Month: April 2026

Character. Things I Think. Artemis. Pure Talent.

Not Just About Wealth. Mid-April Takes. To Mars We Go. Mexican Radio.

  • Quote of the Week: When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost. – The Reverend Billy Graham

Over the last fifteen years, the amount of information and emphasis on wealth-building has increased ten-fold. Investment firm advertising has hit an all-time high, private equity is in the news numerous times a day, and banking has become so fluid you rarely need to go into a branch. Reverend Billy Graham’s quote is spot on. Has the yearn for wealth overshadowed a focus on health? Has it also helped denigrate one’s character – deciding that wealth supersedes all?

I do not have to give examples of The Reverend’s concern. If you consume any level of news, there are daily stories that provide clear examples of people of less character who placed wealth over their well-being. You can have all the money in the world, but if you do not have your health or high character, what do you REALLY have?

Things I Think for mid-April 2026

  • I am not saying I am not looking forward to this summer’s World Cup. What I am saying is playing matches in three countries, forty-eight teams (12 groups of four teams), and 104 matches may be too much. I am not discounting the efforts of all one-hundred-four teams’ effort to qualify for the World Cup tournament, but in reality, I have no interest in watching countries like Jordan, Uzbekistan, Curacao, and Iraq. One team I will keep my eye on is Morocco, who have proven that their physicality and tactics can put their opponents on their heels. Morocco is grouped with Brazil, Haiti, and Scotland and with the top two teams in each of the twelve groups moving on to the knockout stages, we should see Morocco advance. The USA has a decent shot at advancing to the knockout stages as well, being grouped with Paraguay, Australia, and Türkiye.
  • Today is day forty-four of the U.S. – Iran war. Is there an end in sight?
  • The world of broadcast radio continues to spiral. Not surprisingly, Edison Research reports that “Podcasts have officially overtaken AM/FM talk radio as the more popular medium for spoken-word audio in the United States.“
  • Even if you have little interest in golf, today’s final round of The Masters is much-watch TV.
  • With streaming services now being ubiquitous, I find it interesting that the U.S. Justice Department has launched a probe into the National Football League (NFL) engaging in anticompetitive practices, specifically the league’s increasing shift to airing more games on subscription television services. Last season, NFL games aired on ten different services, including Prime Video, YouTube, Peacock, and Netflix.
  • After various people suggested I watch Peaky Blinders, I cannot stop watching this six-season show on Netflix. Warning: crude, rude, and violent but the storyline and acting is bar none. Cillian Murphy’s performance in this British historical crime drama is fantastic. Factoid about Cillian Murphy’s performance: he does not smoke, but his character called for him to consistently light one up. He went through 3,000 herbal cigarettes per season, for six seasons.
  • Has anyone been to Anegada? It is the second-largest island in the British Virgin Islands and has fewer than five-hundred permanent residents. It is near Tortola (if that helps).
  • Regarding travel, many people who visit Orlando ask me what area to stay in. Even if you are attending a conference at the convention center or a hotel near the convention center, do not stay in that area. That is NOT the real Orlando. Orlando is made up of small towns that over the years have grown together to form a large metro area. Try staying in the Lake Eola/downtown area, Winter Park, College Park, or anywhere not near the convention center area. Here is your restaurant list: Reel Fish, Christner’s, Maxine’s on Shine, Kress, The Castle, Linda’s la Cantina, Santiago’s Bodega, The Pinery, The Whiskey, Eddie V’s, Totoya Sushi Lounge, Tori Tori, and any of the Vietnamese restaurants in the Mills 50 area. Orlando’s entrepreneurial spirit with restaurants is noteworthy.
  • Friday night’s Artemis II splash down culminated the second of four Artemis missions. The Artemis program will eventually return humans to the Moon for long-term exploration by delivering modules for the Gateway lunar station. There have been many questions about the overall program, and maybe some confusion with the four Artemis missions. To clear that up, here is a brief explanation:
  • Artemis I – this 2022 mission was uncrewed with objectives of evaluating the SLS rocket and the Orion capsule ‘s safety and performance.
  • Artemis II – this mission, after delays, was a ten-day lunar flyby carrying four astronauts to test life-support systems, navigation, and radiation shielding. The Orion capsule splashed down Friday night, April 10, off the coast near San Diego, California.
  • Artemis III – targeted for 2027, the third of four missions will be manned and focus on testing docking capabilities that involve the Orion capsule spacecraft and commercial lunar landers preparing for future landings including Artemis IV.
  • Artemis IV – this will be a crewed lunar landing mission and deliver the first major module of the Gateway lunar station into lunar orbit. The four astronauts will land near the Moon’s South Pole.

