Category: Commentary and Reflections
Farewell Hannah, Our Pretty Princess
Losing a beloved pet is never easy. But it’s even more so when it comes after sudden illness. Hannah, our older female Aussie, left us last night. A few weeks ago, she had experienced several bouts of vomiting with bile…
The Value of A Single Human Being
One of the movies I revere is 1961’s Judgment at Nuremberg. Produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, it is a fictionalized account of the “Judges Trial”, where the jurists responsible for enforcing the Nazi laws were tried. It has powerful…
A Pencil in the Supply Chain
The latest round of President Trump’s tariffs, however long they remain in effect, have already destabilized the delicate balance of the world’s economies and trading agreements. Even after the pause, most countries have a minimum of 10% tariffs – except…
‘Good Americans’
In the aftermath of World War II, an ironic term arose in Germany – ‘Good Germans’; it was used to refer to those German citizens who claimed they did not support the Nazis and knew nothing about the Jewish Holocaust….
Primeval Forces
Late winter in Puget Sound is when most fly fishers eagerly begin preparing to get back on the water. Chum Salmon fry have started to leave the estuaries and move into Puget Sound, where some in a later juvenile stage…
Would Mr. Smith Still Go To Washington?
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) recently aired Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. I watch it every time it’s on for a couple of reasons. The first is Jefferson Smith’s (Jimmy Stewart) filibuster in the Senate. Words like the following inspire nostalgic…
Norman Maclean and A River Runs Through It
“I am haunted by waters.” Those evocative words close both the movie and novella of the same name – A River Runs Through It. The majority likely heard those words in Robert Redford’s 1992 drama, which featured a career-making performance by…
February 9, 1964
Sixty-one years ago today, the Beatles made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. For those of us around then, we had been hearing and singing their music from our AM radios – but to see them perform (in…
Good Riddance
I did not vote for either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. I wish our political system could produce real leaders, whatever their personal failings, as opposed to demagogues and political hacks. But unfortunately, we have presidents like Bill Clinton, George…
Compassion in the Time of Fire
I’ve never been to Los Angeles. The closest I came was on a coast-to-coast trip many decades ago – when I was driving from Virginia Beach, Virginia to Vallejo, California, where I was to attend Navy Nuclear Power School. The…
