On May 11, 2026 Harrison Ford gave the undergraduate commencement address at Arizona State University

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is an article by Mary Beth Faller at ASU News on May 11, 2026 titled Harrison Ford tells ASU’s class of 2026: ‘This is your time.’ You can watch his eleven-minute speech in a YouTube video titled Harrison Ford undergraduate commencement address: Arizona State University (ASU).

 

There is another article by Ingrid Vasquez at People on May 13, 2026 titled Harrison Ford encourages ASU graduates to ‘Go change the world’ in passionate commencement speech. Yet another article by Alix Martichoux at The Hill, also on May 13, 2026 is titled Harrison Ford’s rousing commencement speech goes viral: ‘The world my generation left you is a real mess.’  Her description is:

 

“In an inspiring speech to the class of 2026, actor Harrison Ford admitted to the mistakes of his generation, before calling on young people to change the world.

He kicked off his commencement address Monday at Arizona State University by admitting he didn’t always make the best choices when he was young. ‘I was squandering my life in riotous living,’ the 83-year-old said of his college years. He found himself in a drama class looking for an easy A grade, but fell in love with acting.

‘Hiding in character, costume and makeup, I had a freedom, a bravery I had never felt before – and I got an A!’ he joked. ‘I was, I realized, present for possibly the very first time in my life. My passion had led me to community.’

Ford pursued acting, he told the students, while working carpentry jobs to pay the bills and support his family. Even after the success [of] ‘Star Wars,’ when things got easier, something still wasn’t quite right.

 ‘The load lightened. I had freedom, opportunity, but something was still missing.’ He had found passion for acting, but not purpose in life.

 That changed in the 1980s, Ford said, when he discovered the nonprofit Conservation International. As he continued starring in episodes of ‘Star Wars,’ the ‘Indiana Jones’ series, ‘Blade Runner’ and more, he found his true purpose in activism on behalf of the environment.

 ‘Humanity is a part of nature, not above it,’ he continued, making a plea for environmental justice, social justice and protecting indigenous communities. ‘These communities have long understood that the trees, the mountain, water, soil are not commodities, they are relatives to be cherished.’

 ‘We can all play a role by embracing that wisdom in our day-to-day lives, by loving the planet, by honoring nature’s authority, her generosity, the bounty she affords us, the justice of her example,’ he said. ‘Because the world you’re stepping into, the world my generation left you is a real mess.’

‘Find a place for yourself,’ he continued. ‘Whatever talent or ambition you have, find some way to put it to work. Build something that didn’t exist yesterday. Stand up for someone who can’t stand up for themselves. Bring people together that weren’t talking before. That’s leadership. That’s what moves the needle.’

‘Your generation has far more power than you may realize. And if you harness that power, if you find your leadership, your issues, your voice, the world will not be able to ignore you.’

 He ended with a few more inspiring final words: ‘This is your time. Own it. Enjoy every second of it. Because what could be worse than getting to the end of your life and realizing that you haven’t fully lived it. Congratulations. Go change the world.’ ”

 A 2025 portrait of Harrison Ford was adapted from this one at Wikimedia Commons.

 

 

A succinct primer on delivering more effective medical presentations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a succinct 5-page article by Adin Nelson et al. in the Journal of Hospital Medicine for April 15, 2026 pages 946 to 950 (Volume 21, Number 8) titled Developing, designing, and delivering more effective research and didactic presentations: A primer and recommendations. Their advice applies to presentations in general, not just medical ones.

 

The article has sections titled:

 

Introduction

Learning Objectives

Explicit Organization

Slide Design

Accessibility

Public Speaking Skills

Next Steps

 

The second paragraph in their section on Learning Objectives begins by stating that:

 

“Objectives should be outcome‐focused and learner‐centered. Outcome‐focused means describing what will happen after and because of (not during) the presentation. Learner‐centered means describing what will happen to or for learners, rather than describing what the speaker will do.”

