News and Views

From my kids accomplishments, to my heretical perspective of the world

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Entries from June 2013

We’re (not) Number One! We’re (not) Number One!

June 30th, 2013 · 3 Comments

I recently read a very interesting book, “The Measure of a Nation“. The author compared the United States to thirteen other large, developed democracies (Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Netherlands, Korea, Spain, and the UK) on several factors, including health, wealth, crime, education, equality, freedom and democracy. There is a general […]

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Tags: Opinion

Detached Retina

June 19th, 2013 · 3 Comments

My mother just had surgery today for a detached retina. I was at her house on Friday last week when she mentioned to me that she couldn’t see out of one side of her eye. There seemed to be a curtain over it. That sounded like the classic symptom of a detaching retina, and I […]

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Tags: Computers, Tech & Science · Family Updates

eGallons

June 11th, 2013 · 3 Comments

The US Department of Energy has published an app that will calculate how much it costs to fuel an electric car vs. a gas car. They created a concept called an eGallon which shows how much it would cost to drive an electric car the same distance as a similar gas car would go on […]

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Tags: Uncategorized

Back Home

June 8th, 2013 · 6 Comments

We arrived back in Phoenix last night around 6:00pm. The pilot announced that it was 111 degrees as we were approaching the airport. What a shock after three weeks of temperatures in the 60s! It was a great trip. We met a lot of friendly and helpful French people, who don’t deserve their reputation of […]

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Tags: Family Updates

Driving in France

June 3rd, 2013 · 4 Comments

Driving in France has one big advantage over driving in England,at least for an American: they drive on the right side of the road here. It’s really not bad driving here, and the French drivers are competent and disciplined. Road signs can be confusing. For example, what would you make of “Interdict sauf” followed by […]

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Tags: Uncategorized

Omaha Beach

June 2nd, 2013 · 5 Comments

After the other women returned to the US yesterday, Gisele and I drove to the small town of Bayeux in Normandy. Today we went to Omaha Beach, the first landing point on D-Day, June 6, 1944. We first went to the American Cemetery near the beach. I didn’t expect to be as moved as I […]

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Tags: Family Updates