Anthony Dolan, President Reagan’s chief speechwriter died this month

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anthony Rossi Dolan died this month (see an obituary). An article by Lee Habeeb in Newsweek on March 20, 2025 titled Remembering Tony Dolan: President Reagan’s Chief Speechwriter told us:

 

“You probably don’t know his name, but you know his work. He penned or had a hand in some of the greatest speeches of the 20th century, serving as President Ronald Reagan’s chief speechwriter. The ‘Ash Heap of History’ speech. The ‘Tear Down This Wall’ speech. The ‘Evil Empire’ speech. They all had Tony Dolan’s fingerprints, his handprints, all over them.

 

Prior to working for Reagan, Dolan was the youngest journalist in American history to win the Pulitzer Prize for his work at the Stamford Advocate in the late 1970s exposing the Mafia’s grip on the city’s local government – from the local police force straight through to city hall.”   

 

Another article by Amanda J. Rothschild at The Hill on March 22, 2025 is titled From Reagan to Trump, a speechwriter’s legacy lives on in Washington. Yet another article by James Kirchick at Rolling Stone on July 28, 2022, about his gay younger brother Terry, is titled These ultraconservative brothers pulled strings in Reagan’s Washington. Then one of them was outed as gay.

 

Even earlier, as a sophomore at Yale, Anthony had an album of folk songs, described by Wayne Liebman in the Yale Daily News on December 12, 1967 in an article titled Sophomore Cuts Album.

 

There is a thirteen-minute YouTube video with Peter Robinson and Christopher Buckley of the Hoover Institution [at Stanford] reminiscing about him titled Anthony Dolan (1948-2025).

 

The portrait came from Wikimedia Commons.

 

Almost all Tesla Cybertrucks were recalled because trim rails might fall off

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An article by Matt Ott at AP News on March 20, 2025 is titled In latest blow to Tesla, regulators recall nearly all Cybertrucks. Another article by Bryon Hurd at TheDrive on March 20, 2025 is titled Tesla recalls just about every Cybertruck as decorative steel falls off. An arrow in the above image points to the trim. Bryon said:

 

“Per the recall notice, the Cybertruck’s stainless steel cant rail trim (Easy to remember; it’s the part that can’t stay attached) may separate from the truck at speed, posing a hazard to other motorists.”

 

The NHTSA Part 573 Safety Recall Report on March 18, 2025 says 46,000 vehicles were affected and that:

 

“The Cybertruck is equipped with a cosmetic applique along the exterior of the vehicle, known as the cant rail, which is an assembly comprised of an electrocoated steel stamping joined to a stainless steel panel with structural adhesive. The cant rail assembly is affixed to the vehicle with fasteners. On affected vehicles, the cant rail stainless steel panel may delaminate at the adhesive joint, which may cause the panel to separate from the vehicle….

 

The remedy component uses a different structural adhesive not prone to environmental embrittlement to join the assembly, which is reinforced with a stud welded to the stainless panel with a nut clamping the steel panel to the vehicle structure.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As shown above, there are three possible failure paths – either in the adhesive or along one of the two interfaces. The remedy will depend on the exact path, which apparently was in the adhesive.

 

This sure isn’t rocket science!

 

Is everyone really welcome here?

 

 

 

 

Recently in the Boise area there has been a continuing story regarding Sarah Inama, a 35-year-old world civilization teacher at Lewis and Clark Middle School in Meridian. She was told to take down posters which have been hanging in her class since she started working there four years ago. The story also was discussed in a nine-minute YouTube video from Chris Hayes at MSNBC on March 19, 2025 titled Idaho teacher fights back after order to remove ‘Everyone is Welcome Here’ poster.

 

The story was discussed in two articles by Brian Holmes at KTVB7 – one on March 11, 2025 titled West Ada School District teacher ordered to remove inclusive signs from classroom and another on March 12, 2025 titled West Ada issues sports analogy response to teacher told to remove ‘everyone is welcome here’ poster.

