Author Archives: Jim

Election entertainment

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Jim

The silly season is here again. New Mexico’s primary election is June 5 and it’s quite a show. Two of the state’s three Congressional representatives, a Democrat and a Republican, are running to replace a term-limited governor. This makes the … Continue reading →

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Frank, Ernest and me

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Jim

Ernest Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois. Frank Lloyd Wright lived there. And so did I. Oak Park is a vintage suburb of Chicago that retains a small-town atmosphere despite a population of 50,000. Century-old buildings and tree-lined streets … Continue reading →

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Moving on up to Oak Park

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Jim

Note to readers: This exploration of my family history is primarily for my kids and kinfolk. I’m posting it in my blog because I’m too cheap to set up a separate website. If you are not among my relatives you … Continue reading →

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Working by the Western

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Jim

The place was legendary. Western Electric’s Hawthorne Works was the world’s largest telephone equipment factory: Five million square feet of floor space on 200 acres in the Chicago suburb of Cicero and 40,000 employees in its heyday. Western Electric was … Continue reading →

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Lessons in disruption

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Jim

I’m a big fan of disruption. It’s an acquired taste. But because virtually everything is being disrupted these days, from groceries to government, it’s something we should learn to appreciate. We often cheer disruption from a safe distance because overturning … Continue reading →

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Columbus and my neighbors

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Jim

This is an updated version of a post from 2017. Columbus Day used to be a really boring holiday (unless you’re Italian). Now it’s nearly as controversial as, say, a football game, as a growing number of cities dump Christopher … Continue reading →

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Mississippi summers

Posted on September 7, 2017 by Jim

Note to readers: This exploration of my family history is primarily for my kids and kinfolk. I’m posting it in my blog because I’m too cheap to set up a separate website. If you are not among my relatives you … Continue reading →

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Observations from Harvey

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Jim

I can’t stop watching TV coverage of Hurricane Harvey (and couldn’t avoid it if I wanted to). It’s simultaneously terrible, tragic and heartwarming. The good news us that we’re seeing a learning curve in responding to disasters after the missteps … Continue reading →

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Visit to a bird farm

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Jim

I enjoyed watching the commissioning ceremony for the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) on TV over the weekend. The news media consensus is… it’s big. Really BIG. President Trump’s commissioning speech showed uncharacteristic restraint by not calling the ship yuge. One … Continue reading →

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My stuttering family reunion

Posted on July 15, 2017 by Jim

Last week I spent four days reconnecting with an extended family of 700 people at the annual conference of the National Stuttering Association. This is the world’s largest organization for people who stutter with about 150 local support groups, educational … Continue reading →

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