Category: Society

Lessons Learned from a Once in 1000 Years Disaster

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We Know What Works In Such Situations

Hurricane Helene in the Mountains

We in the Great Smoky Mountains have all experienced (and many still are very much experiencing) a unique disaster. The force of one of the largest hurricanes to hit the US in many decades coming inland and up through the Appalachian Mountains. The mountains are full of steep terrain, deep valleys, and large trees. When that environment meets a hurricane, the damage is almost beyond comprehension, over a very large area. Some communities no longer exist, others took various levels of damage, just about everywhere took some damage..

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Two Words That Do Not Go Together

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Mountains and Hurricanes

As most of you know (and many of you are living through), the recent hurricane that became a tropical storm centered on our beloved Asheville and surrounding area in the mountains. The damage is almost beyond description, but communities are pulling together and making progress on getting well. Some whole communities are gone.

Hope to be back with you next week, if communication is up. This is coming to you from a supermarket parking lot with good wifi!

Soon we will be back at politics etc. In the meantime, if you are in the damage zone,

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A Pleasant Reminder of the Power of a Change in the Routine

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 A Change of Scenery And Of Pace Can Do Wonders

Sometimes It Seems Difficult To Change

We are fortunate enough to live in the Blue Ridge Mountains. On any given day, a simple glance in almost any direction will lead to the conclusion I reflect on pretty well every day: this may be the most beautiful place on earth. At least it is in the top echelon of world beauty and majesty.

The fact that we live in such a fine area makes the idea of going somewhere else for a change of scenery not something that comes to mind all that easily.

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A Baker’s Dozen – 13 Reasons Why You Might Vote for Trump & Vance

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A Sarcastic Posting on Voting for the Orange One

About This Posting

No one who is a regular reader of this blog would be fooled into expecting to find an endorsement for the most famous felon in America to again soil the Oval Office. This posting is in the spirit of a Borowitz column, in the spirit of fun.

That there are still people out there who actually think Trump is a good idea is both baffling and sad. I hope many of them seek out the professional help they need. If anything in this posting encourages you to vote for Trump,

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A Tale of Twos

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Two Conventions, Two Platforms Speak Volumes

Did You Hear That?

As we closed out last week, I heard (metaphorically) the sounds of a race beginning. Someone said, “Drivers, start your engines.” Or was it a voice saying, “Get ready, start, go!”? Maybe a starters pistol fired?

Labor Day is right around the corner and so the presidential race has truly begun. I am actually a bit surprised both sets of candidates are not campaigning the weekend just past. No doubt they are working (at least some of them….) in other ways. Lots of things are different in this election,

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You Are There

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We Are in a 90 Day Benchmark in History

Remember That Show?

Those of a certain age may recall a pretty darn good radio/TV show called You are There. It ran on CBS radio starting in 1947, then transitioned to TV in 1953, continuing through 1957, for a total of 90 episodes. There were a couple of years of reruns in the early 1970s. In each show, the viewer was transported to a “newsroom” in another era, where reporters were covering some historic event which was happening around them right now.

I barely remember any of it as a small child,

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Trump Still Has The Lead on Two Issues

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Helping People See How Mislead They Have Been

The Campaign Overview

By now, it should be obvious to just about everyone that the Harris- Walz lead is not just a honeymoon bubble. This level of interest, engagement, commitment, and enthusiasm is something rarely seen in national politics. A new coalition is forming, building around parts of the Biden and Obama coalitions that could be really strong. Especially encouraging is the patterns being witnessed among youth, minorities, and Hispanics. Impressive stuff.

But we still have 83 days to go, and that is forever in politics.

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Ten Thoughts on Ten Topics

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A Lot Has Happened in the Last Week or So

The Middle East Muddle

Israel killed a prominent Hamas leader last week – in Iran. They also took out a Hezbollah leader, in Beirut. I personally have no issue with Israel taking out their sworn enemies who are responsible for atrocities and attacks. But one must question the wisdom of killing the Hamas official who was leading the peace talks, making any progress on that front most unlikely for the foreseeable future. The only senior Hamas leader still standing is the worst of the lot.

The risk of a two front war for Israel is getting uncomfortably close,

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Two Letters to Read And At Least One That Is Missing

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 Plus, Reflections on the Harris Effect

There Are Some Special People Among Us

I had the pleasure and the opportunity to work with some of them over the years. Some were political appointees, but most were career civil servants, government leaders, or military officers. A couple of characteristics made them special over the long haul.

One, they were dedicated to the principle of service to the country. They were, without exception in my experience, leader-servants. They all believed passionately in the country. Most had a copy of the constitution with them pretty much always (me,

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