 

There also have been a series of brief YouTube videos at KTVB7. One on March 10, 2025 is titled Idaho teacher ordered to remove “Everyone is welcome here” sign from classroom. A second on March 12, 2025 is titled Idaho school district issues memo regarding teacher told to remove “Everyone Is Welcome Here” poster. A third on March 13, 2025 is titled Idaho school district responds after telling teacher to remove inclusive signage from classroom. A fourth on March 20, 2025 is titled ‘Everyone Is Welcome Here’ shirts made by the thousands opposing West Ada’s decision.

 

 

UPDATE March 23, 2025

 

I missed a fifth video from KTVB7 on March 17, 2025 titled “Everyone is welcome here’: Idaho organizations join Wassmuth Center campaign. On October 27, 2024 I blogged about A new building at Boise’s Wassmuth Center for Human Rights with quotations carved in stone.

 

101 Inspirational Stories About Good People

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At my friendly, local public library I found and have enjoyed reading a 2024 book by Gabriel Reilich and Lucia Knell titled Good People: Stories from the best of humanity. It has six chapters with 101 inspirational stories divided as follows:  

 

The Kindness of Strangers - 16

Learn by Heart - 20

It’s the Little Things - 21

The Kids Are All Right - 14

When I Needed It Most - 16

Away From Home - 14

 

These stories might be the basis for inspirational speeches, like for Toastmasters club meetings. Two stories you can read in the preview at Google Books are Do it for Peggy on page 22 and Hallelujah (about Leonard Cohen’s music) on pages 112 and 113.

 

In Chapter 2, Learn by Heart, on pages 105 and 106 there is a story by Sara C. titled Reading Out Loud:

 

"Reading out loud in class is a literal hell for a kid with dyslexia.

 

Whenever I had to read something, I would shield my face with my hands to hide the bright red embarrassment underneath. Some kids have a gift for sensing weakness in others, so I got made fun of. A lot.

 

In the sixth grade, I had a new teacher: a huge bear of a man with a heart of gold named Mr, Cook. He was a legend in our little town – a veteran teacher who could use his big voice to instantly stop a fight or wrap a crying child in his burly arms. During my elementary school years, a lot of kids didn’t have a dad at home, and Mr. Cook was what every kid aspired to.

 

When my mom struggled to make ends meet or had trouble with my older sister acting out, Mr. Cook lent a listening ear and made sure we had school supplies. When I knew I smelled a gas leak by the oldest part of the school, he believed me and had it checked out. (There was a gas leak, and because he was the one adult to believe me, it was found!)

 

Even though I knew Mr. Cook and was excited to be in his class, I’d never had the experience of being a student in his classroom. So when time came for the awful ritual of reading aloud, followed be requisite mockery from my peers, I expected him to ignore it, like so many teachers had before.

 

I was wrong.

 

Instead, Mr. Cook gently stopped me to deliver a message to the class. In the most solemn voice I’d ever heard him use, he said, ‘Listen to me. We do not make fun of anyone practicing reading out loud. We are all here to learn.’ Then he looked right at me and said,’ You read well. Slow down, and don’t ever be embarrassed to make a mistake.’

 

After that, the teasing stopped. In Mr. Cook’s shielding presence, I was finally able to feel calm in my pursuit of knowledge, an equanimity I hadn’t known before. I began practicing reading aloud to my little sister every night. Eventually, I overcame my dyslexia when I read aloud, because Mr. Cook gave me a safe space to do that.

 

Thanks to this huge bear of a man, my confidence finally came out of hibernation. His is the voice in my head that reminds me I don’t ever need to be embarrassed for making mistakes while I’m learning a new skill.”

 

The community image was adapted from one at OpenClipArt.

 

TEDx talk on how the first sixty seconds make or break a conversation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is an excellent 12-minute YouTube video from TEDx Talks on March 18, 2025 titled The 60 seconds that make or break a conversation | Chris Fenning | TEDx Eindhoven, Chris says you need a sentence each on these three things which form the acronym TIP:

 

T = Topic

I = Intent

P = Point

 

An article by Chris on December 9, 2020 titled How to start a conversation at work the right way instead referred to them as:

 

Framing = Context + Intent + Key Message

 

Another article from Chris Fenning on May 24, 2022 titled 10 tips for how to start a successful work conversation was accompanied by brief YouTube videos:

 

Make the topic clear. Tip 1

Say what you need. Tip 2

Put the ‘so what’ first. Tip 3

Say how many topics you have. Tip 4

Give a summary before going into detail. Tip 5

Keep separate topics separate. Tip 6

Ask if they have time to talk. Tip 7

Say how much time you need. Tip 8

Check they are the right person to ask. Tip 9

Don’t forget to be human. Tip 10

 

But I think that to Ask if they have time to talk should come first.

