It’s my birthday, too – 60th – which makes me the first of the cohort of Boomers who the media claims will bring even more wrack and ruin to our heirs and assigns.
The O.C.
Okay, okay, I have no business watching this show, much less commenting on it.
My only excuse is that I used in live in Orange County, CA, in Seal Beach and then Laguna Beach, and worked in Irvine. In those days, traffic was tolerable and rentals were affordable. I did sometimes shop at South Coast Plaza, which is occasionally mentioned on the show, so I can at least relate to the place names if not the lifestyles.
More Evil from the Mass. DSS
It hardly seems possible, but DSS has, indeed, proven itself capable of inflicting yet more harm on Haleigh Poutre, the 11 year old girl who was almost beaten to death by her adoptive “parents”.
Harry Browne
Harry Browne, Libertarian candidate for President in 1996 and 2000, died this past Wednesday.
Harry was one of my heroes. His writing is elegant, fact-based and compassionate. He was a noted financial counsellor and author; one of his books was at the top of the NY Times best seller list for 39 weeks.
Harry campaigned with energy and loyalty for the Libertarian party and Libertarian ideals until illness forced him to curtail his demanding speaking schedule.
If Harry had been permitted to join in the Presidential debates, I suspect that the Libertarian party would be a major force for change and rationality in our political environment rather than just another marginalized third party. He was that good, that bright, that articulate, that persuasive.
I hope that someone else will be up to the challenge of taking his place. Harry Browne’s kind of principled patriotism and erudition is in very short supply these days.
Many of us will miss him terribly. And although we mourn this devastating loss, we can still celebrate his achievements and contributions. The body politic in America was enriched by his presence.
Home Again, Home Again
It’s almost 5:00 on a Saturday afternoon, and I’m feeling like a load of laundry that’s just been put through the spin cycle. And I’m not sure exactly why.
Its Own Reward?
Evidently medical professionals have observed for years that Parkinson’s patients are of a type, characterized by:
industriousness, punctuality, orderliness, inflexibility, cautiousness, and lack of novelty-seeking, drive, ambition, altruism, cleanliness, and a tendency toward obsession with details.
A Warrior’s Pleasures
Two weeks ago, I got hammered with one of this winter’s nasty “bugs”. I’m slowly recovering, but even now, am easily fatigued by normal tasks. The last two weeks have felt like a forced march, like walking under water with full pack.
Weather
For the last 12 hours or so, it has been so bitter cold outside that anyone fortunate enough to have shelter must have felt at least a fleeting, reflexive sense of appreciation for that humble fact.
Whatever Happened To “Take This Job…”?
Used to be that contempt for authority was a core American value, especially when that authority was an insufferable boss.
One is hard-pressed to find even a shadow of that cherished iconoclasm in today’s blogosphere, and I’m hard-pressed to understand why.
Take the case of Dianna Abdala, a 24 year old Boston-area attorney who has become famous recently for a series of emails between her and one William Korman, a potential employer.
In a huffery/puffery because Abdala declined his job offer (he reneged on his original salary offer, so she decided to open her own practice), Korman threatened – in writing – to discredit her among his fellow attorneys, which tells us that we are not exactly dealing with Chief Justice material here.
Putting his threat into action, Korman forwarded the exchange to a friend, it was leaked to law firms on two continents AND to the press, including Nightline, and the rest is history.
Yuugghh…
Oh, Apple, touted for your avant garde design and cutting-edge technology – is this the best you can do for writing?