OUR WORLD
VENEZUELA AND DELUSION
America is being led down the rabbit hole of self-deceit and towards potential war with Venezuela. I believe that our bellicose commander-in-chief has three goals in mind. Donald Trump’s fixation on small boats crossing the Caribbean from Venezuela to the U.S. goes beyond restricting drug-running. But first, let’s agree that the drug trade is horrible.…
Read MoreICELAND ON MY MIND
Recently, Carolyn and I spent two weeks in Iceland. We went with Overseas Adventure Travel, which takes small groups almost everywhere. Our main guide Begga was fabulous! We met two main objectives and enjoyed many more experiences. Objective one: See puffins. We went to the Westman Islands, volcanic outcroppings 40 minutes by ferry off Iceland’s…
Read MoreTRUMP FOR THE CHAMBERLAIN PRIZE
America’s newest war hero seeks a Nobel Peace Prize to recognize another of his astounding accomplishments. I see him deserving a different prize. Granted, when it comes to war and peace, Trump’s been there and done that. On Wednesday, he called Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu a war hero for Israel’s bombings of Iran’s air…
Read MoreLOVE LETTER FROM MOSCOW
The internet revealed Vladimir Putin wrote Donald Trump after Trump’s address to the nation last Tuesday. I herein pass it on. Everyone knows, if it’s on the internet, it’s true. Tovarich Donald: I applaud 99-minute speech you gave Tuesday night America time. Comrade’s advice: Leader’s speech should be minimum three hours. Four, better. Five, you show…
Read MoreA PAINFUL ISRAELI U.N. VOTE
Last Monday, the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemned Russia 93–18. Sixty-five nations abstained. Conscience forces me to protest Israel’s vote against. According to news.un.org, the resolution “called for a commitment to ‘the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders’ and the…
Read MoreTHE GULF OF WHAT?
Donald Trump may keep Carolyn and me from going on the Panama Canal cruise we’ve occasionally talked about. Last Monday, Trump held court gave a press conference at Mar-a-Lago sure to fuel the MABA movement. Make America Bigger Again. The lust for empire, which marked much of this nation’s activities in the 19th century, has risen from the ashes. Enough, you…
Read MoreMEMORY’S FRAGILITY
Last Saturday marked a momentous occurrence in American history, yet no one seemed to remember. Perhaps you have to be at or near my age, 80, to commemorate December 7 as Pearl Harbor Day. On a Sunday morning in 1941, Japanese planes bombed the U.S. naval base in Honolulu, Hawaii, and nearby Army Air Force…
Read MoreFIVE NEW OLYMPIC EVENTS
Pole dancing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics? In last Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle, Marisa Ingemi wrote, “Pole organizations across the globe have begun a focused effort to get representation at the World Games and, eventually, the Olympics and Paralympics.” Seems that “poling” has left (well, not really) bars for gyms. If poling makes it—uniform…
Read MoreIS BEIJING STALKING ME?
I can’t identify every individual visitor to my blog, but I’m flattered to have readers from around the world, including Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Poland, Israel, India and the Philippines. Still, one visitor country troubles me. I’m not paranoid, claiming “they” are out too get me. Of course, paranoia can be an effective…
Read MoreUKRAINE ONE YEAR OUT
After Russia invaded Ukraine one year ago today, a friend—while not okaying the invasion—suggested considering Vladimir Putin’s fear of the West. I did. And dismissed it. Yes, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. During World War One, Imperial Russia suffered at the hands of Germany and Austria-Hungary. Alliances with Britain and France had…
Read MorePUTIN—THE OVER/UNDER 
Humans long have loved gambling. (“See that mammoth?”) So, I’m offering the over/under on a matter of great significance—Vladimir Putin’s hold on power. I’m setting a six-month window. Take under, and you think Putin will vanish between October 15, 2022 and January 14, 2023. Bet over, and you believe he’ll be through between January 15 and April…
Read MoreLONG LIVE BOTH KINGS 
Queen Elizabeth II has gone to her ancestors. King Charles III reigns. Life in Britain and the Commonwealth goes on. Sounds like Rosh Hashanah. I monitored Elizabeth’s death and the rituals leading up to, and including, her funeral. Admittedly, I didn’t watch all that much; Carolyn followed the events far more extensively. As to the…
Read MorePOTATO KUGEL AND SHARED HUMANITY 
Last weekend in Los Angeles, Carolyn and I helped our son with a project for his summer anthropology class at Pasadena Community College. It involved a beloved family recipe and offers a lesson that should be familiar to Americans but too often isn’t. Yosi had to make a short video and write up a report…
Read MoreWELCOME TO THE GRAY ZONE 
Americans hoping Ukraine can resist Vladimir Putin share a common trait with many of the most memorable characters in the Hebrew Bible. This may discomfort us. Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Miriam, David, Solomon all exhibit real flaws. (David takes Bathsheba to wife after sending her soldier-husband, Uriah the Hittite,…
Read MoreWHEN SMALL STUFF IS BIG 
A 6th-century mosaic, an ancient proverb and this week’s Torah portion all relate to a recent post, “Hopping Off the Treadmill.” They comfort me. The colorful mosaic map on the floor of the Church of St. George in Madaba, Jordan—I was there—details the Holy Land, particularly Jerusalem. Originally, it contained more than two million small…
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