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Wilderness at the Doorstep: People and Bears Between Hancock and Paw Paw

In the early 1900s Theodore Roosevelt and his friend John Muir liked to say that wilderness saves the human spirit. That being the case, we in Washington, D.C. are lucky to have wilderness so close at hand. I arrived in Hancock, MD where I-70 veers north into PA at 2:30 on a Friday afternoon. Leaving the car in the town lot adjacent to the C … Continue reading Wilderness at the Doorstep: People and Bears Between Hancock and Paw Paw

Unknown's avatarBarry D. WoodLeave a comment
Beatles, Belgrade, Bosnia, Croatia, Detroit riots, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Russia, Sarajevo, Serbia, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Timothy Leary, Tito, Trieste, ussr, Yugoslavia, Zagreb

How Sgt. Pepper Arrived in Yugoslavia

On June 1, 1967—49-years-ago—the Beatles released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Band, their masterpiece and arguably the most important rock album ever. Released simultaneously in Europe and America, it was an instant sensation. A pioneering concept album—with a beginning and end instead of random cuts—Sgt. Pepper flew off the shelves.  It was the first album that contained printed lyrics and a gatefold.  Its stunning cover with … Continue reading How Sgt. Pepper Arrived in Yugoslavia

Unknown's avatarBarry D. Wood3 Comments
brookings, corruption, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, International Monetary Fund, pravin gordhan, rand, South Africa, Washington

South Africa’s Pravin Gordhan: Grace Under Pressure

WASHINGTON: South Africa’s finance minister Pravin Gordhan is at the center of a political storm.  Four months ago he was brought back to head the finance ministry when his successor was abruptly fired by president Jacob Zuma and replaced with a little known lawmaker. That move shook investor confidence and sent the currency tumbling.  Four days later business leaders and senior ruling party leaders forced … Continue reading South Africa’s Pravin Gordhan: Grace Under Pressure

Unknown's avatarBarry D. WoodLeave a comment
Bob Dye, Herbert Butler, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Ingmar Bergman, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo College, Louis Junker, Michigan News, Milton Friedman, Nazareth College, Upjohn, Western Michigan University, Zack York

Getting a Superb Education in Kalamazoo

 When I arrived at Kalamazoo in 1964 I had no idea just how much seven years in that comfortable Midwestern city would shape my life. An indifferent high school student, upon completing community college in Grand Rapids I went west and worked as a deck hand on a Swedish freighter bound for Australia. After five months of week after week, $100 per month physical toil, … Continue reading Getting a Superb Education in Kalamazoo

Unknown's avatarBarry D. Wood1 Comment
Cambodia, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Kent State, May 4th Visitors Center, Nixon, student protests, Viet Nam war

Kent State, 1970, When the Country Was Even More Divided

KENT, OH: Visiting the campus where four students were killed by National Guardsmen during an anti-war protest, you can’t help but recall how divided America was 45 years ago. Strolling the grounds where America’s Asian war came tragically home, the rhetoric of Donald Trump and the gulf between political parties appear manageable when contrasted to 1970. The issues then were civil rights and stopping a … Continue reading Kent State, 1970, When the Country Was Even More Divided

Unknown's avatarBarry D. WoodLeave a comment