Small-Town Boomers: A Nostalgic Look Back at Randolph, Massachusetts

I recently published a new book, “Small-Town Boomers: A Nostalgic Look Back at Randolph, Massachusetts,” and it is now available on Amazon.  Readers may find it interesting. Although it is specifically about Baby Boomers growing up in Randolph, any nostalgic Baby Boomer may find they have much in common with the experience. Click any of the links here to purchase on Amazon. Here is a raw link as well: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTF92SJS

SUMMARY:  Randolph, a small town about twelve miles south of Boston, Massachusetts, experienced a population explosion during the baby boom era after World War II, nearly tripling its size. To accommodate the influx of families, builders constructed hundreds of small homes that quickly filled with children. Now, those children look back nostalgically on their upbringing.

This book captures the essence of growing up in a small town during this unique period. It offers an informal history emphasizing the childhood experiences of boomers and the small-town communities that brought them a tremendous sense of independence and belonging.

The book is intended to provide future generations with a description of childhood and community that increasingly seems foreign to them. By communicating our experiences, we may offer them a different path in a world where children feel increasingly isolated and alone.

Each chapter ends with a blank, lined page that invites readers to personalize the book with their thoughts and memories, creating a family heirloom to be treasured.

I hope readers will enjoy the book.  

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Searching for Leadership - The Trump-Harris Debate

The debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris was another disappointment for those seeking true leadership capable of inspiring and uniting the American people. It served as a reminder of how much importance we’ve placed on the presidency while simultaneously lowering the standard for candidates. Both Trump and Harris once again demonstrated mediocrity. Trump stuck to his predictable pattern of exaggeration without substance, while Harris excelled at playing her role, but lacked meaningful content.

Trump was, as expected, unable to deviate from his usual script. His inability to adapt or take advice was clear. This debate marked his second chance to "seal the deal," the first being his meandering 90-minute speech at the Republican National Convention. Those who had hoped for a change or an awakening after his near-death experience were let down.

The Basement Strategy

 In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden successfully defeated Donald Trump by employing what is called the "Basement Strategy." This approach was developed by the Biden campaign to keep their candidate away from unscripted public events. Their knowledge then that Biden's cognitive abilities were in decline drove the strategy. Instead of frequent unscripted public appearances, the campaign relied on a compliant media, which was largely opposed to Trump, to overlook Biden's limited visibility. This strategy proved effective, culminating in Biden's victory.

However, once Biden assumed office, the signs of his cognitive decline became increasingly apparent. His public appearances were marked by moments that raised eyebrows and could not be concealed - falling while climbing steps, a stiffened gait, calling his vice president the president, misnaming foreign leaders, and unscripted comments that often bordered on incoherent. Even in scripted events the President would often read parenthetical instructions from the teleprompter and, despite detailed instructions and prompts from his staff, he would often wander aimlessly around the stage, requiring intervention by his wife or in one highly visible instance, former President Barrack Obama.

Memorial Day - what happened to the parades and walks in cemeteries?

This Memorial Day post is an annual distribution. It seems as the years go by and more friends and family pass that important traditions of the past fade further from the culture. Please share this post on Facebook and other vehicles with your friends and family to remind them of the importance of such solemn traditions. Thank you

I vividly recall from my childhood the prominence of Memorial Day among the pantheon of holidays.  It was one of the two big civic holidays.  The other being the Fourth of July.  At a young age I could sense the difference between the two – one celebratory and one solemn.  Memorial Day is larger in my memory.  The holiday was specifically to remember the dead of war, but the event was broader in that it was also an opportunity to visit and reflect more generally on relatives and friends who had passed.  It also related to the continuation of a tradition that emerged in the mid-1800s that made cemeteries places for peaceful meditation with nature’s beauty and communing with one’s family and friends – both living and dead.  As can be said of many traditions – times have changed.

Stop smartphones and social media from harming children

I write this blog post as a plea, to parents with children and young people who anticipate having children. Smartphones and social media are addictive technologies that are damaging the development of children’s brains.  I beg you to inform yourselves about this topic and take action to address the problem in your homes and schools. Your children’s future may depend on it.

I first became aware of the threat to children from these technologies when I watched The Social Dilemma on Netflix four years ago. This documentary explored the dangerous human impact of social networking. The code developers who created social media and related algorithms discuss their creations and regret. The information contained in the documentary caused me to cancel all of my social media accounts. I recommend you watch it.

The Biological and Psychological Foundations of our Division

Our nation is in an intense political and cultural struggle where neither side can emerge as an unequivocal victor. Internal strife leaves us vulnerable to external threats from those aspiring to replace our global dominance. Understanding the deeper underlying forces at work as we grapple with the political tension may help forge a way forward. In my reading and research to understand our division better two books stood out to provide a compelling lens to understand the deepening polarization rooted in the fabric of our minds.

Jonathan Haidt’s, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion provides a study of the profound disparities in the political values of liberal and conservative-leaning individuals. As a summary, I recommend this twenty-minute video TED Talk by Haidt: “The moral roots of liberals and conservatives.”

I previously wrote the blog post, “Isour political division biological?” about Oxford scholar Iain McGilchrist’s book, The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World. The book offers warnings about the collective potential of the divided brain to destroy civilizations. As a summary, I recommend this twelve-minute animated summary of McGilchrist’s ideas: The Divided Brain.

The opportunity after the Gaza War

The brutal attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, presents a challenging situation. However, it may have unforeseen consequences, such as weakening Iran's influence, potentially leading to a change in leadership in Gaza, and creating a more favorable political environment for peace and prosperity in the region, including for Palestinians.

Hamas's attack on Israel can be seen as an attempt by Iran, using one of its proxies, to disrupt the progress and success of the Abraham Accords. These Accords offer modernization, economic prosperity, and peace to a region that has been plagued by bitter conflicts with no hope of resolution for decades.

Iran's opposition to the Accords is driven by its desire for regional hegemony. Iran is a theocracy governed by totalitarian mullahs, leading a population of 90 million people with the intent to remove the U.S. presence from the Middle East and dominate its Sunni Muslim neighbors. Their leaders aspire to “restore a sense of “greatness” reminiscent of ancient Persian empires.” Iran uses proxies across the region to pursue its strategic goals with plausible deniability.

Contrary to the outcry from Hamas supporters worldwide and distorted intersectional views on U.S. college campuses, the attack was not about a continuing cycle of violence or a righteous anti-colonial struggle of the oppressed. Its purpose was to prevent the Abraham Accords from uniting Israel and Sunni Muslim states in the Middle East.