It is such an honor to have you back for another dose of Uncommon Sense.

Some of you don’t do well at job interviews. Read the Self-Development column. I will give you a helping hand.

Much of the mainstream media (i.e., The New York Times, The Washington Post, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, NPR Radio, etc) traffic in FAKE NEWS – either overtly or by omission. They mislead. They are not agenda-free. They want to foist a narrative on the unsuspecting public. As a result, the mainstream media has lost all credibility. They are no longer trustworthy. The Elephant in the Room column features a post by billionaire Bill Ackman who agreed to give a lot of time to a Washington Post reporter who burned him, putting out significant falsehoods in her hit-piece. Ackman wrote a rebuttal that same day on X (formerly Twitter). I share his post (with minimal editing for purposes of clarity) for your consideration. What is your take on the ethics of what took place with this story?

In the From Ara’s Journal column, I open up my kimono and reflect on the nature of bullies – both in a descriptive way by recounting my experiences with them, but in a prescriptive way by advising you on how to navigate such terrain.

And as usual, we close with the very popular The World of Words column, where I bequeath to you a very nifty word that you will want to add to your ever-growing lexicon.

OK, let’s get started.

Ara Norwood