A Dry Wind During high school, I lived in Rome, Italy. When most people think of Italy they think of great food, the treasures of Florence and the Medici, the days of Marcus Aurelius and his views of Virtūs et Honos (Strength and Honor), the betrayals of Julius Caesar as made famous by William Shakespeare, the petrified and frozen-in-time inhabitants of Pompeii and perhaps the Nastro Azurro ads of some George Clooney look-alike getting off…
Case Study I have four guest lecturers for my ethics class this semester that I am teaching and I find the story around them interesting. My quandaries have to do with how I chose them, how they responded and how they are handling the task at hand. To begin with one of my friends, Michael the Mad Welshman, who lectured in my Advanced Corporate Finance course last semester, took note of the fact (mostly just…
The Tempest and the Tinsmith I guess I haven’t yet really figured out the seasons here on this hillside. Back east there was a higher degree of familiarity about what February, March or April meant when it came to the events of nature. It would be hard to say that there is more variability out here, but I guess I would say that the stability of the weather out here makes what little variability we…
Wag the Dog Twenty-five years ago Barry Levinson directed a little movie. He had directed such greats as The Natural, Tin Men, Rain Man, Diner and Sleepers, so he is an accomplished director who knows how to tell a great story through some complex plots. In 1997 he made a movie with Dustin Hoffman, Robert DeNiro, Woody Harrelson, Anne Heche, Kristen Dunst and William H. Macy. It was about a scheme by a U.S. president…
On the Cusp My world today seems balanced on the cusp. Sometimes that just happens to us all, but I am really feeling it today for one reason or another. To begin with, I start my Spring Semester class on business ethics tonight. It is something I have aspired to teach for some time and now its about to begin. I am going for my second Pickleball lesson today with Kim and have my own…
A Loud Knock on the Door Things are closing in, at last, on our friend Donald Trump, and it’s about time. Trump has gotten away with “murder” for over thirty years. His impunity knows no bounds. But sooner or later even The Great Houdini tried one trick too many and found his burst appendix did him in on Halloween. I, like many, have been amazed at how much one arrogant and egocentric man could get…
You Princes of Maine One of the things I enjoy about when Gary and Oswaldo come to visit us, as they have the past few days, is that there is a ritual we go through every evening to find a good movie that everyone will enjoy. For some reason, what is a challenging situation (meaning the selection of an agreeable movie to watch) for just Kim and me, seems never to be difficult for the…
The Noble Hector In Greek mythology, Hector was the son of Priam of Troy and was that city’s greatest warrior as the Trojan Prince. Troy is in modern day Turkey and was the first stop we made on our last international motorcycle trip through that exotic and lovely country that seems to be systematically being destroyed by its authoritarian leader, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Erdoğan has run turkey as either President or Prime Minister for almost…
Cadet Maxim Redux We have probably all seen the Cadet Maxim that originates from West Point, the U.S. Military Academy on the Hudson River. West Point is the longest continuously manned army post in the United States, having been established in 1778 and founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1802. That Maxim reads: Risk more than others think is safe Care more than others think is wise Dream more than others think is practical Expect more…
A Birthday for the Ages I have been saying I am 68 years old for the better part of the year. I am not sure why I do that, but I always declare my age as the next birthday I am expecting. I have never been afraid of aging, though I probably should be. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t feel a full share of aches and pains, even though I…