Brad Rourke

Brad Rourke’s Blog

  • Rearranging The Deck Chairs At The State Of The Union

    As people wring their hands over the “toxic” rhetoric swirling throughout public life, a proposal from Colorado Senator Mark Udall has been gaining traction and winning approving nods from The Concerned Elite. The idea? At the upcoming State Of The Union address on January 25, don’t seat Members of Congress by party but mix them…

  • Bad News From The Skies

    I recently learned something that I simply refuse to believe. You see, an article recently made it clear to me that I have had my zodiac sign wrong since I discovered horoscopes. It turns out that the world has shifted since the ancient Babylonians originally parsed out the skies into the zodiac, and whereas I…

  • What One Big Thing Will You Do Today?

    Normally, I find articles about how to “minimize distractions in this distraction-filled world” to be unhelpful. They usually amount to: “Have more will power to avoid distractions, unplug, and do things in batches.” I sometimes get upwards of 200 emails per day. I have many filters in place, so the dross gets autofiled and ignored.…

  • Man Attacked; Onlookers Film And Do Nothing

    This is the kind of world we live in. Sunday before last, about 7:15pm, Allen Haywood was on his way home from working out at the gym. He had a gym bag and a book. He leaned against the wall, reading, waiting for his Metro train at L’Enfant Plaza station. He felt a whack on…

  • A Call For Rhetorical Nonviolence: It Starts With Me, Not My Enemy

    The tragic events in Arizona may well be a turning point. Many are calling for changes in policies, and many of these changes may well make sense. Many are also calling for a scaling back of the vitriolic political rhetoric that has marked public life these days. There is much blame being directed at political…

  • Why Does YouTube Have Comments?

    YouTube has, no question, revolutionized the way we interact online. It opened the door for video sharing and now when something new is going on in our lives, one of our first questions is: “Should I take a photo or a video?” It’s also a great avenue for getting ideas out there — the solo…

  • Writing For The Christian Science Monitor: In Praise Of An Editor

    Early in my career as an independent consultant, I began writing specifically to be published in the mainstream press. I began pitching various pieces to op-ed editors. Of all the news outlets, the one I really wanted to write for was The Christian Science Monitor. I thought there was the best fit between overall editorial…

  • Farewell Martin

    I learned yesterday that a friend had taken his own life. I knew him some, but not well. It makes me wish I had taken the time to get to know him better when I could. It makes me angry and hurt all at once. Martin was a photographer. He sometimes shared his work with…

  • Making Document Reviews Work

    If you are having a meeting (or a conference call) to review a document, here are three things that can make it helpful: Insist that whatever is being reviewed get shared ahead of time, with ample time to read Insist that participants edit the document using Track Changes ahead of time, send the changes directly…