“He pushes my buttons.” “She knows how to manipulate me.” We’re all familiar with, and at some time have felt, these particular expressions. What do they actually mean? Emotions move us. (The Latin root of the word, “emotion,” literally means … Continue reading
As a mental health professional, people sometimes will ask me, “Am I crazy?” My reply usually goes like this: “If you were truly crazy, you wouldn’t possess the objectivity and rationality required to ask the question.” It’s the truth. But … Continue reading
A mob hacked to death secular blogger Niloy Chakrabartu, who used the pen name Niloy Neel, on Friday in Bangladesh. He recently posted on Facebook that two strangers followed him after he attended a protest over Ananta Bijoy Das’s murder, … Continue reading
Sick of the 2016 election for U.S. President already? Check out the words and ideas of America’s founders — in this case, James Madison. Nobody today has a clue, but these men understood more than most of us now realize. … Continue reading
Recently, an Uber driver was pulled over in Dewey Beach DE (near where I live) and fined over $500. The reason? Not having a town license for doing business. Reportedly, Uber has an agreement with the state of Delaware. It’s … Continue reading
History books will someday record that 2015 was the year Donald Trump called Megyn Kelly of Fox News a name. Mean, mean Donald Trump! In the meantime, Social Security, Medicare and the rest of the federal government are going broke. … Continue reading
Obama’s deal with Iran is too much even for some of his hard-core supporters in Congress and elsewhere. High profile attorney Alan Dershowitz, long-time Democrat who has never voted Republican for President, is strongly against it. Democratic U.S. Senator Chuck … Continue reading
A reader wrote me in response to an article “Meaning Is Healthier Than Happiness” published in The Atlantic (8/1/13): Dr. Hurd, I’m curious if you have heard of this? Roy Baumeister who, in the late 1990s, equivocated self-esteem with Narcissism, … Continue reading
What is a debate, anyway? I looked online for a definition of “debate.” I liked this one: A formal discussion on a particular topic in a public meeting or legislative assembly, in which opposing arguments are put forward. This definition … Continue reading
The FBI has begun a criminal inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s email account and her use of the private server and other devices during her four years as secretary of state, according to news reports. “It’s definitely a criminal probe,” a … Continue reading
The spineless Republicans in charge of Congress live in terror of “shutting down the government.” It’s not really shutting down the government that they fear. They know full well that matters considered essential government services — Social Security checks, military … Continue reading
Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) was unable to answer the question (posed by fellow Democrat Chris Matthews of MSNBC), “What’s the difference between a socialist and a Democrat?” She could not identify the difference because there is no … Continue reading