The Jungle of My Mind My readers have often heard me harp about my distaste for the tropics. I lived six of my first seven years in the tropics of Venezuela and Costa Rica and it has left an indelible mark. There are few places I would rather not find myself stranded in than a dense dark jungle. I think its a combination of the humidity-driven discomfort and the truly creepy crawly things that thrive…
The Magic Kingdom My visiting family just returned from a two-day stint at Disneyland. They are a Disneyworld family, but they enjoy Disneyland equally well. I wrote several months ago about my visit to Disneyworld and how impressed I was by the pleasure it evokes in so many people who visit and visit regularly. Yesterday, the state of Florida revoked Disneyworld’s special district permit that it has enjoyed for 55 years when it was used…
The Earth as Property I have written about the awareness that has come to me recently about the increasing importance of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) issues in managing corporations and, for that matter, all manner of investments. That awareness came prior to my formulating the syllabus for this semester’s course in Law, Policy & Ethics, so I added two full class sessions to focus on the policy and ethical issues of ESG in today’s…
Expert is as Expert Does Last night was a glorious last night in Rome for us after a little more than a week of enjoying the wonders of Italy. There were several things that made it so special, not the least of which was the venue itself. We had been invited by my Italian partner, Damiano, to join him at a restaurant owned by a childhood Palermo friend of his. That restaurant is on the…
All The King’s Men Every time I think we have finally gotten past the shadow of the Donald Trump presidency, something takes me back and I find myself thrown back into the desperation of feeling like I’m that poor inmate stuck under the thumb of Ida Lupino, who plays an evil warden in the 1955 film Women’s Prison. The horror of that film is less about what goes on physically in the prison than the…
Did Atlas Really Shrug? Who is Atlas anyway? We know, if we’ve been to Rockefeller Center, that he has the world on his shoulders. In mythology, he is a mere Titan, not a god, but a Titan, and he is tasked with holding up the sky and the heavens after he and his gang of Titans tried to overthrow the Olympians and failed. Failed coups are a bitch and there are consequences. Atlas must have…
Cut and Paste The expression of cut and paste has taken on a derogatory connotation. It implies a degree of laziness or casual composition. You cut and paste when you don’t want or need original thought. I think that is actually a very unfair characterization of what can be a true creative process. I write a lot. I write every day…usually several times a day. Sometimes I write stories for this blog. Sometimes I write…
The Departure of Prosperity Today I spent the day driving Kim, Thomas and me up to Pasadena to see Kim’s family. Before going I went for bagels and cream cheese and to fill up the tank of the car with gas. It’s 107 miles to our nephew’s house in Pasadena, and with the small detour through West Hollywood to see Gary & Oswaldo for a late lunch, we would cover 260 miles. At an average…
The Hanseatic League My vague awareness of Medieval History reminds me that in the Twelfth Century or thereabouts, the craftsmen of the northern Germanic countries of Europe gathered themselves into a massive and extended guild of sorts to protect their interests as they grew their commercial enterprises. This collective or union was called The Hanseatic League and it existed as a powerful business force in the region for several centuries. This confederation was put together…
Selling Real Estate I sometimes wonder if other people connect their psyches and tendencies to real estate the way I do. In it’s simplest form, real estate is about buying, renovating, holding and then selling. These are all very distinct phases, but they are phases that everyone must go through. The possible exception is that some people avoid the renovating part of the equation like the plague while others embrace it, enjoy it and perhaps…