Postaday | Beth Byrnes

Behind the surface

Posted on November 15, 2013 18 Comments

In Plato’s Republic, Socrates suggests that looking merely at the surface of things as most of us do in our daily lives, will not lead us to understand the phenomena that underpin the workings of the world. While this is not welcome news, it actually explains why we are so easily misled by people with […]

Time is running out

Posted on November 14, 2013 16 Comments

Is this the way our democracy is supposed to work? http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-republicans-rig-the-game-20131111 National Republicans have waged an unrelenting campaign to exploit every weakness and anachronism in our electoral system. Through a combination of hyperpartisan redistricting of the House, unprecedented obstructionism in the Senate and racist voter suppression in the states, today’s GOP has locked in political […]

News unworthy

Posted on November 13, 2013 5 Comments

This is an update to a story on which I commented in this November 13th post. Logan should be fired. Period.: http://journalismends.wordpress.com/2013/11/27/lara-logan-suspended-from-cbs-news-over-botched-60-minutes-benghazi-report/ ———————————————- We have all likely heard of the debacle at CBS over 60 Minute’s bogus story about Benghazi. Just in case you missed it: http://www.salon.com/2013/11/04/60_minutes_benghazi_source_changes_story_of_eyewitness_account/ Shall I tell you why I am not […]

Power posing

Posted on November 12, 2013 8 Comments

I spotted this article this morning: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131111000517-5670386-a-secret-to-successful-interviews?trk=tod-home-art-list-large_0 In the wild, higher status animals often take expansive, open postures. To assert their rank, chimpanzees puff themselves up to seem larger. Peacocks fan their tail feathers to attract mates. We see the same displays in the human kingdom. The confident speaker strides across the stage, voice booming. […]

Mental case

Posted on November 11, 2013 9 Comments

I read this article about the addition of mental health care to the ACA a couple of days ago and found it encouraging: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/us/politics/rules-to-require-equal-coverage-for-mental-ills.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20131108 The piece itself was informative, indicating that the Affordable Care Act mandates treating mental illness on a par with physical illness. It is about time, in my opinion, and we should […]