The Artemis program has three major objectives and goals. 1) to establish a permanent human presence on and around the Moon; 2) to land in areas previously unexplored by Apollo to search for water and other resources; 3) to develop technologies including life support, navigation, and habitation modules to prepare for future human missions spending time on Mars.

Here is a short video if you did not see Friday night’s splashdown:

Question of the Week. Thank you for your responses regarding a job or career you had planned on pursuing and if it came to fruition.

  • No set idea on a career path however my career path found me and my love for management in the containership logistics area was formed.
  • Airline pilot, obviously NO.
  • My love for animals has always existed and dreamed of being an animal trainer or zookeeper.
  • A sports broadcaster…specifically play-by-play. I did get to do two years of live television sports broadcasting…but as my brother always told me: ‘I had a face for radio.’
  • Astronaut. The Artemis II mission reminded me of how much I wanted to be an astronaut. Somehow, I became a financial advisor.

Pure Talent. This band fit into the genre of ‘New Wave’ but also offered up a bit of strange and cinematic edge to the music scene. The year is 1982 and the band Wall of Voodoo broke through the top ten charts with their hit song, “Mexican Radio.” This song stood apart from anything else on the radio at the time. At many levels, Wall of Voodoo was Pure Talent.

Adios, pay it forward, be the best human, and have a Sunday Funday!

Lose the “I Can’t”. War. Frowned Upon. Question of the Week. Pure Talent.

Step Up to a Challenge. What is it Good For? Things that were Cool in the 1970s. Acting Without Acting.

Quote of the Week: “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” – Vincent van Gogh

“I can’t” is a response that is unacceptable. That response to a question is a prevailing form of negative thinking. There are many responses that are much more positive and forward thinking than “I can’t”. Unfortunately, the response correlates with a ‘glass half empty’ attitude and habitual self-defeating talk. In many instances, the response “I can’t” comes from people who feel bad about themselves, compare themselves unfavorably to others, and feel like they are inferior and inadequate.

Vincent Van Gogh’s quote is telling us to step up to the challenge and try the things that you think you cannot accomplish. The fear of failure stems from feeling like you are not good enough compared to others resulting in us creating tremendous pressure to succeed. The word “can’t” should not be a part of your vocabulary. The words “I will try” are much more acceptable. Remember, Abraham Lincoln lost eight elections, failed twice in business, and suffered a nervous breakdown before he became the President of the United States. Some things that go around, come around.

Thankfully, there are many people who are all about “I can.”

  • War, What is it Good For? It does not matter who the warring factions are, war destroys dreams, aspirations, and lives. The two World Wars, the Korean War, Vietnam, Kosovo, the Soviet-Afghan War, the U.S.-Afghan War, the Second Congo War (4.5 million killed), The Gulf War, and all of the wars of the Middle East. Some may have been necessary and some maybe not.

There is no doubt that Iran has been most of the world’s enemy for many years. Their use of proxies to conduct terrorism is well documented. Their clear communication of ‘Death to America, Death to Israel’ is alarming and their nuclear proliferation is scary. Now that the United States and Israel have gone to war with Iran, what do you feel, after thirty-seven days, is the desired outcome?

I started this take with the title of a great song that asks what war is good for. While I stand behind the statement, I see no other option, after thirty-seven days, than for the United States to carry on with stopping Iran’s nuclear strategies, opening up the Strait of Hormuz, and somehow forcing a regime change. The United States abruptly stopping what they started in Iran is:

  • Going in for an uncontested layup and missing.
  • Reaching in for that first kiss and your date turns their face.
  • A beautiful boat with an underpowered engine.
  • Having a 90″ QLED 8K TV and no soundbar.
  • Running a 10K with poorly fit running shoes.
  • Training for years to land on the moon and not being selected for the mission.
  • Traveling to a beach resort only to have bad weather.
  • Finding yourself wide open for an easy touchdown catch only to drop the ball.
  • Being true to your tax returns and still being audited by the IRS.
  • Stopping the war in Iran with the Strait of Hormuz still controlled by Iran.

We may or may not have entered the war in Iran with objectives that align, but now that we are at war we need to forge on with opening the Strait of Hormuz, stopping Iran’s nuclear proliferation, and at some level force a regime change. Way easier said than done.

