ArcaMax

You might think that, so close to election time, everyone would understand how our government works. Evidently, that's not correct -- or people are pretending not to know, because they are afraid they won't get the outcome they want.

Let's start with the presidential race. The media focuses on national polls. But the popular vote does not ...Read more

The pandemic and current political environment might have you in the doldrums. Ups and downs are normal in life, but when you've been stuck inside on Zoom calls for months, it's easy to forget the ups.

In "Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life," Martin Seligman provides a map to a more optimistic outlook.

As a graduate ...Read more

If you watched this week's presidential debate between Republican President Donald J. Trump and Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden, you might have felt as though you were watching a mixed martial arts match among three people, the third being Chris Wallace, the beleaguered Fox News anchor who tried to moderate. Throughout the 90 minutes,...Read more

Most of us understand the concept of working toward a goal based on the system in place. For example, when I was in college, I'd review the syllabus for each class, see how the professor calculated final grades (did it include performance on homework and quizzes or just tests, and how was each of those weighted?) and then periodically figure out...Read more

It's easy to become frustrated, especially in politics, as Election Day grows near. It's harder, but it could be more helpful, to focus on curiosity rather than frustration, as bestselling author Brendon Burchard challenged this week via social media -- curiosity about why something would happen or not, rather than frustration that it did or ...Read more

With less than two months left before the presidential election, polls in the swing states are tightening, and the focus is sharpening. Remember, it's not the total popular vote that determines the outcome of the presidential election but the final tally from the Electoral College. It takes 270 Electoral College votes to win.

So, which states ...Read more

While Democratic operatives and pundits are calling for Georgia to go for the Democratic nominee, President Donald Trump has greatly improved his lead. Let's start with a bit of history for those who are not as familiar as I am with Georgia, my home for more decades than I would like to mention.

For several presidential election cycles, pundits...Read more

A little over two months from now, American voters will have a choice to make: Vote for President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, or for former Vice President Joe Biden and California Sen. Kamala Harris for president and vice president of the United States. There are other options: to not vote, or to vote for a third-party ...Read more

This week, the Democratic National Convention is being held -- virtually. Normally, political conventions of both parties are a hot destination for politicos and journalists alike. The fun is not only in the nomination process but in the backroom meetings, large crowds and electric atmosphere. There are few things better than a crowd of ...Read more

It's hot and muggy in Atlanta, where I live and where our primary runoff election was held this week. Normally, we would have had more of a break between the runoff and the general, but COVID-19 has changed the timing. Now the presidential election is less than three months away. Hold on tight; it's going to be a wild ride.

The announcement ...Read more

This week, the Great Outdoors Act was signed into law by President Donald J. Trump. This is an enormous achievement. It provides permanent financial support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), using a small fraction of offshore oil and gas drilling revenues. The backlog of maintenance in our parks will be addressed with $9.5 billion...Read more

This week, our younger child, Robert, is turning 19. His sister, Maggie, is two years older. Gone are the days when my husband and I were parents of toddlers, preschoolers, elementary school children and high school children. We are about to enter the phase of having both children in college.

As seasoned parents, we now realize that having a ...Read more