 

The third paragraph begins:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Bloom's Taxonomy [Ref. 5] and the SMART framework are two useful tools that can help ensure objectives are learner‐centered, actionable, and achievable. Bloom's Taxonomy is a set of suggested keywords to use in learning objectives. The words are all action verbs (e.g., ‘list’, ‘plan’, or ‘contrast’), so using one of them ensures that the learning objective is outcome‐focused. Additionally, Bloom's Taxonomy divides the verbs into six categories, [as shown above] which are ranked in order of increasing cognitive challenge from Remembering (e.g., Recall, List, etc.) to Creating (e.g., Design, Construct, etc.). SMART is an acronym for five characteristics of effective learning objectives. They should be Specific (not overly‐broad or vague), Measurable (possible to objectively determine whether or not a learner meets them), Achievable (able to be accomplished by the targeted learners), Relevant (appropriate to the learners' needs), and Time‐bound (planned to be accomplished within a predetermined period, not open‐ended).”  

 

The second paragraph in their section on Slide Design states that:

 

“The Assertion‐Evidence framework is a more effective alternative to slide design. It consists of four core tenets: (1) Each slide should contain one key point, and multiple points should be divided across multiple slides. (2) Each slide's key point is expressed in a single declarative sentence - the assertion - in place of the slide title. (3) The remainder of the slide is devoted to visual evidence (ideally a picture or diagram) demonstrating or reinforcing the key point (see Figure 1). (4) Supporting details, background explanations, and additional context go in the oral presentation, not on the slide.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I blogged about it back on February 19, 2014 in a detailed post titled Assertion-Evidence PowerPoint slides are a visual alternative to bullet point lists. An example is shown above from a post on August 20, 2023 titled Reading a fracture surface like a road map – fractography in failure analysis.

 

Their final section on Next Steps says:

 

“Learning to be a more effective presenter can seem intimidating, but as with any new skill, practice makes progress. In this article, we explain core concepts and key first steps for planning goals and objectives, designing slides, and optimizing your public speaking for clear and effective presentations. If adopting all of these recommendations at once feels overwhelming, pick one - maybe using assertion sentences in place of slide titles - and incorporate that into your next presentation. Then solicit feedback and continue to iterate. Making one small change at a time, every hospitalist can improve their teaching skills and become a master educator.”

 

 

Should we waste over 7.5 million dollars to paint the granite Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) white?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No, of course not.  The Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) is part of the White House compound in Washington, D. C. But President Donald J. Trump is upset by its gray color. He wants to create a problem where none had existed. According to an article by Brandon Fisher at Tech Times on August 8, 2026 titled Trump claims White House is above preservation law in Eisenhower paint case:

 

“The controversy began on November 12, 2025, when President Donald Trump appeared on Fox News and announced his intention to paint the EEOB's exterior bright white, dismissing its dark granite facade with the remark that gray is for funerals.”

 

Another article by Gary Fields at the Associated Press on August 18, 2026 titled Judge rules paint tests on Eisenhower Building can proceed, advancing Trump’s makeover plans for now added:

 

“Planners said the paint job would cost at least $7.5 million.”

 

Yet another article by Robert Freedman at FacilitiesDive on April 14, 2026 titled Trump plan to use ‘magic’ paint will ruin Eisenhower building, restoration experts say detailed potential problems with painting the EEOB:

 

The summary says that:

 

“ ‘Mineral silicate paints are not suited for use on granite,’ the specialists said in a Q&A prepared by preservationists seeking to stop the plan. ‘These paints do not chemically bond to granite in the manner necessary to activate their powers to strengthen and protect underlying stone.”  

 

Their detailed Q&A describes a lack of planning:

 

“They say mineral silicate paints are inappropriate for granite because granite doesn’t contain calcium carbonate. ‘Mineral silicate paints are designed to chemically bond with stone that contains calcium carbonate, such as limestone, sandstone, or marble.’

 

Other points they raise:

 

Making the paint work would require the use of a primer or other acrylic bonding agent, which would undermine the advantage of the paint. ‘The barrier layer of a primer [would block] chemical bonding between paint and stone,’ they said.

