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Before a joint session of Congress, President John F. Kennedy announces the goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth as Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson (left) and House Speaker Sam T. Rayburn listen. Courtesy NASA.

On leadership: Trump, the shootings and the stock market

August 7, 2019

So, shortly before 10 a.m. last Sunday, I boarded a plane for New York from Florida, and shortly after 10 a.m., the pilot informed us that one of the engines was leaking, which was “a blessing in disguise,” he said, because there was also a more problematic electrical malfunction outside the cockpit that wasn’t discovered until the check of the plane right before takeoff.

Will Sterling go gentle into that good night?

May 1, 2014

Well, Adam Silver, the new NBA commish, did the right thing re: Los Angeles Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling, but what a mess, huh? Will the NBA be able to enforce Sterling’s lifetime ban and $2.5 million fine? Will Sterling sue? Those are the questions of the moment.

Meanwhile, much of the blogosphere is still stuck on the private/public dichotomy. He was set up, this group says, plus, lots of people say things in private that don’t reflect how they act in public. I had this conversation over Easter dinner with a gay friend as he defended former Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich, who lost his job over his private support for the anti-gay Prop 8. This, too, was the act of a private citizen.

But it comes down to leadership.