Rebecca Reynolds

Making the Case against Sarcasm on the Supreme Court (addendum)

Rebecca Reynolds — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:15:14 +0000

Thanks to Geof Stone, University of Chicago law professor, for pointing out an unintentional omission in my post last week on sarcasm and the Supreme Court: examples of the Court’s sarcasm. I realized that this trend is so glaring in my mind, I assumed it was in others’. Oops. So, here’s my amendment with cites and explanation. As an enthusiastic listener [...]

The Supreme Court: No Place for Sarcasm

Rebecca Reynolds — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:44:19 +0000

There’s been a lot of talk about the recent Supreme Court case on the Affordable Care Act, and good thing, too. The Court seems to be on an unhappy trajectory of proactive decisions that upend long-standing legal precedent or chart entirely new territory under the guise of judicial restraint. It’s a puzzling sleight of hand, which [...]

Alphabetical Order

Rebecca Reynolds — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:57:07 +0000

In college, I traveled to Italy for six months to study in the archives. My subject was, of all things, 18th century Italian opera. What I was looking for, namely letters from any of the prime donne (first ladies of the opera house), was not to be found in US libraries. So, I spent a semester planning, reading history, contacting likely [...]

The Gift of the Skeptic

Rebecca Reynolds — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:48:22 +0000

Do you know how in a group there’s often one person who won’t get on board? He or she just seems to be interminably skeptical and constantly throws stones at whatever the group is working on. And pretty soon, the work feels like a large rock is tied to the back of it, putting a major [...]

King: Civil Rights or Sameness

Rebecca Reynolds — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:08:11 +0000

Last weekend, I visited the new memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr. in Washington DC. This followed a trip to Anacostia, MD to see Frederick Douglass’ home – who came 100 years before King, and both visits came on the heels of a recent trip to South Africa, where Nelson Mandela lives still. Civil rights [...]

Dancing with Truth and Falsehood

Rebecca Reynolds — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:30:54 +0000

The other day, I got to thinking about myth. Not the myth of legend or metaphor, but the myth of falsehood masquerading as truth. I was writing about stories I’d heard while on safari, some of which were true and some of which seemed only to border that territory. As I wrote, I started to contemplate the nature of truth and [...]

Days of Black: A Juxtaposition

Rebecca Reynolds — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:05:54 +0000

I spent Thanksgiving in South Africa this year. Of course, it wasn’t Thanksgiving there. In fact, it was early summer and didn’t feel a bit like Thanksgiving. On Monday of Thanksgiving week, when normally I would’ve been buying turkey, making final decisions about table setting and menu and otherwise preparing for the family feast, instead I was [...]

Greetings of the Season!

Rebecca Reynolds — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 22:24:15 +0000

From our holiday newsletter…stay tuned for more from South Africa. Dear Friends, As we approach the final days of 2011, the sense of satisfaction of a year well-lived is upon me. 2011 has certainly been a big one at RRC, full of milestones and new ventures. First, the company turned 20, an achievement that snuck up on [...]

A View from the Inside

Rebecca Reynolds — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:51:46 +0000

Robben Island (robben is Dutch for “seal”) is a stunning sanctuary within sight of Cape Town. The island’s vantage point affords spectacular views of Table Mountain and its famous roiling “tablecloth” of clouds. Visitors from all over the globe arrive at Robben Island on a modern ferry equipped with refreshments and video entertainment on the interior decks. Plentiful bird flocks play in the [...]

South Africa: A Trip in the Making

Rebecca Reynolds — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:36:37 +0000

This is Part I in a series on my experiences in South Africa. I left for South Africa just three weeks ago, flying from Denver to Frankfurt to Cape Town for a three-week stay. The trip was the zenith of a ten-month journey into the subject of leadership, which I started as part of a sabbatical. [...]