You know how Hollywood and other media can lead people on the environment? They can write characters that act environmentally as a matter of course--that is, without calling attention to it. Not to make an environmental superhero or character that makes a big deal about it. Make characters eat sustainably, put sweaters on in the winter, bring bags shopping, take public transit, choose to vacation close to home, and things like that. Making it showy, I suspect would make the effect preachy. Making it normal, I expect would lead people to feel times have changed. It may sound small, but…

Returning from speaking on environmental leadership where, while some pushed back and expressed skepticism, the organizers invited me back to speak again and most who approached me after said they found it inspirational, thought-provoking, and the like, I'm reminded of my first talks on leadership. About six months before launching the podcast, I gave a series of talks at NYU. Several told me they didn't like my message, they tuned out, they felt I was lecturing, and nobody invited me back. I wanted to give up many times at the beginning. Motivating people seemed pointless. I wondered: Why waste my…

I ran into my podcast guest who lives near me and has a Nobel Prize and he happened to have it with him. He didn't have it when he came over to record and for my famous no-packaging vegetable stew, so I hadn't seen it. So there we were on Sixth Avenue, people walking by not realizing we were holding a genuine Nobel Prize. On the podcast I asked him if he ever wore it. He pointed out, as you can see, it's different than an Olympic medal. You don't wear it. It's also not gold. At least it felt…

I keep seeing the opinion that regulation stifles creativity and innovation. Searching on "regulation stifles innovation" returns plenty of hits. I'm not a historian or economist, so please show me if I'm missing anything, but I find the opposite. My big example is cars. Today we value safety, efficiency, and durability. Actually, I think most buyers always valued those things. In the 60s, the U.S. car industry largely ignored those values in favor of chrome, tail fins, cushy rides, and acceleration, even when it made cars less safe, efficient, and durable. Why did car companies change? Unsafe At Any Speed…

It's obvious but I haven't seen it clearly stated enough to make its consequence obvious. As far as I know, everyone who knows the details says the Russians are deliberately influencing U.S. elections and that Putin is leading the effort in some way. What does Putin want? People answer various ways. The clearest answer seems: Putin wants a weaker United States. Corollary: Putin wanting a weaker U.S. suggests that he will back candidates who will weaken the nation. In other words, evidence suggests that Putin considers Donald Trump weaker than Hillary Clinton, or worse for the nation. Donald Trump seems…