Craig's Corner

The solstice has passed and this thing called ‘summer’ is underway. After a quarter-century in Los Angeles the meteorological changing of the seasons on the East Coast is still surprising to me. With the rising temperature and school vacations the travel season is underway. It is the season of ugly Americans – a pejorative description of American behavior on foreign soil. People who expect a different place to have the same amenities, values and traditions of home and are vocal about it are pigeon holed as loud, obnoxious and arrogant American tourists. Having been abroad and both participated in such behavior and observed it, the United States is not well represented in such situations. As embarrassing as that can be, however, it pales in comparison to ugly, arrogant and misguided American foreign policy. The U.S. has been at war for most of its history. Presidents Harding through Hoover (1921-1933) oversaw the longest period of peace . After that, World War I and all of the su...

In sports, rooting for the home team is part and parcel of living in that community. The conundrum comes when one home team is playing against a former (or soon to be) team. Such is the case in the current battle for Olympic gold – the U.S. site for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Boston and Los Angeles along with San Francisco and Washington DC are in the running . One of the cities will become the potential host that then competes with other cities in the world for the privilege of hosting the games. I’m not much of a sports fan, but I recognize the value of the Olympics as a global force for amateur athletes to compete on behalf of their country. What I don’t get is the whole host competition. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) makes the determination about which site will host the Games. With the selection come civic pride, and not a small financial commitment to building infrastructure.  The 2014 Sochi games were the most expensive  costing Russia over $50 billi...

Monty Hall is synonymous with most generations as the host of “ Let’s Make a Deal !” Average folk are given the opportunity by the host to choose one prize over another. Sometimes the items are fabulous, and sometimes they’re “zonks.” Contestants wear outlandish costumes to get the hosts attention. The show has been on the air for more than 50 years on various networks in multiple of configurations. 20 non-U.S. countries have their incarnations, though it’s only currently in Egypt and Indonesia. Afghanistan is not one of the places the show has ever aired, though the Taliban have shown remarkable adeptness at the concept. Bartering is the fundamental premise of a capitalist society. One thing has a certain value and it is exchanged for something else of a similar value. I started my consulting business on a barter – a friend’s company was in distress and asked if I thought I could help. I did – in exchange for 3 in person referrals since they didn’t have cash. And, like the old ...

I’m a nomadic homebody. It’s not an oxymoron - it just means that when I’m in a particular place I settle for whatever time I’m going to be there. Generally when I leave a location, I often focus on the excitement and exploration of something new rather than reminisce about what I'm leaving. That said, no matter the attributes of Boston, I find myself longing for the meteorological certainty and temperate climate of Los Angeles. (Every day!) There are favorite haunts from when I was in other areas as well. There’s no question that I miss the people and friends from all of my prior haunts. This week I'm jealous of what’s happened in Minnesota. Gov. Mark Dayton and the Democratic legislature repealed 1,175 “obsolete, silly” laws in the land of 10,000 lakes during an 'Unsession.'  The Governor said: “In addition to getting rid of outdated laws, the project made taxes simpler, cut bureaucratic red tape, sped up business permits and required state agencies to communi...