Fingers are a funny appendage. They pretty much dominate one entire human sense, our sense of touch. They have to be very sensitive and tactile while being very rugged and durable since they are used every day for multiple chores. For instance, tomorrow morning I can think of three distinct things I will use my fingers for. The obvious one is that they are my preferred mechanism for inputting my thoughts into stories via keyboarding.…
Croquet as a sport has a fascinating history dating back several centuries. It’s thought of as an elegant lawn game that developed in Victorian England and is played in whites like tennis used to be played. Croquet appears to have evolved from a French peasant game called “paille-maille” (pall-mall) played in Languedoc in the 13th century. Players used mallets to hit wooden balls through hoops made of willow branches. By the 17th century, a similar…
I can remember going to the dentist when I was about 5 years old and living in Costa Rica. Needless to say, between the lack of fluoridation in the water and all the sugar cane, it’s amazing I have any dental enamel left in my mouth. I remember coming home after one check-up with the news that I had 10 new cavities to be filled. Those were the days of silver amalgam fillings. I still…
This is a profound philosophical question that has been pondered throughout human history. There are many perspectives on why humans exist, depending on different philosophical, religious, scientific, and cultural viewpoints. From an evolutionary perspective, humans exist as a result of natural selection and biological processes that have unfolded over millions of years. We didn’t come into being for a purpose; rather, we emerged through evolutionary mechanisms. That is the definition of Darwinism and it exhibits…
Don’t worry, you will not be hearing about Rich and Kim at Brooklyn Mirage or the Butterfly Room in SoHo. My first real dance club ever was in 1979 when on my first trip to Europe for business. We had just formed the World Corporate Division and I was one of the new offices assigned to cover the world’s multinational corporations. The bank thought it important that we all get a taste of the international…
One of my favorite movies is a Russell Crowe film from almost twenty years ago called A Good Year. The attraction to me is somewhat obvious. It is the story of a kick-ass London bond trader who inherits an estate in Provence from his uncle, someone he dearly loved but who he ignored for the past decade as he played out his career ambitions. The set-up is that the trader gets suspended for being too…
Tomorrow is Mothers Day and it has caught me somewhat unaware. While I am like most people and regularly forget or ignore Fathers Day, I have done a reasonable job over the years of remembering Mothers Day. I imagine that I am in the top 10% of people who revere their mothers and consider them the primary motivator of their lives. I was raised, from start to finish, by my mother. She is responsible for…
Inherited wealth has been a defining feature of human societies throughout history, shaping social structures, economic systems, and political power dynamics across civilizations. In early agricultural societies, the concept of inherited wealth emerged alongside private property ownership. Ancient Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Greek civilizations developed sophisticated inheritance laws, with wealth typically passed down patrilineally. Roman law established detailed inheritance frameworks that influenced Western legal traditions for centuries, including concepts like wills, trusts, and legitimate heirs. The…
Capitalism is an economic system characterized by private ownership of the means of production, free markets, voluntary exchange, and the pursuit of profit. It emerged as the dominant economic system in Western societies during the Industrial Revolution, replacing feudalism and mercantilism. The key features of capitalism include several socio-economic elements. There is private property rights wherein individuals and businesses, rather than the state, own capital assets like land, factories, and equipment. There is market-based allocation…
The Conclave ended yesterday with the elevation of the first American-born pope, who took on the name of Pope Leo XIV. This is viewed as a continuation of the doctrines of Pope Francis, focused on inclusivity and the advocacy of the most marginalized of the world, specifically immigrants. Nothing more defines our epoch of the world than the issue of immigration. I’ve said it before, so I will risk repeating myself by saying that this…