Sunday Morning Coming Down

Living far away from my hometown of Bensenville, Illinois, the high school reunions I attended were Labor Day long weekend events full of visiting with classmates, tours of FHS and visiting with family that still lived in the area.  I think I got honorable mention for coming all the way from Miami, Florida to the event There is a ritual aspect for reunions and family gatherings of all shapes and sizes.  Birthdays, Weddings, Funerals, and holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving have aspects of a family ritual. Getting a driver's license, moving out of the house, graduating from high school or college are certainly milestones.  John Cusack holds a Boom Box over his head to woo Ione Skye.  The song "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel reached #1 in the United States in 1986 was an iconic part of the movie "Say Anything" which was released in April 1989 just prior to my high school's 20th Reunion.  Yes, I would say it was a driver for my second high school reunion a...

And says Oliver Hardy says to Stan Laurel: This is a fine kettle of fish you've got us in.  Except, this isn't a comedy from the 1930's. Russia can sell its oil to relieve the pressure on the oil market that has spiked.  Sanctions against Russia to pressure them to negotiate with Ukraine have been modified.  Russia can make more money now that the price of oil has spiked and prolonging the war in Europe.  Russia is also attempting to help Iran.  I'm not sure who the wing man is as Israel and the United States bomb and threaten more strategic bombing on Iran and Lebanon to open up the Straight of Hormuz and further weaken Hezbollah. And as the price of oil remains high ,  but according to reports Venezuela is back on line and helping out and at least in the short term gasoline is selling at $4.25 a gallon in Florida. This morning I read a column in the Dispatch, which is my attempt at getting a more conservative/middle of the road translation of things....

A long time ago things were different. And a little over a year ago there was an election for the President of the United States and there were more changes. Actually, I think there have been so many changes that you might say we have had another revolution. The borders are now more secure and closed to many. " USBP nationwide apprehensions have averaged under 10,000 per month since President Trump took office – a level of deterrence unmatched in modern border history." Source from the U.S. Border Patrol. And now the U.S. Border Patrol is moving towards "interior immigration enforcement".  This is enforcement of people without legal status is this country, generally more than one hundred miles from the border. From what I've read and personal experience living in Miami "the border" is one area for enforcement.  While the "rounding up" of folks who have questionable status in this country is more like looking for problems where the issues ar...

Barbara Eherenreich wrote a book "Nickel and Dimed to Death".  It was stories about surviving on minimum wage jobs.  Written in 2001, it might be considered an expose on life when you are paid $7.00@hour.  Just so you get where I'm coming from, I worked over thirty years in Miami Dade County in various positions related to job training, retraining, unemployment insurance, welfare, food stamps, and The Welfare to Work Program. My first job was washing dishes $1.25@hr, my last job was delivering advertising flyers and I was lucky to make $7.25@hr on a paper route for the Miami Herald. On October 1, 2025 the minimum wage in Florida was raised to $14.00@hr. Throughout my entire working career with the job training programs I have always felt that having a job that paid a wage through a job with an employer was better than sitting at home. And so this morning I read a story about Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel a major hedge fund. Ken moved his company/money from Illin...

From a column about Jane Austen's beliefs: Look with Mercy on the Sins we have this day committed, and in Mercy make us feel them deeply, that our Repentance may be sincere, & our resolutions stedfast of endeavouring against the commission of such in future. Teach us to understand the sinfulness of our own Hearts, and bring to our knowledge every fault of Temper and every evil Habit in which we have indulged to the discomfort of our fellow-creatures, and the danger of our own Souls.  Hey, it's Sunday. The language might be from another time and it certainly isn't AI. I'm reminded of Pascal's Wager.  Can't hurt, and it might help.

The board game of Monopoly is being lived out in real time these days or so it seems.  Affordable housing is being crowded out of my neighborhood.  Normal three bedroom homes with 2 or 2 1/2 bathrooms built after WWII are being knocked down to build for instance: home with a chef's kitchen, a lap pool and 6 bedrooms and 6 1/ 2 bathrooms.  Built in 2017, it last sold in 2021 for about $3.2 million dollars.