I have always maintained the scariest trait of Trump is not just what he says to the crowds to rile them up, or his narcissism, or lack of mastery of language, or his fake orange-tan, or lies. While all of those are scary on their own, it is his lack of shame I fear most. Most of us do not give shame the credit it deserves. Shame is one of the most effective tools we, the people, have to keep powerful people in check. The focus of shame...

Recently I posted the list that psychologists and psychiatrists use to diagnose NPD, or Narcissistic Personality Disorder. I posted it as a reflection on how this diagnosis fits our President so closely and how two of those symptoms or traits scared me (#9 and #10 on the list). Today I want to talk about how #8 can be equally dangerous. As you may know, Congress and the Trump administration (the White House) are currently at war on at least two fronts; Trump's taxes and a copy of the...

It has been about 2 weeks since the Special Counsel Report by former FBI director, Robert Mueller, was released to the public. The report was made public, in redacted form, about 3 weeks after Attorney General William Barr had sent a summary of the report to congress. The full report is close to 450 pages, hence when the AG (Attorney General) summarized it in 4 pages, there was considerable uproar and pressure for the eventual release the full report (in redacted form). The AG maintained the report does...

NPD, or Narcissistic Personality Disorder, is a diagnosis that has been playing around for a while as related to President Trump. I recall the first time I heard about it during the campaign. It was then, when much noise was made about the legitimacy of a candidate with NPD. Campaigns are weird, ugly, and seldom represent reality. All candidates stand there and try to present an alternative persona of themselves. A persona that will get them elected. For this reason they often promise things they know they cannot...

If you are not vaccinated for measles in New York City you will have two options; vaccinate or face a fine. New York City has declared the outbreak of measles a public health emergency. Measles are back in the United States. According to the CDC, in 2018 there were 372 cases reported. The virus has spread so quickly, that as of April 26 the number of cases reported were close to double those of 2018 (704). If the virus continues to spread at its current velocity we can...

Communication is a tricky skill. Humans begin to communicate even before they are born. A baby will communicate to the mother if she's uncomfortable with a kick or punch. Once the child is born, they'll communicate through sounds (mostly crying), and their actions (sleep). As mother and child grow closer, their communication also becomes more effective. Crying becomes more nuanced. Crying grows from "what does this kid want?" to "She's hungry" or "She's sleepy", etc. As we get older, we lose this effectiveness. This is partly because we...