~ Our Take ~

Yesterday—August 7—marked one of those significant events in American history that slip by without notice: no celebrations, no fireworks, no memorials. Let’s at least give it a shout out: Here’s the context: World War II—After Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941), the...

When we were kids, we thought George Washington’s simple statement, “I cannot tell a lie” was the founding mantra for our nation’s leaders. Our leaders did not—and would not—tell lies. For us, that myth was shattered in May 1960—my senior year of high school—when the...

Photo: The Malecón, Havana’s seaside promenade: Note especially an ocean wave that has just crashed into the seawall, flinging its spume high into the sunset. Tomorrow is a memorable one: 26 de Julio—National Revolution Day . . ....

On July Fourth, we celebrated our nation’s independence… and again we let our minds travel back to that day in 1776. We wonder what it must have been like to live in nascent America on July 4, 1776… The view from Tarawa atoll: a lot more water in Kiribati than land It...

Photo: Celebrating at the Independence Parade July 7th—Happy Independence Day! What, you say? We missed the day by 72 hours? NOT! July 7 is the day Solomon Islanders celebrate their own Independence from Great Britain—303 years after the U.S. declared our independence...

In the mid-Sixties, our US cities were burning, with riots in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Newark. Finally, in July 1967—54 years ago—and amid new riots in Detroit, President Lyndon Johnson issued an executive order appointing the Kerner Commission on Civil Disorders and...

We’ve been fortunate through the years to have lived and worked in several foreign countries—three years in the Solomon Islands and two in the Philippines as a married couple; a year in Italy for Ann as a teenager. One result: a treasure-trove of great memories from...

Writing our memoir (A Rendezvous to Remember) about our early days has been a 3-D roller-coaster ride: breath-taking, but some of the twists and turns left us bruised and aching, like my decision to marry against my parents’ wishes. Fortunately, the winds of time...