Retirement
Staying Creative
Staying Creative I have long said that if there is one characteristic that I prize the most, it is creativity. When people ask me why I stayed in the banking business so long and specifically so long with Bankers Trust, I always come back to the same answer. The era from 1976 to2001 was a quarter-century of tremendous creativity in finance and banking. Innovation was my stock and trade and I was the guy who…
Memoir
Ballast
Ballast Yesterday I went to the rock store for the first time in a long time. I’ve used rock products around the property for a number of purposes over the past few years. I first bought a truckload of mixed size river rock of assorted coloration. I remember well thinking that I was smart to lay down a blue tarp on my upper driveway on which to have the rock dumped. Let’s put it this…
Politics
My Politics
My Politics I don’t make much of a secret about my political leanings. I keep telling myself that I need to tone it down, but everything going on in the political arena makes it increasingly difficult to do so. Last night I was watching a new series Kim and I are following called Loudermilk and the aggressively outspoken protagonist, who is a [published music critic and currently an addicted drug and alcohol counselor, tries to…
Politics
Trump & Gaza
Trump & Gaza My morning has started with two pieces of news that may seem disconnected, but which I connect in a very direct sense in my mind. To begin with, the UN Security Council has passed a resolution that calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as well as the unconditional release of all hostages. This may sound like the same resolution put forth by the United States last Friday, but apparently both Russia…
Business Advice Love Politics
Saving the Planet
Saving the Planet There are many big issues that can overwhelm us and make us small, insignificant and. Probably first among those issues, alongside world peace and the need for universal fairness and equality, is climate change. What used to be a hotly debated and very politicized issue has, through our day-to-day life experiences, particularly with the changing weather patterns, become more of a foregone conclusion. What we are left with is the big question…
Memoir Politics
Seeing Further
Seeing Further Whenever I finish a blog story, I try to give myself a head start on the next story by creating a template and a title to get myself going. I usually write to suit that title and only occasionally find myself writing something for which a better title is required. Having just finished writing a story this morning and just finished Round 8 with my big life insurance carrier (I sent them a…