Monthly Archives: November 2018

Seeking Meaning In Life

Posted on November 23, 2018 by JohnMatel

I am invited to address a Department of State Public Affairs Officer conference to provide insights from someone who had crossed the bar from active diplomat to retired Foreign Service Officer. Some people in that audience might be reading this. … Continue reading →

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Last flowers of summer

Posted on November 20, 2018 by JohnMatel

The last flowers of summer are still hanging on a bit forlornly. A melancholy time – too late for the glory of fall, too early for the promise of spring, and still no winter snow to turn the drabness shining … Continue reading →

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Fires in California – Fire is NOT the Enemy

Posted on November 19, 2018 by JohnMatel

Let’s just get the California politics out of current partisan bickering. Let me be plain about this. If you are blaming Trump or blaming Jerry Brown or thinking of this in any current political way, you are ignorant. Cut it … Continue reading →

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November Trip to State Department

Posted on November 17, 2018 by JohnMatel

Yesterday was miserable; today was glorious, brisk and brightly sunny. I rode my bike to State Department. Most of the ice and snow from yesterday was melted. Only on the bridges did it persist. I had to be a little … Continue reading →

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Comments on Fire in the Forest

Posted on November 13, 2018 by JohnMatel

These are some of my thoughts related to the big fires in California.  They are keyed off the articles at the top. Megafires More Frequent Because Of Climate Change And Forest Management It is very distressing that President Trump has … Continue reading →

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Happy Birthday, Ma

Posted on November 12, 2018 by JohnMatel

My mother was born on this day in 1923. I never got to know my mother after I was an adult. She died when I was seventeen. So my memories are seen through the eyes of a child or at … Continue reading →

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G Washington Distiller

Posted on November 11, 2018 by JohnMatel

George Washington was good manager and smart investor. He diversified his crops and always looked for profitable enterprise. Among them was a grist mill and – partially based on the – a distillery. Washington: A Man Who Appreciated Good Spirits … Continue reading →

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Crash & Bang

Posted on November 9, 2018 by JohnMatel

Crashing, banging, feeling queasy & nearly fainting. These are some of my impressions of the crash-bang course I completed yesterday. I hope I never need to most of what I learned, and I am happy to report that I have … Continue reading →

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Crash, Bang, Some Blood & Lots of Beer

Posted on November 7, 2018 by JohnMatel

November 5 at 10:05 PM · I am at the crash-bang course. Not supposed to write about details and not allowed to take pictures. I have to take it so that that I can spend more than 44 total days … Continue reading →

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“The Givers” – should we criticize generosity?

Posted on November 3, 2018 by JohnMatel

Americans are exceptionally generous and more likely that people in most other places to volunteer. This is something foreigners noticed since the time of Alexis de Tocqueville. It is the special ingredient that allows us to do with less government. … Continue reading →

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