The Barter Economy

Last month my friend Ed rode to Bike Week in Daytona, Florida. He goes every year, and since it’s a long ride there and back, things can and do happen. This year’s thing was a medical emergency: a detached retina. Ed started seeing floaters in one eye after arriving at Daytona. The floaters gradually congealed into a circular […]

.999 Fine Copper

Dude laid a tip on me after my tram tour at the air museum. He walked up, said “Thank you for your service,” and stuck his hand out. I shook back and felt a coin pressing against my palm. I glanced down to see what looked like a gold Rand and immediately thought to myself […]

Sunday Bag o’ Tools

Friday morning Donna said she needed a magnetized bowl to keep sewing machine screws and needles in. You get those at Harbor Freight, and since I love tools I went along. I came home with a breaker bar and 19mm socket to carry in one of the Goldwing’s saddlebags, in case I ever have to change a rear […]

You Can’t Read That!

You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post featuring banned book news and reviews. YCRT! News A Texas congressman says “Better to get your news directly from the president. In fact, it might be the only way to get the unvarnished truth.” A San Antonio PBS talk show host records a rebuttal but the station CEO […]

Tuesday Whiff o’ Putin

From a blog post I wrote on November 15th, one week after the election: “To the conspiracy theorists: I never thought I’d join you, but something about this election stinks. Along with GOP redistricting, gerrymandering, and voter suppression, there’s more than a whiff of Russian manipulation of electronic vote results in a few key states. […]

Saturday Bag o’ Road Trip

Donna and I are once again scheduling separate spring vacations. She’s going to California in April to visit aunts & uncles, attend the annual Giustina family reunion, and see some friends. Her destinations are all in northern California, from the Bay Area north to Chico. Meanwhile I’m planning a May motorcycle trip with our son Gregory. We were originally going to […]

Wednesday Bag o’ Ooga-Booga

If we keep funding Social Security and Medicare at present levels, America will be broke in eight years. So said a Republican congressman on NPR. It’s ooga-booga, no different than stirring up poor whites with lies about inner-city blacks coming for their women. You know how Republicans always say we shouldn’t enact new programs without making sure they’re paid […]