Why would a man join the French Foreign Legion?  For some, it is to hide, to escape a wife, a prison sentence, bad debts.  For Simon Murray, at the age of twenty, it was simply because he could not think of anything else to do with his life.  Thus, he signed a contract for five years in what is often considered the most disciplined military in the world.  The Legion needs to be disciplined given the nature of the recruits, the location of its bases, the brutality of the wars it wages and the harshness of its discipline.

One of the treats of visiting New Orleans is sampling Sazeracs at various locations in the French Quarter. The drink, originally started sometime between 1850-1870 us the official cocktail of the state of Louisiana and is a stable at the carousel bar at the Monteleone Hotel and at the Sazerac bar at the Roosevelt Hotel. During our latest venture into the French Quarter, Brian (whom we believe is the best bar tender in the French Quarter) at Mr. B’s introduced us to the Virus Casse, a relatively new drink invented locally: it gives the traditional Sazerac a real run for it’s money. It consists of equal parts of Rye Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth, Cognac and Benedictine, all poured over ice in a cold tumbler. As you enjoy this drink, as you valiantly work your way to the bottom of the glass, you will enjoy shifting flavors that will continue to hold your interest. A word to the wise; before you order this at your favorite bar, negotiate with the bar tender so that you do not get charged $10 for each ingredient!

I hope you enjoy this treat!

No system is perfect and the larger the entity, the more inclined to error. This holds true for business, government, corporations, etc. In order to succeed, each organization must constantly work to improve it’s product, service, etc., except in the age of equality. When the goal becomes equality of outcome, the need for self improvement decreases and there is a sinking towards the lowest common denominator. We are facing this problem today in many parts of our society including, unfortunately, our schools. Without high standards and the support that goes to help insure those high standards, we face a downward spiral that is almost impossible to reverse. The column from the Wall Street Journal should open everyone’s eyes to the danger we face now and in the future. https://www.wsj.com/articles/mediocrity-is-now-mandatory-11612724198?mod=opinion_lead_pos8

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries seem to hold the promise of solving the problem drivable distance in the electric car industry. Long used in camcorders and laptops, they are dropping in price and seem to be a threat to the dominance of oil and gas. This excellent article goes through the history and seems to point to a major breakthrough in further price decreases in the near future. Near the end of the article however, it point out two problems; 1) Charging stations and 2) energy supply. In SF for example, the city will need to increase the number of charging stations by over 600% by 2030; those charging stations will require 107% of the current electricity used by the entire city. So, where is the plan to increase power generation in SF alone by over 100%? https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-battery-is-ready-to-power-the-world-11612551578?page=1

As we march bravely into the 14th century (with wide spread use of wind power), there are certain truths that we all need face; in order to produce “clean energy”, we have to use more traditional (meaning based on fossil fuels) production methods. There is simply no way to create “clean energy” by using “clean energy”. The old adage that nothing is free holds true regarding energy. You may believe that the cost is worth the price, fine, but please be honest at least with yourself and face the cost. https://www.cnsnews.com/index.php/commentary/vijay-jayaraj/clean-renewable-there-no-wind-energy-without-fossil-fuels?fbclid=IwAR0X5Zz1ngnLGwGNED2WWH2rZz-ZoV35tnX9Mue5KPrkqmlliZjBdQt2KJA

Just two weeks ago I posted the possibility that once again, due to Europe’s poor banking system, economies, international policies, etc., the U.S. might have to save Europe from themselves. Now comes news of the European debt crisis which could be larger than the one in 2007-8. It seems especially true that the Western European nations cannot learn from history, even if it is only a few years ago. https://www.wsj.com/articles/european-regulator-worries-banks-are-ignoring-borrower-troubles-11611839084?mod=markets_major_pos13

Legends die hard and when this book originally came out, there still existed a legend of the golden time when John F Kennedy was President; youthful, good looking with a glamorous wife, he represented to many a time of idealism and vigor before the Viet Nam war.  Those who were with him in the White House during those famous “thousand days” wished to make sure that his image, and thus theirs was preserved for they had been called “the best and the brightest”.  They all worked hard but had a hardy manly mystique and wherever they went, people could feel their energy and purpose. But was the reality close to the legend?

After valiantly testing several Cognacs (I am doing this in order to save you, I hope you appreciate it), I have found that I enjoy Pierre Ferrand Cognac better than Hennessy, Remy Martin, Martel and Courvoisier in the $50-60 price range (this would include their VSOP labels). The two formulas that I enjoy are the Ambre and the 1840. Both are stored for up to ten years (some Cognac is sold after only two years but it is only good for cooking) and have distinctive tastes.

The Ambre has more of an orange and floral taste whereas the 1849 is more of a honey and carmel taste. They are both smooth, do not burn and show the difference between Cognac and Calvados in the best light. The price difference between the two is only in the range of $5.00 so it is easy to have a tasting for a reasonable price.

I have enjoyed both with and without a cigar, sometimes to top off an excellent meal or even when I am simply reading. But, be careful, they can sneak up on you! Enjoy!

This is his classic auto-biography and covers his life from early childhood, through College, the First World War and beyond.  Graves, who was a poet, critic, novelist, translator and author of more than 120 books of history, mythology and fiction, is perhaps best known for his historical novel and fantastic BBC series, “I Claudius”. 

This story is getting some national play as it should; 3rd graders learning about critical race theory instead of learning math. What is wrong with our school system, the school boards and our political leaders who mandate these types of classes? Greater skills are needed by our children yet classes such as this harken back to racial theories discredited by science and those that were destroyed with the destruction of Nazi Germany in 1945. Those who teach this instead of skills needed throughout life should be ashamed of themselves. Thank goodness there are parents who are paying attention to their children’s education. https://www.city-journal.org/identity-politics-in-cupertino-california-elementary-school