A Summer Sojourn

This summer has seen glorious days, warm and full of expectation. Perfect days of sensuous sun, light winds and skin warming rains.

Traveling days. Across the country. Time beneath the water and over the reef. White sand between my toes.

Superior. Each day a new adventure. A delightful summer.

At home, Kansas City has been at its finest. A bountiful City Market. Luxuriant lawns to mow, bulging tomatoes to harvest. Wildflower fields all the colors of the rainbow. Yes, it has been an exceptional summer. I am happy I have had the opportunity to participate.

This week the new fall term has begun. If only autumn can be so kind.

As The World Turns

Now that Russia has invaded Georgia I wonder if our American President is feeling deja vu. After seven years of the United States being the bully to the world it would seem as if Russia is now stealing a page out of the Bush/Cheney handbook.

Russia is justifying its aggression with the same type of lies the Bush Administration used to invade Iraq. The wilder the lie the more difficult it is to make any sense of it.

The world looked on in total disconcertment as the USA invaded Iraq. Now the same world, this time including the USA, is totally astounded by the foolish brashness of Russia invading Georgia. The statements coming out of Moscow sound so similar to the asinine statements our country made over the past years,

The United States has backed itself in to a corner. I suppose it was only a matter of time before a power that we couldn’t bully would use our tactics to protect their own interests. Remember this is a former State of the Soviet Union. It is not a country half way around the world. And wouldn’t you know it? There is talk about the oil that must cross Georgia from the Caspian to European markets.

BTW. Did anyone receive a crisis call at 3am? Voice mail or text? Eastern or Asian time?

Ahoy! Weigh Anchor

Over three years ago I promised to lead a more adventurous life. One of my goals was to boat the length of the Lake of the Ozarks. But first I had to get the boat out of my garage.

Today, I am happy to announce the bow of "The Boat with No Name" has touched water once again. Lake Blue Springs had the pleasure to anoint.

Has anyone checked out the music on NPR All Songs Considered? I’m listening to a Tom Waits concert as I write this post. It is superb. I know, I never thought I would be into Tom Waits either. Give it up.

The Buckle of the Bible Belt

One of the pleasures of visiting southern Missouri, where I grew up, is getting to read the regional newspaper again. The Springfield News-Leader is always good for some political and religious buffoonery. The weekend entertainment directory is in the “Faith” section. The Opinion and Letters columns could serve up fresh material for Jon Stewart’s Daily Show for months.

On one recent trip I came across an article about how tenuous the relationship is between NBC News and MSNBC. It seems the opinonated personalities of MSNBC are beginning to chaff the “real news” gathers in the regular NBC News department.

After complaints that NBC was blurring the lines between MSNBC opinion and NBC News by emphasizing that the two organizations were synonymous NBC News President Steve Capus had the temerity to say that viewers are smart enough to understand the difference. That’s a bet I’ll take any day.

I lean more on the side of the Project for Excellence in Journalism director’s statement, “Getting into the game of trying to attract an audience based on your point of view rather than reporting is dangerous…”

The Root of All Evil

Did anyone see Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil last night on the Comedy Channel? Blogs were found guilty as being the root of all evil. The evidence was very damning. And I tend to agree. But since no one reads my blog I can’t be held for damages.

I got the boat started tonight. It took a little doing, but I succeeded without blowing up anything. Next on the list, sea trials…err, lake trials.