national news

No on launch code access

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The advent of social media in our lives has brought us an unanticipated treat: memes that go “viral” and bear repeating.

Such as this one … and I am paraphrasing; Those who promoted lies about immigrants eating dogs and cats need to have their head examined, not receive access to our nation’s nuclear launch codes.

That’s pretty good, right? But Donald Trump is now doubling down on that idiocy he offered the other night while debating Vice President Kamala Harris. He said Springfield, Ohio, is the place where this lunacy is occurring. He’s going there soon to repeat it.

This individual is nuttier than a Snicker’s Bar. Dude can’t help himself … I reckon. I am certain as sure as I am sitting here that that he’ll never provide a scintilla of proof to back any of it up. He’ll just keep repeating it and the MAGA cultists will swallow it.

A quick post script: I met a family from Brisbane, Australia the other day while whiting for a ferry ride to Pireaus, Greece, from a charming place called Naxos. The Au,ssie dad was as certain as I am about Trump …. that the loon is off his rocker. What he cannot get, nor can I, is how Trump continues to make this presidential race a competitive affair.

My answer: Ignorance is tough to scrub away.

International news

A critique of a great city

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ATHENS, Greece — Consider this brief blog post a critique of one of the world’s great cities.

I am near Athens for the fourth time in my life and I have concluded something important about this city of about 3 million residents. I depart from the city’s airport in the morning, heading for my house near Dallas.

It isn’t very pretty.

I have had the pleasure of seeing some marvelous cities around the world. Nuremberg, London, Copenhagen, Taipei, Tokyo … to name just five. They’re all different. Yet they all celebrate their personalities by offering beautiful streets lined with homes that sparkle.

Athens? Hmm. It offers crowded streets, not a skyscraper to be seen anywhere … and sone of the best eatin’ one will find on this good Earth.

It also offers something else that lends to its personality: ancient antiquities. One can walk around virtually any street corner in central Athens and find a nearly 3,000-year-old ruin. I am not going to sell that quality short. The ruins are worth seeing and their age puts into huge perspective just how old sone civilizations are compared to what we have in the U.S.A.

I only wish that Athens could boast of a tree-lined boulevard. It they’re out there, I haven’t seen them.

All that said, I love coming here. Athens is the capital city of the country of my ancestors. When I walk among the horde of people, I feel as though I am among family members. They all look like me.

International news

Two kitties have arrived

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MIKRI VIGLA, Greece — On my final day in paradise, I got an unexpected treat in the form of a furry pal.

I’ll call him Two-Tone, who happens to be a kitty who joined Calico in sharing their love with me.

I’ve told you already about Calico, a feral cat who doesn’t act like one. The same can be said of Two-Tone, who showed up on the patio this afternoon to talk loudly to me. I think he was asking if I had a little extra love I could send his way. Sure! So, I did.

I will have to leave them both in the morning. I have my own kitties waiting for me at the house, Actually, they’re my son’s kitties, but Macy and Marlowe know I love them, too.

What they don’t know is that I might have a new puppy to join our family. More on that later. I hope.

local news

Back to the villa … and then home!

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MIKRI VIGLA, Greece — Well, gang, I am on my own in one of the most gorgeous places I ever have seen.

My cousin and her son have departed for another Greek island paradise, in Santorini. I am here on Naxos for another day before I started my trek back to North Texas.

My drive back from Naxos port took me along a stretch of road we hadn’t yet seen. My GPS wasn’t working because my “smart phone” was disconnected from the Internet. So, I followed my instincts traveled south, keeping the blue Aegean Sea water on my right.

Not long into my drive back to the villa, I thought: What difference does any of this make if I get back sooner rather than later? I have all day to make the drive.

I was in no hurry.

Tomorrow morning will be different. I have Internet here. I can map my route to the port and then follow the directions “the voice” lays out for me. But again, my instinct tells me to keep the ocean on my left going the other way. I’ll have a ferry to catch and then a cab ride to the hotel where I will spend the night near the Athens airport … before heading to the house.

This clearly has been the most relaxing vacation I’ve ever taken … in my entire life. 

I’ve had a moment or two of sadness realizing my bride isn’t here to share it with me. However, I have completed my journey from darkness to light and I am carrying Kathy Anne in my heart.

Now it’s back to the real world. My tanned, rested and ready self is up to the challenge.

national news

Trump says ‘no mas!’

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Can you really blame Donald Trump for not wanting any more of Kamala Harris than what he got the other evening?

I totally get what he might be thinking: I’ve got too much to lose and probably not much to gain by standing toe-to-toe with the former district attorney/former California attorney general/and current vice president of the United States.

One debate whoopin’ is enough for the former POTUS.

The Democratic and Republican presidential nominees now will slug it out at a distance. We’ll get to hear Trump spit out his lies, his fabrications about such things as dogs and cats being eaten by immigrants. We won’t see a scintilla of grace from the GOP nominee who gets to run for POTUS for the third consecutive election cycle, despite his multiple felony convictions and other felony indictments awaiting trial.