Thank you to B.B. for this list of things/items that were quite normal in the ’70s that would now be frowned upon:

  • Riding in the back of a pickup truck.
  • Jumpstarting your car by rolling it, jumping in the driver’s seat, and popping the clutch.
  • Carrying your schoolbooks in your arms.
  • Using encyclopedias to help you with your homework.
  • Talking to a friend on Monday about meeting up Friday night, and with no further communication during that week, just showing up at the right place at the right time.
  • Leaving the house in the morning and not returning until dinner time, being unreachable during that time.
  • A gas station attendant pumping gas into your car.
  • Using a CB radio.
  • Going to 7 Eleven on Saturday night to pick up the first edition of the Sunday paper for my parents.
  • Sitting on a plane, in a suit, with one-third of the passengers smoking cigarettes.
  • Riding in the back of a station wagon. No seat belts, no worries.
  • Stopping to use a phone booth to get my messages from the receptionist at the office.
  • Watching the girls on the beach mixing baby oil and a bit of lemon juice to apply as suntan oil.
  • Using the TV Guide magazine to see what was on the four channels that night.

Thanks to everyone who provided an answer to last week’s Question of the Week regarding your favorite Easter/Passover memory.

  • My fondest Easter memories are my during childhood -gathering to decorate hundreds of eggs and then a massive egg hunt with my entire family.
  • I never had anyone ask that question. The answer came surprisingly easy. Best Easter memory: When my wife came into the Catholic Church … She was baptized, confirmed and receive her 1st holy communion … 40 years ago on Easter Sunday.
  • As a teenager, I was heavily involved in my church youth group. One Easter, our senior youth group came up the the brilliant idea to release helium filled balloons, symbolic of Jesus’ being raised from the dead, at the annual Easter Sunrise Service. We were excited about our project as a way to show the congregation the committed presence of its youth. For weeks we made plans and collected supplies- balloons by the bulk, string, and arranging to have a tank of helium delivered to the church the week before Easter. It was a large membership church so we were prepared with lots of balloons. A test run showed the balloons would not hold the helium overnight, so our plan was to gather very early on Sunday morning to fill hundreds of balloons with helium. At 4:00 am a group of 6 or 7 teenagers, armed with keys to the church, gathered to start the process – what could possibly go wrong!? We soon settled into a rhythm of filling, tying, and stringing balloons and the work seemed to go quickly. After a while, the small room where we were working began to fill with helium balloons – we were running out of space. So we started to take bunches of balloons to the large sanctuary space and anchoring them to the pews. Well, toward the end of our filling, we decided it would be great fun to inhale the helium and talk to one another like Donald Duck. Nobody was paying attention to the balloons anchored in the sanctuary and several broke loose and floated to the two-story ceiling. Of course we panicked knowing the minister and other adults would be furious when they saw the stray balloons – for Easter Sunday of all times!! We had to think quickly! One member of our group decided the best idea was to run home and get his BB gun and shoot the balloons down! Needless to say the endeavor was hilarious and ineffective. High on helium and teenage hijinks, it was one of the best Easter Sundays! And the balloons at Easter Sunrise were a big hit. Now I wonder how much damage we did to the environment by releasing hundreds of balloons! Hey, it was the 70’s!
  • Easter egg hunts with grand kids😊
  • Going to the first McDonald’s that opened in the neighborhood.
  • Remember those Easter Sundays with family – me all cleaned up, in my little suit with clip-on bow tie in our local church.
  • When our kids were young we always went to ocean city NJ for a Easter egg hunt on the beach , Couple hundred kids two thousand eggs and over in 3 minutes.

This week’s Question of the Week: With no regard to compensation, what is a job or career that you wanted to pursue…and did you make that happen?

  • Pure Talent. Tired of political diatribe, the negative vibrations from the war in Iran, and no good movie option, I watched a few episodes of the long-running show Curb Your Enthusiasm last week. There are many ways to describe the essence of the show, with the words funny, uncanny, cringing, and outrageous coming to mind. The other word that is a fact regarding the show is improvised, as most of the dialogue was created on the spot by the actors.

Rather than a traditional script with written dialogue, Larry David and his team only provided the cast with an outline for each episode which obviously had to describe the main plot and general scenes. The actors would act out scenes based on the outline, improvising their lines to make the conversations sound natural and realistic. One factoid I find amazing is that Larry David asked that the cast not read the outline too thoroughly in advance, as he did not want the actors thinking about funny lines ahead of time. He demanded genuine, unscripted, and improvised reactions in each scene.

The show, though sometimes uncomfortable with the words that spill from Larry David’s mouth, is very funny with the cast genuinely laughing due to the unpredictable improvised lines. Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s writers and cast are Pure Talent.

Adios, pay it forward, be the best human and have a great Easter Sunday!