 

The granite would need to be sanded, which would permanently alter the surface. ‘Because granite is relatively smooth and non-absorbent, every surface of the … granite would need to be sanded, scarified, etched, or otherwise abraded,’ they said.

 

The paint wouldn’t protect the granite from deterioration. ‘At best, it acts only as a surface coating,’ they said. It ‘does not repair internal flaws, prevent cracking, or enhance the inherent durability of granite.’

 

It wouldn’t stop water penetration. ‘Water infiltration is driven by failings at joints, sealants, flashing, and mortar, and building movement – not by the exposed face of granite blocks,’ they said.

 

Discoloration would continue to be a problem. ‘Leaching and iron staining can pass through breathable coatings’ like silicate paint, they said. If the granite is painted white, as planned, staining would become even more noticeable, they said.

 

Removing the paint in the future would be an expensive job, and it wouldn’t be possible without damaging the granite. ‘It would require mechanical or chemical methods that further damage the stone,’ leaving a ‘hazy, filmy’ residue, they said.”       

 

An image of the EEOB came from Wikimedia Commons.

 

Jump and Find Joy is an uplifting 2025 book by Hoda Kotb about embracing change

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hoda Kotb was co-anchor of the morning Today show on NBC News from 2018 to 2025. In 2025 she published an uplifting book titled Jump and Find Joy: Embracing change in every season of life. There is a preview at Google Books. This book is divided into five parts, each with chapters starting on the pages shown:

 

Part 1: A Jumping-off Point  1

  Moved to Make a Change  3

  Your First Leap Won’t Be Your Last  14

  Think Before You Jump  20

  It May Not Be Broken, But It May Not Be Working  26

  Don’t Be Afraid to Change Your Story  37

  Helpful Tips and Tools  44

 

Part 2: Leap of Faith  47

  A Second Chance to Make a First Impression  49

  I Never Want to Wonder What If?  57

  Surrendering Control  71

  Those Four Fabulous Words  75

  Don’t Hog Your Journey  82

  Baring It All  91

  Letting Love In  98

  Making Space for a Leap of Faith  102

  Helpful Tips and Tools  113

 

Part 3: Hop, Skip, and a Jump  115

  Today’s the Day  119

  Sink or Swim  123

  Sweet Soul 129

  Finally, Yes  132

  Take a Deep Breath  141

  Face-to-Face  147

  Share the Load  150

  Forward  159

  Helpful Tips and Tools  165

 

Part 4: Jump in with Both Feet  167

  Finding My Spark

  Finding Time for Transformation  180

  The Pandemic Push  196

  Lead with Love  199

  Get Growing  209

  Helpful Tips and Tools  220

 

Part 5: Jump for Joy  221

  Room to Grow  223

  Turning Sixty and Turning the Page  237

  Breaking Up Is Hard to Do  247

  With Love  253

  My Next Big Jump  255

  The Day After Today  262

  Walking the Walk  265

  Helpful Tips and Tools  268

 

Conclusion  271

 

There are a total of 32 biographical Jumpstarts, including Anne Lamott, Bette Midler, Chip Conley, Ally Love, Thomas Rhett, Mel Robbins, etc. She has three Helpful Tips and Tools on page 113:

 

 “ 1] Treat books I’ve already read – and loved – as a touchstone when I’m feeling a bit lost. The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo is one of my favorites. It includes bite-size nuggets of wisdom you can read each morning to set a positive tone for the day. I find that a good read offers another voice, which is helpful when the one in our head is driving us crazy. (If I need some title ideas, I’ll search the go-to books of people I admire. What are they reading?)

 

 2] I’ve discovered the power of sixty minutes. When my brain is spinning and my body is dragging, I’ll shut myself down for an hour. I close the door to my office, turn off all of my devices, and just sit quietly. I need to recharge! Sometimes it takes the entire time just to feel an ounce of peace, but I never regret it. Carving out that time for yourself is the juice you need to keep pushing forward.

