Lhasa Thondup was born in Taster village, in Amdo, Tibet, on this day in 1935. Leter he would be given the names Jetson Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, often shortened to Tenzin Gyatso, but more commonly he is known by his title as the 14th Dalai Lama. Some of us prefer to call him His Holiness. A more singular person to stride the world stage in our times is hard to conceive. The winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace... Read more

My vegetarian and vegan friends might wish to avert their eyes on this posting. As it turns out this is Fried Chicken Day in the United States. ‘Tis a holiday of mysterious origins, a factoid which I kind of like. Although I do suspect the machinations of the fried chicken cartel are behind it. Me, I shall not be celebrating it this time around. (Down nineteen pounds as of last weigh in, thank you for asking) But my tastebuds are... Read more

To the eternal joy of Hawaiians and other lovers of fatty mystery meat products, it was on this very day in 1927 that Hormel Foods introduced Spam to an unsuspecting public. According to Wikipedia, and who doesn’t count on Wikipedia these days for such things, “Spam’s basic ingredients are pork shoulder meat, with ham meat added, salt, water, modified potato starch as a binder, sugar, and sodium nitrite as a preservative. Natural gelatin forms during cooking in its tins on... Read more

I have been blessed with a weak sense of the crowd. It absolutely isn’t absent, just weaker than that which beats in many human hearts. I very much feel the tug of various sorts of connections beyond the barrier of skin and gene. But for me, as an easy example, affiliation with a sporting team barely exists. We lived in Boston when the Red Sox broke the “curse,” and I felt enthusiasm about it. A lot because my spouse enjoyed... Read more

Me, I’m the first television generation. Those just a couple of years older or born somewhere other than on the coasts are not. They are firmly radio generation. And, while I did listen some to radio, we had a television much earlier than people in our financial circumstances probably should have. As a consequence I fondly recall a lot of early television. This ranged from shows made for TV like Crusader Rabbit, Captan Kangaroo, the Roy Rogers Show, and I... Read more

The Christian churches like to memorialize people on the date of their death, when they are supposed to have gone on to their heavenly reward. There is something to that, even for those of us who find the continuance of the human ego past the disruption of the body, past unlikely. It puts a period on things, and notes the totality of their lives. So, while I continue to prefer to mark the birth of a person with all that... Read more

Okay, apparently, one of two. The first was a bit back, on the 24th of June when Kenneth Arnold reported what is by some to be considered the first UFO sighting. The second, today, the 2nd of July, marks the 69th anniversary of when the aliens crash-landed at Roswell. And anyone who saw Independence Day, the “good one,” knows it is totally true. Now, the people I like best seem to have somewhat different views on this subject. Neil DeGrasse... Read more

Could avoid a few embarrassing moments, at the very least. Such as, perhaps, not purchasing this tile. Or, at least, if you do, know what you’re getting yourself into… Read more

I remember a select little group with which we traveled and camped together for some days; this group had undertaken to liberate some captive League brothers and the Princess Isabella from the hands of the Moors. It was said that they were in possession of Hugo’s horn, and among them were my friends the poet Lauscher and the artists Klingsor and Paul Klee; they spoke of nothing else but Africa and the captured princess, and their Bible was the book... Read more

It was on this day in 1880 that Ned Kelley, an Australian bushranger, or outlaw who had in his life captured the public imagination as one unjustly persecuted and driven into outlawry was captured. The capture itself was momentous, as Kelly and his gang were dressed in home made armor. His associates were all killed, he was captured, was tried, convicted, and hung. His last words are reputed to be, “Such is life.” I find some interesting parallels to the... Read more