Michael Shellenberger has been fighting for a greener planet for decades. He helped save the world’s last unprotected redwoods. He co-created the predecessor to today’s Green New Deal. And he led a successful effort by climate scientists and activists to keep nuclear plants operating, preventing a spike of emissions.

But in 2019, as some claimed “billions of people are going to die,” contributing to rising anxiety, including among adolescents, Shellenberger decided that, as a lifelong environmental activist, leading energy expert, and father of a teenage daughter, he needed to speak out to separate science from fiction. Not everyone will agree with Shellenberger, but this is a well written and informative book.

The Harvard Business Review has collated ten articles by ten authors dealing with various aspects of mental toughness. A quick review of the table of contents reveals articles on positively dealing with stress, bouncing back from adversity, rebounding from setbacks, and other areas that athletes and coaches deal with daily in the competitive arena.

In the Tokyo OlympicsAustralian high jumper Nicola McDermott took a silver medal in the high jump clearing 2.02 meters (about 6’7″). Between jumps, Nicola has an interesting method of refocusing and preparing for her next jump. She would rate herself on various aspects of her technique in a notebook.

The Isaacson book I’m currently loving is a biography of Leonardo Da Vinci. Of course, Da Vinci was talented and brilliant. What Isaacson details are the personality of Da Vinci and the traits that made him a genius.

I read a couple articles this week that I enjoyed. One by author Seth Godin about the importance of bad ideas. The second about how a Texas QB is using NIL money for a good cause. Also, a short article on Chris Paul and Major League Baseball. Take a look and see what you think!

I recently read an interesting article by R.R. Reno explaining the reasons why he no longer considers applicants from Ivy League Schools. He does not question that Ivy League institutions have students of high intellect and have motivations to excel. I copied a short clip that might explain his rationale for looking for employees from other types of institutions.

I highly recommend a fascinating book by Jason Riley chronicling the life of Thomas Sowell. For those not familiar with Sowell, he is a brilliant thinker that began his career as a teacher, a writer, and a Marxist, only to evolve as one of the leading conservative commentators of our time.

Surgically repairing a damaged knee has made unbelievable progress over the years. It wasn’t that long ago that one wore a 6″ long scar to remind of an ACL surgery. The current arthroscopic process has extremely positive results and a much shorter rehabilitation process. However, the best thing coaches can do is make the best effort to injury prevention.

I’m geeking out on what Driveline Baseball offers to athletes from High School to the Major League. This organization dedicates itself to finding that extra mile per hour on a fastball or a more efficient swing when batting.

The academic performance for many public schools systems is dismal. In this article, an option for students and families is presented. Instead of the state providing funds to an underperforming schools system, give those monies to the student so they can control their own academic future.