Author Archives: Jim

Owning your dream vacation

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Jim

Mexico is a great place to vacation if you’re aware of the hazards: Not the dodgy sanitation or drug cartels, but the timeshare salesmen. A timeshare is a vacation home, sort of. You purchase time at a resort, pay an … Continue reading →

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Going solar with mixed feelings

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Jim

I just signed a contract to install an array of solar panels on my roof that eventually will give me free electricity. But don’t call me an environmentalist. Solar energy makes sense for me because the sun shines 330 days … Continue reading →

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Obamacare and the Holy Shit Moment

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Jim

I’ve been taking an academic interest in the public reaction to the Obamacare rollout. (It’s academic at this point because my Medicare/Tricare coverage has not changed so far.) I’ve always been curious about how people behave in groups, and my … Continue reading →

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Of wooden ships and swordfish

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Jim

My sea duty in the Navy was aboard a minesweeper: a class of ships designed to clear mines from harbors and shipping lanes. In a fleet of steel hulls and armor plate, minesweepers were an oddity because they were made … Continue reading →

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Covering Billy Graham

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Jim

The Rev. Billy Graham is back in the news: celebrating his 95th birthday and releasing a video billed as his final sermon. I met Rev. Graham in 1962, when I was a journalism student and part-time reporter for a community … Continue reading →

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A reluctant athlete

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Jim

I joined a new gym this week, and worked out there for the first time today. It passed my test: fairly clean, uncrowded and five minutes from home. There’s no juice bar, personal trainers or pulsating music and that’s fine … Continue reading →

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Do we need a Secretary of Information Technology?

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Jim

So the new health insurances exchanges for Obamacare have been plagued by computer problems. Is anybody surprised? Government agencies are not good at running consumer-oriented computer systems. When the feds take on a project as big as Obamacare we tend … Continue reading →

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A bite of the Big Apple

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Jim

I renewed my love/hate relationship with New York City last weekend when I flew in for a two-day nonprofit board meeting. Even though I spent about as much time on American Airlines’ flying cattle cars as in the meeting, I … Continue reading →

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Cutting the cord

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Jim

I finally cancelled my landline telephone service. My local phone service has been deteriorating and the cable company made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. This is a big step for me because I was a phone company guy for … Continue reading →

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It’s time for civil rights 2.0

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Jim

My heart goes out to the parents of Trayvon Martin. But I’m getting tired of being called a racist. I came of age during the civil rights movement in the 1960s and raised my kids in a racially mixed suburb. … Continue reading →

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