 

 3] Get curious. As you move toward the new direction you’ve chosen listen and learn. What can the people who’ve already arrived where you want to be teach you? I love to explore podcasts, TED talks, and commencement addresses for the motivation and information I need. Just search the curated list of topics, for example, ‘Find me a TED talk about opening a bakery.’ So fun!”

 

And there are more Helpful Tips and Tools on page 165:

 

“Even little hops and jumps require encouragement. Go, me! I love listening to music for so many reasons, but I’ll always turn to it when I need a quick boost. After all, a song is only about three minutes long! Here are some of my favorites.

(How about making a playlist just for jumping? ‘Songs That Launch Me Higher.’)

 

1]  ‘So Will I’ – Ben Platt

I find this song so reassuring and uplifting. It reminds us that no matter what happens, the world and you are going to be just fine.

 

2]  ‘May You Find a Light’ – The Brilliance

The music in this song is so ethereal and soothing, and the lyrics transport you to a place where you feel safe and grounded. You’re home.

 

3]  ‘Rainbow Connection’ – Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher

What’s more comforting than Kermit the Frog singing? His message is for dreamers and lovers and anyone with hope in their heart: wishes do come true when we believe in ourselves! (I love this song , too, because anything with rainbows reminds me of my Hopey.)”

 

An image of a girl jumping for joy was adapted from OpenClipArt.

 

 

Sundar Pichai gave the 2026 commencement speech at Stanford University

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sundar Pichai (the CEO of Alphabet and Google) gave the 2026 commencement speech at Stanford University on June 14, 2026. There is a 14-minute YouTube video. That speech was published in Vital Speeches of the Day for August 2026, on pages 176 to 178 with the title Three Filters That Have Helped Me Get More Moments Right Than Wrong. Five headings from it are:

 

Very few moments in life are make or break

Choose optimism

Work on hard things

Do what excites you

Conclusion

 

The chorus from folksinger Kate Wolf’s song Here in California accurately has said:  

 

“Here in California

The fruit hangs heavy on the vine

There’s no gold, I thought I’d warn you

And the hills turn brown in the summertime”

 

Under Choose Optimism  (at 7:50)  Sundar’s seventh and eighth paragraphs instead say that:

 

“If you’re not from here, California is advertised as being really lush and green. But when I looked out the window, it was more...brown. I guess I said this out loud, I’m not sure why. My host, Mrs. Jane Earl, gently corrected me. ‘We prefer to call it golden,’ she said.

And that’s exactly what I mean by choosing optimism. It’s about reframing for the positive: Where I saw brown, she saw golden. This slight change of perspective had a huge ripple effect on how I thought about the world around me.”

A portrait of Sundar came from Wikimedia Commons.

 

 

A surprising discussion about why members of SEAL teams need to learn public speaking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the Boise Public Library I found a 2025 book by Mike Hayes titled Mission Driven: The path to a life of purpose. Mike was former commanding officer of SEAL Team Two. There is a preview at Google Books. Chapter Three discusses The Meta-Skills That Matter, which are:

 

META-SKILL 1: Understand and Create Value

META-SKILL 2: Know How to Influence Others

META-SKILL 3: Never Stop Learning

 

His discussion of how to influence others (starting on page 81) describes how important public speaking is:

 

“Influencing others is a vitally important meta-skill to have. When you can influence the behavior of the people around you, you become someone who can get things done for the mission you’re pursuing, organizational or personal. When you understand what motivates someone, you can drive their behavior to help you achieve your goals.

 

.…Embedded within this lesson are three points. One is about political capital. When you understand what motivates someone, you can choose what to ask of them, and how to ask it. You can get people to want to do something rather than having to convince them or, if you’re in a position to do so, to force them.

 

.…The second point is about challenging the status quo. When you understand what drives people, you can push for change in constructive ways.

 

….The third point here is about communication. Communication is about more than the concrete outputs we typically associate with people who work in a communications role – website content, white papers, etc. Communication is about being able to effectively transmit your thinking process. And it’s a critical meta-skill no matter your job. To wit: If asked to list the kinds of skills a SEAL needs, most people would land on a few predictable answers – strength, agility, calm inrensity, focus. Which is why my teams were sometimes confused when I’d sit them down on a day when the weather was keeping us from training and I’d give each SEAL a topic. ‘Take the next two minutes to prepare a two-minute speech on this subject,’ I’d say.

