Today, at least in the U.S., the latest generation of the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil out in Pennsylvania is rudely awaken from his winters nap to predict the rest of winter. Some years ago, my Dad shared a ca 1920 story about my grandfather and a pretender to Phil in Grafton ND. A previous post tells […]
Last night I went to an outstanding program commemorating the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. This was a one-night program. The program booklet can be seen here: Auschwitz- Apollo 1-2015001. As the program booklet notes (p. 2) Dr. Sean Vogt, Director of the wonderful Apollo Male Chorus, was moved and inspired by a […]
PRE-NOTES: 1. Auschwitz-Birkenau, air photo and description: Auschwitz-Birkenau001 2. Recollections of a GI who visits Dachau shortly after liberation in 1945 are at the end of this post. (click on photos to enlarge them) January 27, 2015, marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp near Oswiecim, Poland. This day, 70 years […]
I’m an early riser, and todays NYTimes headline on the computer screen said, simply, “Ernie Banks, the eternally hopeful Mr. Cub, dies at 83”. That would be the Chicago Cubs, the first and and for many years the only host Major League baseball team I ever watched in person, at Wrigley Field, Chicago, in the […]
Wednesday afternoon I made a trip up to ND relating to my Uncle, who’s in a Nursing Home in a small town, and has recently been enrolled in the Hospice Program. The trips are frequent, tiring, but always necessary. Usually I leave in early morning. This day I was scheduled for something called Carpet Bowling […]
Today is Martin Luther King Day in the United States. The Day was first implemented in 1986; first recognized by all States in 2000. This years MLK Day is one of the most significant in the days history, in my opinion. Yesterday I went to the film “Selma” about the events surrounding March 25, 1965, […]
(click to enlarge photos) It had been a long time since I last actually attended a performance of Garrison Keillor‘s long-running “A Prairie Home Companion“. Tonight was the night, and a wonderful night it was, with a distinctly blue grass tilt, featuring the Gibson Brothers, Heather Masse, (one of the very popular Wailin’ Jennys), and […]
The first “Third Thursday” of what is now known as Citizens for Global Solutions, Minnesota(CGSMn), was March 23, 2000. (For purists, yes, the first Third Thursday was on the fourth Thursday, but they had a good excuse…!) Since that first program there have been well over 100 topics explored by over 100 always well qualified […]
One week ago some lunatics went on a killing spree in Paris. By week end there were 20 fatalities, and a huge demonstration of over a million people in Paris last Sunday. I wrote my feelings at the time, last week. They are here. At the end of that earlier post are now two comments, […]
In the annals of humanity there have always been unspeakable tragedies perpetrated by human beings, one or more against others. The increasing sophistication of instant world-wide communication about everything, including atrocities, may be a blessing, but can be a curse as well. We have to be wary of being manipulated; to slow down, and try […]