I don’t think there would be too much debate among Americans and Europeans about who constitutes the Axis of Evil in today’s world. The hit parade would clearly consist of Russia and Iran with a bit more debate about China as the U.S. has trashed its longstanding alliances in favor of Trump’s latest tariff and power-grab whims. The lesser evils like North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba or Belarus SW1W not really on par with these bigger…
Have I ever mentioned how much I like The Economist as a publication? Back in my days on Wall Street, I used to think The Economist was too highfaluting for regular usefulness. It seemed to delve into the esoteric aspects of geopolitics and global economic issues that seemed less than fully connected to the practicum that mostly interested me. That has all changed dramatically for me in retirement. I now read the publication religiously, but…
I currently have sixteen benches on my property. Three of them are down in the play area for when we gather folks for a game of cornhole or croquet, three of them are around the upper driveway and are used for staging various activities (like building new benches!), two of them are in the Cecil Garden and are used for reflection while hand watering the garden, and the other eight are spread out strategically across…
Will wonders never cease…the Supreme Court actually did something right for almost the first time since the Roberts court came into session. In addition to the three liberal justices, Sotomayor, Kaplan and Ketanji Brown, those in favor of restricting Trump from using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) as justification for using tariffs as a cudgel against other countries, were Roberts, Gorsuch and Coney Barrett. The voting patterns of SCOTUS make the Roberts and…
I listened to a video that a friend made based on a letter of advice he had sent to his granddaughter on the occasion of her going off to college. He was giving her advice about how to make friends and specifically how to selectively establish relationships that will help you create the world you want to inhabit as you go forward. It was all perfectly good advice, but one thing struck me about his…
Tomorrow we are doing something I can’t remember doing for a long time…we are going bowling with a group of neighborhood friends. Growing up in Wisconsin in my elementary school days, bowling was a regular activity. I recall it was 35 cents per game, a dime to rent shoes and free to use any of the bowling balls you could find to fit your fingers. We would regularly roll three games and try like hell…
I cancelled any plans for a ride this week due to what looked like rainy weather all week. It so happens that its clear and sunny today even though it rained a lot the last day or so. I felt OK about cancelling anyway since next week I am heading out for a ride into Death Valley for a few days. I’ve been to Death Valley a number of times, but its been a while…
Have you noticed how many of the rich and powerful elite of the world are getting mowed down by the Epstein Files? This story is the gift the keeps on giving in almost every direction and in almost every language except one. Teflon Trump continues to evade accountability for what is certainly now proven to be the deepest and most enduring close relationship with the pedophile that exists. The prolific mentions of Trump in those…
I seem to be in a virtuous cycle of watching movies with single word titles. Instinct (1999) is the latest. It’s a psychological thriller starring Anthony Hopkins and Cuba Gooding Jr. Anthony Hopkins plays Dr. Ethan Powell, a renowned anthropologist who disappeared into the African wilderness to study mountain gorillas. Two years later, he’s found and arrested after killing two park rangers and injuring others. That makes it a blend of Gorillas in the Mist…
Back in business school at Cornell, the most notable professor was a guy by the name of Hal Bierman. Hal taught finance. I had the unique experience of taking finance from Hal while his son was also taking finance. That’s a strange experience, but I’m sure it was more strange for both him and his son. Hal was a serious guy who tried hard to be pleasant and avuncular, but who always seemed more serious…