (a bookworm)? What is it that compels you to pick up a book? Is it the cover, is it the title, how about an interest in a specialized subject, or just - perhaps it's a whim? One of my ultimate goals with these podcasts is to reach a young audience. I've found that reading children's books is a gratifying and educational experience. Yes, even grown-ups can understand difficult concepts. To my surprise, both children and adults seem to appreciate the experience. With education such a hot topic in the news right now, we need to be reminded that whether it's going to school, visiting a museum, or online learning, the goal of education (both young and old) is to nurture an interest in learning. William Butler Ye...

Fender Stratocaster “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” I’m sure you’ve heard that mind-numbing cliche many times. Well, I’m here to say that education is not a bag of tricks and humans are not dogs. Some do resemble their  ole’ dog, anyway . . .  For years I heard that platitude from students who would use it as excuse for not being able to successfully learn a new skill to their satisfaction or expectation. Agreed, learning a new skill is challenging. Let’s be honest, it’s downright hard. We tend to get entrenched in our comfortable ruts. Think back a minute. Remember what it was like to learn to ride a bicycle? It was exhilarating! Well, maybe not at first. Did you have training wheels? I’m sorry. What happened when your Dad removed those training wheels. I’ll bet you fell - over and over again. But with a determination that refused to quit, you learned to ride. It was simply a matter of learning the tricks.    You see, to remain young and ...

Habit is the link between goals and accomplishments. You’ve heard it said that it takes 21 days to establish a habit, why? According to Julia Layton, “ Habits are essentially patterns of behavior that become "worn in" to our brains. Someone who wakes up every morning, pours a cup of coffee and lights a cigarette, in that order, every morning, has that pattern built in to his or her brain, in the form of well-used synaptic pathways.” With patience, persistence, and predilection you can teach yourself whatever you choose to learn through the power of habit. Since December 2003 its been my privilege to share my “ Thought for the Day” via the web, on Twitter, at pball001 . (This has since morphed to a podcast). Sometimes I ask myself why?  Who really reads this stuff? Does it make a difference? Then I realize - (I do) that reading or listening daily to a variety of books - biographies, science, philosophy, mysteries, travel logs, or whatever tickles my fancy - my mind, th...