Blog
The world isn't broken by accident. It's broken by design.
Taking a Closer Look
You know something's off.
The news doesn't add up. The experts contradict each other. The politicians say one thing and do another. And meanwhile, you're just trying to figure out what's actually true.
Taking a Closer Look is where we cut through the noise together.
I investigate the systems affecting your life — the technology tracking your attention, the politics shaping your options, the economics behind why everything feels harder than it should be. No jargon. No spin. Just clear explanations of what's really happening and why it should matter to you.
What you'll find here:
How tech companies manipulate what you see and think. Why short-term profits keep winning over long-term solutions. What's really behind the political theater. How misinformation spreads and who benefits. The psychology of fear and persuasion — and how to spot it.
I'm not a pundit or an academic. I've spent 30+ years building systems, running companies, and watching how technology changes everything. I've been working with AI since 1991 — long before it was headlines. I know how these systems work because I've built them.
If you're tired of being told what to think and ready to understand what's actually going on, you're in the right place.
Let's take a closer look — together.
HERE, WE'LL LOOK DEEPER INTO THE SYSTEMS THAT SHAPE OUR WORLD:
BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP
How decisions made in the name of "profit" often erase the very future they claim to build.
AI & INNOVATION
The tools that could either accelerate collapse or help us design a sustainable new economy.
CLIMATE & ACCOUNTABILITY
The facts that can't be spun, and the people still brave enough to face them.
This publication isn't about doom - it's about understanding. Because once we see clearly, we can act with purpose.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I'm Paul Zurav — author of The Biggest Crime in History, founder of CTEK (Change Through Education and Knowledge), and an AI consultant helping leaders rebuild systems that serve both people and planet. Over three decades as CEO, COO, engineer, and systems designer, I've watched this movie before. I built AI-powered systems in the 1990s when "AI" wasn't a buzzword. I've seen how short-term thinking destroys companies from the inside. And I've learned that the pattern repeats, in technology, in business, in climate. If you're ready to go beyond headlines and soundbites…
If you believe accountability and progress still matter…
Then welcome - you're in the right place.
📬 STAY INFORMED
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Executive writing,
grounded in research and judgment.
Writing about decisions, responsibility, and clarity under pressure.
Most difficult decisions aren’t unclear because of missing information.
They’re unclear because responsibility, risk, and consequences overlap.
I write about leadership judgment, decision-making, and clarity in moments where the cost of being wrong matters.
Here are two links to Substack articles I've written:
$40 Billion for Argentina, Half-Rations for Americans
https://takingacloserlook.substack.com/p/40-billion-for-argentina-half-rations?r=1h0dd8
Radio Changed Everything in 1927. AI Is Doing It Again. Here's What We Learned.
https://takingacloserlook.substack.com/p/radio-changed-everything-in-1927?r=1h0dd8
I work as a thought partner helping leaders clarify complex decisions and express them clearly when the stakes are high.