Ready and Willing. Peter Max. How Would You Have Voted? A Massive Campus. Jungle or the Ocean? Radar Love!
- Quote of the Week: “Life’s short. Anything could happen, and it usually does, so there is no point in sitting around thinking about all the ifs, ands, and buts.” – Amy Winehouse
Her toxicology report showed a blood alcohol content of 0.416%—more than five times the UK legal driving limit and well past the fatal threshold of 0.350%. While she had a well-documented history of long-term drug and alcohol struggles in her earlier years, tests confirmed no illegal drugs were in her system when she died. The year was 2011, and at the age of twenty-seven, Amy Winehouse drank herself to death.
Amy Winehouse became one of the most influential artists of her generation. Her blend of genres included rhythm and blues, soul and jazz. Her history of addiction was too much for her to overcome, and we lost another music talent to the darkness of alcohol and drugs. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, John Bonham, Hank Williams, Bon Scott, David Cassidy, Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, Kurt Cobain, Layne Staley, and many more.
Amy Winehouse died fifteen years ago. Her quote suggests she may have understood the depth of her struggle with addiction: “There is no point in sitting around thinking about all the ifs, ands, and buts.” If alcohol is a problem in your life, stop waiting and seek help. Taking that step is difficult, but necessary. Here are a few places to contact:
- SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.
- Contact the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse https://alcoholtreatment.niaaa.nih.gov/
- The Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/addiction-services/sections/outpatient-addiction-program/gnc-20560254
- From the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/checkyourdrinking/index.html
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The official music video for Back To Black by Amy Winehouse.
I Have a Few Thoughts and Questions for September 20, 2026
- What are lawmakers, business leaders, and parents really going to do to regulate AI?
- I only watched a few minutes of last Monday night’s Emmy Awards. I happened to be tuned in during the Michael J. Fox tribute. So well done.
- A huge shout out and praise to K.O. and D.B. Both are recovering well from healthcare issues. Get strong, K.O. and D.B.!!!!!
- Curbing inflation by raising the fed rate – all good until you understand that this increase in the fed rate will have a ripple effect with higher costs for mortgages, car loans, and credit card debt. One example: mortgage demand from homebuyers has dropped 19% from a year ago. The upside to a fed rate hike will be deposit rates capturing higher yields for savings. Let us hope the Fed figures this dilemma out quickly.
- Who is taking me to Daniel’s in Coral Gables (Miami)? Come on, I am a cheap date even if the AUSTRALIAN WAGYU TOMAHAWK costs you $295.00. Yes, I was raised in Miami. No, I was not raised in Coral Gables. 🙂
- A $40 billion spend. Other than halting Iran’s nuclear programs, no one has provided me with a clear objective of this ‘conflict.’ Someone please enlighten me. To any of you with the negative vibes…this comment has nothing to do with politics. I would ask the same question no matter who is running the USA.
- Have you seen Spider-Man: Brand New Day? I am only asking because the movie is now the highest-grossing domestic release of all time, earning $936.8M after 47 days in theaters. Interesting as many felt that streaming services would cannibalize theater-going.
- His art graced everything from cruise ships to postage stamps. His colorful designs were instantly recognizable, reflecting the era of ‘psychedelic art’ and ‘flower power.’ Peter Max passed away last Monday at the age of eighty-eight. RIP, Peter Max.
- I only caught bits and pieces of the Lindsay Clancy murder trial that finally resulted in a mistrial. Eleven of the twelve jurors felt that she was innocent of murdering her three young children due to a severe bout of post-partum depression. The lone holdout, a forty-eight year-old man, felt that Clancy’s actions were premeditated and deliberate: “Based on all the physical evidence, key witnesses, and what the prosecution presents, I thought it was enough proof that she [Clancy] knew exactly what she was doing and planned.”
As I was ‘out of the loop’ with the facts of this case, I would like to hear back from at least twelve JustMyTake readers on how you would have voted if you were part of that jury. I will summarize the ‘verdicts’ by each of you but of course your name will not be mentioned.
Remember: To find Clancy guilty, jurors had to be unanimously convinced beyond reasonable doubt that she intentionally killed her children and that she did not do so due to postpartum psychosis, a rare and serious condition.
How would you have voted? Guilty of three counts of murder…or not guilty by reason of insanity? Give me your take.
- Over the years, people have asked me about the college I attended. Though a small college by enrollment standards, Berry College, located northwest of Atlanta, is massive. At 27,000 acres, it is twice the size of any other in the world. Berry’s work-study program guarantees every student paid campus work across eight semesters. Student run enterprises manage the Angus herd and Jersey dairy, selling beef and cheese under the state’s Georgia Grown label.
Sixteen thousand of those acres are managed with the State of Georgia as a wildlife refuge, so cattle graze inside a de facto nature preserve. The top-ranked majors at Berry are Business Administration, Animal Science/Pre-Veterinary studies, and Biology/Pre-medicine. Berry is ranked among the best schools in the nation. Their accolades include U.S. News and World Report’s 2025 Best Colleges Rankings, which named Berry #2 in Best Value, #2 in Undergraduate Teaching and #4 overall in Regional Universities in the South.
An NCAA Division III school, women compete in thirteen sports, eleven for the men. For all of you who have asked me about Berry…now you know.
Thank you for your answers to the Question of the Week regarding a simple thing that always makes your day better:
- Waking up!
- Hanging with my little dachshund Lilly Pulitzer – is my simple happy place.
- Music! Listening to music always puts me in a better mood!
- 1) Waking up. 2) Walking to Starbucks for my 1st cup of coffee 3) Driving to and from work in silence.
- That first cup of coffee and the sunrise. 🙂
- Taking the dog on an early morning walk !!🦮
- A smile.
- The pure love and joy my doggies exude upon coming home. I can be gone for 5 minutes, to hours, and regardless of the time, their joy is the same, full of eagerness, kisses and honesty. I just love it. Even thinking about those moments makes my heart sing.
This week’s Question of the Week: The take mentioned above discusses the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. How would you have voted? Guilty of three counts of murder…or not guilty by reason of insanity? Give me your take.
- Pure Talent. The Dutch rock band Golden Earring started in the late ’60s, earning international success with the song Radar Love. Having sold millions of albums worldwide, they are one of the longest existing rock bands in the world that are still performing today with the same line up.
If this song is playing while you are driving, you better look at the speedometer as there is no way you are not exceeding the speed limit. Golden Earring and their song Radar Love is Pure Talent.