Our house in Italy is high in the Apennines Mountains. We’ve written of its WWII history before on this blog. What I want to explain to our friends here now is the special sound and effect of the mountain wind through a forest; taking place all around me now, as I sit in our front yard about one mile high. I love the sound of the ocean; it’s crashing waves, the expanse and the forever nature of its sound. But the wind in the trees in the mountains is something else. And I have come to love it, too. It’s different in sound and effect from the crashing ocean waves. It has a power to it like the crashing waves; but it also has an insistence about it that is at once both alarming and reassuring. Its as though at any minute a tornado could strike, or a hurricane, even though you know that’s not what the wind portends. And yet still somehow reassuring in its refusal to stop. Really a treat for a “city boy!” Love, Jim Continue Reading
A MELTDOWN AT FRENCH BORDER
Trying to get my head around going back to LA on Tuesday. We’re in Paris for a few days because we fly back from here. Getting here was another adventure. Things had been fairly quiet in Calais over the last few weeks. But as soon as we got on the road on Friday, our driver received a call that there was a delay of a “few hours”. By the time we reached Folkestone, England to get the train ferry, a few hours had evolved into three. And by the time we actually got in the tunnel it was four hours. Once again it was laid the feet of migrant problems. It was sweltering hot, which was a surprise because the last few weeks it’s been very cool. Our driver picked us up from the train station in Folkestone and drove us to the tunnel to take us across. But since nobody was going anywhere, we had to stay together until we got through the tunnel. Then he was to drop us at the train station in Calais where we’d get a train to Paris. This guy, like the one who brought us from Calais to London Continue Reading
FOND FAREWELL TO THE COUNTRY & PEOPLE WE LOVE
Dear Friends: As Bonnie and I and the dogs left our apartment for a walk this afternoon, with only one day left before we leave London for four days in Paris and then home, we were both feeling very sad to be leaving. I was reaching in my pockets to make sure I had doggie bags with me when behind us I heard a voice call out, "do you need a couple of pounds?" I turned, and a man even older than me who we'd never seen before, said, "I could spare a few quid, if that will help." "No, no," I said..."we're fine, but thanks!" And then we stopped and talked for a few minutes. His name was "Harry." When he discovered we were Americans he said,"well then, thanks, Yanks...you saved our fannies in the war!" He had a great sense of humor, and when we said we were sad to be going home, given our love of London, he replied, "well, hopefully you can come back again next year...until then keeping laughing, it will keep you young and get you through anything in life, won't it." We talked a bit Continue Reading
JIM ON UK’S LABOUR PARTY LEADERSHIP ELECTION AND LESSONS FOR CLINTON AND THE DEMOCRATS
Dear Friends: Watching the established Labour Party officials try to derail the campaign of Jeremy Corbyn, the openly socialist running against three establishment candidates seeking to become the UK'S Labour Party leader, might be a precursor to what the Democrats in the U.S. will do if Bernie Sanders ever looks to be on the threshold of winning the Dems nomination for President. Every Labour Party big wig, past and present, including two former Labour Party Prime Ministers, have come out strongly and viciously against Corbyn's candidacy. Their main argument against him? He can't win the job of Prime Minister come the next general election...he's too far left! And so they have changed the rules of the nominating process, the other three candidates have urged their supporters to list each other as second choice on their ballots. Even the liberal Guardian newspaper has endorsed one of the other three candidates. But the most interesting aspect of the Corbyn campaign is how it Continue Reading