 

‘Public speaking?’ they would ask, incredulous. Why did they need to work on public speaking? It made no sense to some of them, until I explained it on two levels. First, at some point all SEALs will have to represent themselves and their unit to people in the community or to leaders we might have to interact with. Just like they needed negotiation skills, they also needed to be able to express themselves well, in case I or another leader was unavailable and the responsibility fell to them. Second, becoming a better speaker is really about becoming a better thinker, organizing thoughts and defining goals – and that is a skill that transfers to everything we do.

 

The best communicators have a tightness of thought. They set goals at the beginning of a meeting, to put everyone on the same page. They stay focused on the mission. They avoid needlessly wasting other people’s time. We’ve all been in rooms where someone starts vacuuming up attention needlessly by asking a question that either never gets to the question mark or is being asked for a self-indulgent purpose rather than focused on the end value. This is a communication problem (also sometimes an attitude problem, another meta-skill we’ll look at in a moment), and if you are the one being stared at by a bunch of people who feel like you’re wasting their time, you’re doing something wrong. There’s an age-old saying in the SEAL Teams, where platoons are made up of sixteen men: ‘When fifteen men are wrong, look in the mirror.’ It may well be that you are failing to influence in a positive, effective way.

 

In my public speaking exercise, all the SEALs listening gave feedback to the presenters, just like we did after missions. The feedback was another way to make us all better.”  

 

This book has two sections, on The Long Game and The Short Game, with the following chapters and starting page numbers:

 

THE LONG GAME

CHAPTER 1: Who, Not What You Want to Be  15

CHAPTER 2: Defining Success  43

CHAPTER 3: The Meta-Skills That Matter  69

CHAPTER 4: Helping Others Helps Us More  97

CHAPTER 5: Plans Will Always Change  119  

 

THE SHORT GAME

CHAPTER 6: Getting Comfortable Making Decisions  143

CHAPTER 7: Mission Driven in the Ways We Spend Our Time  161

CHAPTER 8: Mission Driven in Our Relationships  189

CHAPTER 9: Mission Driven through the Stages of Life  207

CHAPTER 10: Mission Driven to Change the World  221

 

The insignia for SEAL TEAM 2 came from Wikimedia Commons.

 

 

Comedian Conan O’Brien gave the 2026 commencement address at Harvard University

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Thursday May 28, 2026 comedian Conan O’Brien gave the commencement address at Harvard University. (He has a degree in history and literature from there). You can watch a 25-minute video of his speech either at Harvard University and Conan O’Brien or on C-SPAN.

 

And the text is on pages 187 to 190 in the August 2026 issue of Vital Speeches of the Day titled Your Real Education Starts Now. Four sentences printed in bold there are:

 

“The first is that I endeavor to always remind myself that I have done absolutely nothing alone.

 

…Another thing I learned to do that has saved me repeatedly is to pivot.

 

…I always recognize the enormous role of luck in my life.

 

…let yourself be bad at things.”  

 

He also seriously says that:

 

“I understand that I am preaching modesty and connection at a time when this is not in style. We are living through a period of extreme narcissism. 

Our current leadership in Washington believes that empathy is a weakness, and that our nation stands supreme and alone. Add to that, everyone here today has a phone in their pocket that is algorithmically programmed to celebrate you and you alone by making you the protein-maxing hero of your own special journey. 

Much has been written about how isolated and siloed we’ve become, but for me the antidote is quite simple. By de-emphasizing what makes us special, in your case, a prize degree, we can really find one another, not as an exercise in virtue, but as a path towards greater laughter, love, and real growth. And believe me, I struggle daily with my own pretensions.

I am aware that I am telling you to transcend your glories as I stand on this stage accepting a doctorate I didn’t really earn, well dressed like a 12th century pope. Big surprise, I have a giant ego.”

An image of Conan was modified from one at Wikimedia Commons.