A Father Scarred by the Great Depression

It’s nearly impossible for us living in the 21st century to imagine what life was like in the early years of the Great Depression after the 1929 stock market crash. The sudden arrival of what turned out to be a decade of hard times was a particular shock because the 20’s had been so good. Grand Rapids, Michigan had been booming because its several dozen … Continue reading A Father Scarred by the Great Depression

Helmut Kohl and the Euro

WASHINGTON: Helmut Kohl, the long-serving former German chancellor who died June 16th at age 87, was honored Saturday with the European Union’s first ever state funeral in Strasburg. Chancellor Merkel, Kohl’s one time protégé, French president Emmanuel Macron, and former President Bill Clinton were among those paying tribute. Kohl will rightly be remembered for masterfully orchestrating German reunification. He will also be remembered as the … Continue reading Helmut Kohl and the Euro

What I Learned From Oxford Tutorials

I was at Oxford for only four-weeks but the experience honed analytical and speaking skills that I employ decades later. It was a summer course in the late 1960s comprised of 80 students from universities in America and Europe. It was organized by the university’s Institute of Education and the program continues to this day. We were housed at St. Anne’s College. Our course was … Continue reading What I Learned From Oxford Tutorials

Recent publication roundup

In this biznews.com piece on January 30, leading South African academic Jonathan Jansen laments the “destruction” of the University of Cape Town. On January 11th in Palo Alto Barry discussed Chinese-US relations with Hoover Institute historian Niall Ferguson. See  video. On January 12th Barry was at the Tesla factory in Fremont, CA. See tweet video. As Trump comes in and TPP dead, trade is at … Continue reading Recent publication roundup