The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day confrontation in October 1962 between the United States and Soviet Union that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. It’s widely considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear conflict. I was eight years old at the time and living in the heartland of Madison, Wisconsin. While my mother got her graduate degrees at the University of Wisconsin, I attended Spring…
My friend Steven and I had an exchange this morning that involved British witticisms. It started with “Bob’s your uncle” and went immediately to “And Fannie’s your aunt.” “Bob’s your uncle” is a classic British expression meaning “and there you have it” or “it’s as simple as that!” It’s used to indicate that something is easily accomplished or completed. For example: “Just add the flour, mix it in, and Bob’s your uncle – you’ve got…
I understand that to some people, writing a blog is extremely self-absorbed. There is truth to this to be sure. I have said many times that I write for myself and if others choose to read it and find interest in it, so be it. I do not focus on my readership statistics despite every effort by my blogging service to tell me who is reading me and how much they are reading me. Recently…
The other day, while talking to my friend Steven on the phone, he asked me if I was doing OK financially. It was an unusual comment, especially from someone who used to work for me for many years. I didn’t take offense at the question and gave my usual litany of things that have drained money from my wealth over the years, but I basically responded that I was doing just fine. That is the…
We went to see a movie yesterday, first because it was Sunday and that’s what we tend to do on Sundays, but also because we wanted to do something out of the house with visiting friends Gary & Oswaldo. Oh, and by the way, it was also Fathers Day. We had had a nice weekend with them, but other than going to Kim’s show for a few hours, we hadn’t much gotten out of the…
Today is a day of protest. I am very aware of how often I write political stories on my blog. I know that for the three weeks I was traveling, I hardly wrote anything political as I was engaged in my travel experience. But now I am back here not traveling and faced with the realities of life in these United States in times unlike any we have seen since the 60s. I was too…
Since I bothered to write about my edema problem a few days ago, I thought a quick update might be in order. My sister, Barbara is already concerned enough to have called and texted me and I suspect I am just a step away from having nursing home materials sent to me by her. It’s nice to have people be concerned about your well-being, but I will remind everyone that most of us overthink our…
War exists due to a complex interplay of factors that have persisted throughout human history. At its core, war often emerges from competition over scarce resources – whether that’s territory, water, oil, or fertile land. When groups believe they need these resources to survive or thrive, and peaceful negotiation fails, conflict can escalate to violence. Power dynamics play a crucial role too. Leaders may use war to maintain or expand their authority, rally domestic support,…
Yes, Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys died at age 82 after a life of brilliant song writing and multiple bouts with drug abuse and mental illness. Brian Wilson was absolutely brilliant – one of the true geniuses of popular music. He was the creative mastermind behind The Beach Boys’ sound, writing and arranging those incredible harmonies and melodies that defined the California sound of the ’60s. His work on Pet Sounds (Rolling Stone considers…
This feels like an unusual week for me. It’s probably most unusual because it’s a transition week for us, just getting back to our normal hilltop life. First of all, it’s early June, which means that we have an overabundance of June Gloom in the morning. That’s the marine layer that comes in from the ocean and creates a fog layer up here that burns off somewhere between 10am and early afternoon, depending on how…