Monthly Archives: May 2016

Say Again?

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Roger Walck

Sentient Jet is a private jet charter service for those who like to fly privately but don’t want the hassle of owning a  jet. Their recent ad in The Wall Street Journal made me wonder if I just read a … Continue reading →

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Poetry and a Poet

Posted on May 27, 2016 by Roger Walck

“Insurance Man,” by Peter Schjeldahl. The New Yorker, 5/2/2016. Wallace Stevens, the subject of this New Yorker article, was a well-known blank verse poet of the 1930s who only wrote poetry as a sideline to his career as an insurance company … Continue reading →

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Redskins Solution

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Roger Walck

A letter writer to our local newspaper, John Hannagan, had an ingenious idea to solve the controversy of “Redskins” as a nickname for sports teams (a local high school team in Delaware is called “the Redskins”): Keep the name, but … Continue reading →

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Hugs

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Roger Walck

“Before You Brexit, How About a Hug?” by Georgi Kantchev. The Wall Street Journal, 5/16/2016. A group of European expatriates in Britain are attempting to influence the natives to stay in the European Union by hugging them. They lurk in … Continue reading →

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Quokka-Selfies

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Roger Walck

“Here, Quokka! Selfie Collectors Descend on Baffled Marsupials,” by Dan Strumpf. The Wall Street Journal, 5/19/2016. You probably never heard of a quokka, but they are the shmoos of Western Australia (although they do not give milk, lay eggs, or … Continue reading →

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The Downside of Dharma

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Roger Walck

I hung out with Jim Finnegan almost every day for over ten years at the senior center. I use his full name because he is now lost to me from Alzheimer’s, physically as well as mentally, and I am hoping … Continue reading →

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The Dharma of Caregiving

Posted on May 15, 2016 by Roger Walck

“After Death, the Wonderful World Moves On,” by Stephen J. Lyons. The Wall Street Journal, 5/1/2016. The story goes that a Buddhist priest was sitting on a river bank when he noticed a scorpion struggling in the water. He reached … Continue reading →

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The Caregiver’s Reward

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Roger Walck

Caregivers may get their reward in heaven, but they certainly won’t get it in this life. You would think they would hear every day all day long, “Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving up what remains of your … Continue reading →

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Kawaii, Hikikomori, and the Declining Population of Japan

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Roger Walck

“Japan’s Net Loss: 947,000 People,” by Jun Hongo. The Wall Street Journal, 2/27/2016. Japan’s recent census showed a decline in population for the first time since they began collecting the data in 1920. The decline was expected, but it is … Continue reading →

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More On Ultra-Pasteurized Milk (UHT)

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Roger Walck

Almost all milk now sold is ultra-pasteurized, or UHT (ultra high temperature, the method of ultra-pasteurization). And no wonder. The “sell by” date is well over a month away and the stores love that.  But UHT is for the store’s … Continue reading →

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