Let me state upfront that I am an original Baby Boomer. I was born in 1947. I am an only child and the nephew of an aunt who is 95 and never married. My parents are still alive as well. My mother is 89 and her mind and body are failing.… Read full post »

Like the rest of us, I have been following the terrible killing of Trayvon Martin last month by George Zimmerman. Let me state right here, right now, that I do not support either Mr. Zimmerman nor Trayvon. But this just has to be said.

Having been a former history teacher,… Read full post »

I was siting at an outdoor cafe in California when I noticed a spiderweb that was attached to the ballisters of a railing. It looked like a kite made from a spiderweb. It doesn't look like much in the thumbnail but the opened image is pretty cool.

 If you want to… Read full post »

Bermuda is shaped like an inverted safety pin that s open. One of its most beautiful areas is St. Georges. Here the roads are narrow, the beaches incredible, the sand is cool, and the buildings are painted like colors of sherbet. 

When you get to the wharf you find lovely shops… Read full post »

A few years ago we took a windjammer out of Camden, Maine. It is a beautiful place with a beautiful harbor and beautful windjammers. On the morning of our departure, I came on deck and looked out over the rail. Our windjammer, the Angelique, was reflected in the early morning mirror… Read full post »

New Orleans is a unique city, filled with incredibly talented people. I am constantly amazed by the brilliant, yet often no more than local people that you find there. They coukd be major artistic successes anywhere else i n the country but they do not leave. There souls are part of… Read full post »

Recently my family was in New Orleans. One night we were in a fancy restuarant in the French Quarter when four very distinguished looking black gentlmen entered the facility. They were all  dressed in matching suits. I turned to my wife and said, "Look at those guys. I've seen them before.… Read full post »

   Just south of South St. Petersberg, Florida is a small island called Tierra Verde. It was once owned by the Big Bandleader Guy Lombardo who used it as a party getaway.  In the 30's and 40s you had to get there by boat but now there is a spiffy drawbridge… Read full post »

There’s a small town in northeast Connecticut called Stonington. It is a fishing town. And one part of it is a historical district known as the Borough of Stonington. It is located on a spit of land that sticks into Long Island Sound. From its tip, you see Rhode Island just… Read full post »

I have been a devoted Mac user for a long time. You cannot beat the way it seamlessly integrates its applications. As a photographer, I upload every photo into iPhoto. From there I can do all the basic stuff, like cropping, eliminating red-eye, instantly turning a color image into black and… Read full post »

The diner is open for this little guy. He seems to be enjoying the menu fare. But you know how it is... these guys all eat like birds.

  Read full post »

I know I am but a simple man but I have a question none the less. How does the world say that there is no proof that Iran is not trying to build a nuclear weapon when they have proof that Iran is trying to build complex warheads for their ballistic… Read full post »

In the ever-active international policy and strategy game, there is always an ebb and flow. It is a geopolitical equivalent of the old “king of the mountain” game we all played as kids. First one side stands at the top only to be countered for a brief time by the other.… Read full post »

Remember how as kids magic and magicians would fascinate us? The magician would say, “Nothin’ up my sleeve. Nothin’ up the other one…” And then suddenly a trick would happen, leaving us totally excited and amazed. Or we would watch in amazement when the magician  w… Read full post »

There’s an old Bette Midler song called, “Ya Gotta Have Friends.” There’s an even older one sung by Dionne Warwick called, What Are Friends For?” Well the Iranians must be singing those tunes 24/7. According to two reports, by Japanese and German intelligence agencies, t… Read full post »

Three things are happening that do not portend well for a peaceful spring and summer. Bad things are likely to be happening that could change the face of the world for a long time. And surprise, surprise, they all have to do with Iran and its nuclear weapons program. Let me… Read full post »

On February 1st, a report was published by a group called MEMRI-- The Middle East Media Research LInstitute, located in Washington, D.C. The Report is called, "Iranian Websites Publish Threats against U.S. Targets in Gulf." Supposedly these sites will be targeted if a tight oil embargo, or an attack… Read full post »

It was announced today that the Saudis have closed deals with both the U.S. and Europe to dramatically upgrade their aircraft capabilities. The Saudis are going to receive a  84 state of the art F-15SA fighter-bombers and upgrades to their 70 F-15s. In addition, the Europeans have sold 72 Eurofi… Read full post »

You all know the way the old shell game is played. A sucker places a tiny pea beneath one of three shells. Then the con rotates the shells very quickly while the sucker is convinced that he knows the location of the pea. When he points, of course the shell is… Read full post »

Last week, the U.S. announced the cancellation of the largest joint military exercise ever to be held with Israel. It was called Austere Challenge 12. The cancellation was designed to send a message of American displeasure with Israeli leaders for calling Obama’s hesitancy to fully apply sancti… Read full post »

Remember when you were a kid and it was recess time out on the playground. And remember when each of us was flexing our pre-adolescent muscles? How many times did the ageless debate take place between you and a friend—you know the statement, “My dad can beat your dad.” Like this… Read full post »

There are two dance floors in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. One dance floor resides outside of Syria while the other resides outside of Iran. But the dance floors are getting quite crowded and will get even more jam packed in the next few weeks.

The Russian aircraft… Read full post »

In the past few weeks I have been writing about events that have been going on in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. And during that time it seems like that damned mouse has been running up the Hickory dickory dock clock, faster and faster.

It has now become… Read full post »

The old children’s rhyme goes something like this; “Hickry dickory dock. The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one, the mouse ran down. Hckory dickory dock. It is supposed to be something of an ancient counting rhyme. But it seems to have other connotations as well.

In this… Read full post »