The Scale of Life Today is our last day in Moab with our AFMC buddies and we will likely take one last ride through the red rock bluffs and plateaus that surround this other-worldly place that we enjoy so much. As is often the case, the landscape around us barely changes from year to year, but the people of the group most certainly do. I think we are all supposed to change somewhat with time,…
Gettin’ Loopy We gathered last night with our American Flyers Motorcycle Club members at the Sunset Grill here in Moab. The Sunset Grill is the old home of the Uranium King or Utah, Charlie Steen, who discovered the Mi Vida uranium ore load just south of Moab in 1952. At the time the United States was anxious to get domestic production of uranium ore and it was the Mi Vida strike that both put Moab…
On Sacred Ground When I owned a home in Park City (I actually owned five different homes in Park City over fifteen years), one of my favorite pieces of artwork was a print I bought by a well-known western artist names Bev Doolittle. One of her favorite techniques is to paint images with a double entendre. I had several of her prints, but the print I especially loved was called On Sacred Ground and it…
Everyday Risks Today is the first morning of our Utah motorcycle ride. We picked up Chris and Ann at the airport on Saturday night and began our journey into the event by finding that one of their three bags got lost. San Diego airport, technically named Lindbergh Field in honor of Charles Lindbergh, who flew the Atlantic Ocean on a solo flight 95 years ago this month, was the venue. That was considered an amazing…
Dying Broke When I wrote my book Global Pension Crisis in 2013, I laid bare a rather stark reality that the world was ill-prepared to fund the Baby Boom generation other than at the extreme cost to the younger generations. I called it a “species-defining” moment for mankind since it would establish our priorities between feeding our aged (all of whom are inevitably living longer than planned) and impairing the growth and prosperity of our…
Dead Babies Can’t Take Care of Themselves Remember Alice Cooper? He/they was born in 1948 in Detroit to a typical post-war middle class American family as Vincent Damon Furnier. It was once his family moved to Arizona that he decided that rock n’roll was his future. He hit his shock rock stride in the late 60’s and early 70’s when he and his pals realized that there was more to rock n’roll than just music.…
Personal Services When I was actively in harness and shoving off for work each day, it seemed to be more than luxury, more a necessity, to use lots of personal services. I peaked in that regard in or around 2000 when I was a senior executive at Deutsche Bank, acting as Chairman and CEO of Deutsche Asset Management USA. I was the senior officer at the 280 Park Avenue location, the historic headquarters of Bankers…
Friday the 13th Today is that magically reoccurring phenomenon of a Friday which falls on the 13th day of the month. This happens once every 212.35 days, so at least once a year. That means we get to think about strange coincidences affecting our lives at lest that often. Today I am finishing up a forced march to grade thirty-three final exams from my Law, Policy & Ethics course that I gave to end the…
The Limits of Friendship Most of my friends know that I write. This is especially the case with my long-time friends from my motorcycle group, The American Flyers Motorcycle Club (AFMC). I started twenty-six years ago writing a trip story and have done one for every ride I have taken since. People love to read about some story they are a party to, so the stories get lots of kudos. I also think that over…
Simply Irresistible I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Robert Palmer, the British singer/songwriter who wrote and sang the top late 80’s hit records Addicted to Love and Simply Irresistible, but both catch-phrases that title and end these two songs stick out clearly in my mind, so I’m sure I’ve heard him sing many times despite not knowing who he was. The man was a true 80’s phenom with his elegant attire and his blend…