 

In 2020 Chris Fenning published a book titled The First Minute: How to Start Conversations That Get Results. And in 2021 he followed with another titled The First Minute - Workbook:  How to start conversations that get results. Also, in 2022 he published a book titled Effective Emails: The Secret to Straightforward Communication at Work.

 

An image of a statue was modified from one at Wikimedia Commons.

 

A Kringle is much tastier than a Pringle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Kringle is much tastier than a Pringle. Their packages are shown above, along with a six-inch yellow ruler.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Kringle is an iced Danish pastry ring made in Racine, Wisconsin. There is a brief description at Roadfood and a Wikipedia article. I frequently buy mine for $10 at Trader Joe’s and have a slice for breakfast with coffee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pringles are stackable, saddle-shaped (hyperbolic paraboloid) potato-based chips originally invented by Procter & Gamble in 1968. They are more notable for compact packaging than taste, and marketed in twenty flavors. Ingredients for Original ones are: dried potatoes, vegetable oil, degerminated yellow corn flour, cornstarch, rice flour, maltodextrin, mono and diglycerides, salt, and wheat starch. Conventional potato chips usually are tastier than Pringles.

 

Storytelling is an important public speaking skill for your toolbox

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Google Alert for “public speaking” found a post by Rene Rodriguez at Instagram on March 13, 2025 that inaccurately claimed:

 

“The #1 public speaking skill no one talks about…

It’s NOT having a perfect script.  

It’s NOT sounding ‘smart.’

It’s NOT even confidence.

 

It’s storytelling.”

 

But the current online Pathways education program at Toastmasters International has a Level 3 project titled Connect with Storytelling – Item 8300 from 2016. It is an elective in all six current paths: Dynamic Leadership, Engaging Humor, Motivational Strategies, Persuasive Influence, Presentation Mastery, and Visionary Communication.

 

Before they changed their education program to Pathways, Toastmasters had an Advanced Manual titled Storytelling - Item 226K. An article from the Founder’s District described it:

 

“Many public speakers tell stories as part of their presentations; they find that a well-told story will attract listeners' attention and can emphasize or illustrate a point. This manual enables you to develop a new set of speaking skills – most importantly it allows you to have fun as you learn the art of storytelling... so enjoy!”

 

It had five projects titled The Folk Tale, Let’s Get Personal, The Moral of the Story, The Touching Story, and Bringing History to Life. I completed the 3rd revision dated March 2010.

 

And there also was an article by Caren S. Neile at Toastmaster magazine on pages 16 to 19 in the July 2001 issue, titled Storytelling: The Heart of Public Speaking. There is another article by Craig Valentine at Toastmaster magazine in the December 2019 issue on pages 20 and 21 titled Use Stories to Breathe Life into Every Speech.There is yet another article on pages 20 to 23 of the September 2023 issue titled Storytelling Tips from Contest Winners.

I’ve also blogged about people who have talked about storytelling. Here are three examples.

 

On February 10, 2011 I blogged about How many stages of speaker development are there? and referred to Olivia Mitchell, who said they were:

 

“It’s all about the words.

I can talk.

Hello audience.

It’s all about the audience.

Storytelling mastery.”

 

And on April 30, 2022 I blogged about How are top speakers different? Carmine Gallo said:

 

“Presenters open PowerPoint. Storytellers craft a narrative.

 Presenters use text. Storytellers love pictures.

 Presenters dump data. Storytellers humanize it.

 Presenters are predictable. Storytellers surprise audiences.

 Presenters practice silently. Storytellers rehearse out loud.”

 

Also on July 24, 2024 I blogged about Lessons in storytelling from John Favreau – Barack Obama’s speechwriter.

 

The toolbox image was adapted from page 12 of a 1939 Craftsman tool catalog at the Internet Archive.