He gets to join the ranks of “quitters” to go along with his membership in the club of losers.

International news

All good things must end

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NAXOS, Greece — My all-too-brief visit to Paradise is coming to an end and I am beginning to prepare for my return to what I call “normal” life in North Texas.

It won’t be easy.

Normally, I am usually ready to go home at the tail end of vacations. I’m good for a limited amount of fun and good times. This stint far from the crowds, noise, hassles and pressure is different.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time away, so much so in fact that I want to continue to enjoy it for a little while longer.

Naxos is a special place, to be abundantly clear. I have enjoyed some marvelous conversations with strangers. The locals have welcomed my cousin, her son and me with warmth … which shouldn’t surprise anyone, given how dependent this island community is on tourists and the money they spend.

But it’s almost over. The grind awaits. I am more ready for it now than I was when I arrived here.

Mission accomplished!

political news

Far from politics

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NAXOS, Greece — I have told a joke on occasion that starts with Mrs. Bear Bryant moving back to College Station, Texas, where Bear coached the Texas A&M Aggies before becoming head football coach at the U of Alabama.

Bear died and Mrs. Bryant, according to the joke, moved back to Aggieland to “get as far away from football as possible.”

Yuk, yuk, yuk.

Well, I have gotten as far away from politics as I could by visiting Naxos, in the middle of the Aegean Sea. It feels quite cleansing. I don’t read my cell phone news feed too often, nor do I open my laptop to catch up on the political news of the day. For a political junkie that might seem like a mighty hill to climb. The truth is … it’s not been nearly so difficult.

I have spent the vast bulk of my day catching up on family matters with my cousin and her son; I have been fetching compliments on my ballcap that says “Pappou,” which is a Greek colloquialism for “grandpa.” I pay for items with a credit card and the vendor wants to know when he or she sees my name, “Are you Greek?” Then they mention the obvious, which is that I have a Greek name.

My answer to the last part? Uhh, yeah …  I know.

It has been a marvelous time away from the hustle, bustle, humdrum and occasional hassle of my wonderful North Texas life.

Am I ready for it to end? Not … just … yet.

national news

Harris wins by TKO

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NAXOS, Greece — I awoke this morning in time to watch Vice President Kamala Harris extend her hand to Donald Trump prior to the candidates engaging in a. 90-minute debate.

I cannot tell you whether the encounter will prove decisive in this campaign for the presidency. I will say, though, that I believe Harris has delivered a stunning message to Trump and his MAGA cultists … which is that the GOP nominee can’t hold a candle to the VP while facing her on a debate stage.

She delivered the goods bigly to the former POTUS who once again felt compelled to fall back on his litany of lies, even going so far as to say that undocumented immigrants are eating our puppies and kitties.

Post-debate analysis suggests that Harris was successful in re-introducing herself to American voters.

What now? Hit the road, Mme. Veep. Keep the heat under Trump’s backside … and keep looking forward to a brighter day,

national news

Trump: small and old

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NAXOS, Greece — Of all the analysis I read after watching the Kamala Harris-Donald Trump debate, one media observation stands out.

Kamala Harris managed to make Trump look and sound “small and old” during their 90-minute insult fest.

The decisive moment likely came when she mentioned how Trump rally-goers have been leaving his rallies early out of boredom. Trump was having none of that, contending that his rallies are the greatest in human history; then he fires back with Harris being a “low IQ vice president” serving the “worst president in history.”

Well, there you go. Trump is 78 years of age, the oldest presidential nominee in the history of the republic. He also no longer has the presidential seal behind which he can hide.

Small and old? Yep … that’s Trump.

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Let’s call her ‘Calico’

NAXOS, Greece — This country is known for a lot of spectacular aspects … breathtaking landscapes, centuries-old antiquities, its food, its music and its people.

It also is home to perhaps millions of stray dogs and cats that roam through city streets and rural gardens with nary a care in the world.

My traveling companions and I have made a friend of one of the wanderers on Naxos, where we will spend the next few nights. I am going to call her “Calico,” as she is a calico kitty, and I believe a young one, too.

Calico doesn’t act like a feral animal. Her fur is groomed, she purrs constantly, she loves being held and she also seems willing to join us indoors in the resort where we are staying.

Stray dogs and cats have been a source of discussion among Greeks for years. As Greece was preparing to host the 2004 Athens Olympics, a tempest erupted when the government considered methods to, um, “reduce” the number of stray animals who officials thought would bother the millions of tourists who came here for the Games.

Citizens here said, “Not so fast!” They resisted any thought of mass slaughter of the pooches and kitties. Indeed, we witnessed a woman the other morning in Athens feeding about 20 cats gathered around her for a meal.

These adorable critters, such as Calico, are part of life in Greece.

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