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            It has been two years since Russia invaded Ukraine.  Two years since many Americans were breathlessly outraged at the audacity of President Vladimir Putin’s attempt to recoup the old Soviet Union.  Two years since Democrats and Republicans stood in bipartisan support of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians.  Since a number of American soldiers courageously and independently volunteered to join the Ukrainian cause, with some not returning home.      How are we looking now?      I guess at this point it should come as no surprise, but this complicated global event that has the potential to have a far-reaching ripple effect, has evolved (or devolved) into a political football.  The unspeakable horrors committed by Hamas and the ensuing events in Gaza have become the new, shinier object to distract us.  The upcoming election has made everything even more hyper-partisan...

       “You were so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you didn’t stop to think if you should.”                                                      Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park      IPhones and adolescence do not mix well.  Sponge-like brains are being fed a constant direct flow of social media, streaming, and gaming, allowing for no time off, and filling in gaps of time like water fills in gaps of space.  This is especially true at night when sleep, increasingly important to brain development, should be occurring.  Instead, what we are seeing are sleep-deprived students with incredibly low levels of interest and problem solving in anything they don’t find ente...

     Texting has created a language all to itself, a world of acronyms that, for people of my age, either needs its own form of dictionary or a live-in teen-ager.  LOL, LMAO, SMH, all easily energized with a well placed F (If you really mean it!!).  One of my favorites is YOLO, You Only LIve Once.  I have found myself leaning a little more on this philosophy as I get older, which I suppose is natural.  But, I’ve also found it to be more complex than what it seems at face value, allowing for a number of paths, depending on the amount of spontaneity you are willing to risk.      The easiest path would be the spur-of-the-moment, devil-may-care, last-second decision that some find satisfying.  It's a high risk, high reward scenario that Vegas thrives on.  The higher the risk, the higher the reward, with the higher chance of something going sideways.  It can produce the huge adrenaline shot that some people ...

                                                              I have never been the kind of person that has a lot to say, ironically.  High school and college classes were usually exercises in listening for me, mostly lectures from teachers, but also questions and comments from other students.  I didn’t usually feel intellectual enough or informed enough to open my mouth and add to the conversation, mainly for fear of looking stupid.  Bottom line, my insecurities forced me to listen to all viewpoints, think about them, and then discuss with people I trusted.      So, when I found myself sitting on my couch on September 29, 2020 awaiting the first debate between President Donald Trump and former VP Joe Biden, I had a feeling of what I could expect, hoping for better.  It could...