That's Life, I Swear

Elon Musk took over Twitter on Oct. 27, 2022. Time to pop the champagne corks and celebrate. What should’ve been a day of celebration has turned into anything but. Currently the state of Twitter is chaotic. Twitter users are jumping ship, various Twitter executives have left [like those who oversaw content moderation and security], and decision-making is shall we say indecisive. Is there another a...

Elizabeth’s begins her story by remember her dad asking if she would do him a favor. Her dad’s favor was if she would be able to take care of his prize possession, his 34-foot Hunter boat, for a couple of weeks. It was a boat where Elizabeth would over the years, learn the lessons of life and sailing. supporting links 1.      Grieving the loss of a loved one [Help guide] 2.      Elizabeth Anne Ber...

Over the past two years, we had to deal with COVID-19 and all of the underpinnings it brought with it. As we started walking out of this virus nightmare, our society had time to rethink what they wanted in their work-life during those two long years. Part of that rethinking was a new definition of the typical workweek and where. supporting links 1.      A four-day workweek: is it really worth it?...

American shoppers, in part, contributed to the breaking of the Supply Chain. The USA is a nation of impatient consumers. We’re geared that anything can be delivered to our homes, 24 by 7, with the click of a mouse button. COVID only exasperated the situation. We have more inventory in our homes than we need due in part to Jeff Bezos convincing us we can have delivery tomorrow.   supporting links 1...

Despite the ongoing breaking news covering the misuse of information and the public's relatively negative sentiments about aspects of social media, it's hard for people to put their mobile phones away, even for a minute. We find ourselves fixated on the content generated via algorithms, via our travels on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and the like. We accept bullying and b...

About two months ago, against the back drop of the Wyoming skyline, Liz Cheney, conceded her loss to her opponent in the state’s U.S. representative Republican primary. The overwhelming defeat for Liz Cheney was more than a refusal of values and a reshaping of the GOP. For me it was watching voters who have this knuckle head denial of reality. supporting links 1.      Liz Cheney’s Next Move [Polit...

The dangers of climate change are mounting so rapidly that they could soon overwhelm the ability of both nature and humanity to adapt, creating a harrowing future in which floods, fires, and famine displace millions, species disappear and the planet is irreversibly damaged. supporting links 1.      What COP26 Glasgow Did and Didn’t Accomplish [Council on Foreign Affairs] 2.     Glasgow Climate Pac...

The year was 1967, and John Donohue took off to make a beer run for some of his friends in his neighborhood. Now one would think, what so special about a beer run? Well, this wasn’t your typical beer run and neither was the neighborhood. supporting links 1.      The Greatest Been Run Ever [IMDb] 2.      Zac Efron Goes to Vietnam [Collider] 3.      Pabst Blue Ribbon Presents: The Greatest Beer Run...

Why is there so much "breaking news" on TV? The label "breaking news" is an overused marketing message used to increase audience size or hold an audience longer. Viewers suffer from viewer fatigue from a constant blitz of "breaking news" messages and in-show graphics. News producers want more "breaking news" promotion, on-air and multi-channel promotion, to...

There’s this island that lies between Greenland and Canada. It’s not really an island perse. It’s more rock than anything else. What makes this rock interesting is a dispute between Canada and Denmark. The discussion involved a border line and liquor. supporting links 1.      Hans Island [Wikipedia] 2.      Canada-Denmark Relations [Wikipedia] 3.      Hans Island [Google Maps] 4.      1982 Law of...

This is the story of Jenny Nguyen, who decided one day that it was time for women to have a bar. This wasn’t just any bar which we’ll soon find out.  What makes this story even more interesting was that part of her marketing plan for naming her bar, required only the switching of two letters in one word . supporting links 1.      Sports Bra [website] 2.      Sports Bra story [CBS Sunday Morning Ne...

Modern farms and agricultural operations work far differently than those a few decades ago, primarily because of advancements in technology, including sensors, devices, machines, and information technology. Today’s agriculture routinely uses sophisticated technologies such as robots, temperature and moisture sensors, aerial images, and GPS technology. These advanced devices and precision agricultu...

Sailing solo across the world's largest ocean once should be enough of an achievement. But 83-year-old Japanese ocean adventurer Kenichi Horie felt compelled to do it again. On Saturday, June 4, 2022, he set a record by becoming the world's oldest solo yachtsman to sail non-stop across the Pacific Ocean. Kenichi’s motto: "Don't let your dreams just stay as dreams. Have a goal a...

The United States Electoral College process is a loaded gun pointed at our system of government. Yet, we continue to play Russian roulette with our democracy every four years. The question is, why? supporting links 1.      Avoiding another Jan. 6th   [NPR] 2.      Reform that Congress must do on a bipartisan basis [The Washington Post] 3.      The Constitution of the United States [National Archiv...

The Jan. 6th committee has provided a timeline of events leading up to and after the Jan 6th assault on the U.S. Capitol. Arguments have gone back and forth on whether there’s enough evidence to prosecute Mr. Trump. Even if there is, should we indict Mr. Trump? supporting links 1.      Complete Timeline Of January 6th [Jan-6.com website] 2.      United States House Select Committee on the January...

On Feb. 24th of this year, Russia started its special operations war with Ukraine. As the war unfolded, Putin soon learned he had miscalculated the strong resistance of the Ukraine people. Another miscalculation was what the war was amplifying even more, and that was taking the current global food crisis has gone from worse to a pending nightmare for many.  Supporting links 1.      5 Key Takeaways...

On January 3, 2022, biotechnology founder Elizabeth Holmes, was convicted of defrauding some of her blood-testing company’s biggest investors. At its peak, her startup, Theranos, was valued at more than $9 billion and, by 2018, had raised over $1 billion. So, what happened? supporting links 1. Where is Elizabeth Holmes now? [Good To Know] 2. Elizabeth Holmes found guilty [CNN Business] 3. Theranos...

The science is precise: COVID vaccines are a safe and effective way to prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and death from the coronavirus, and vaccine mandates effectively promote widespread vaccinations.  Still, we battled in the United States to inoculate the nation against the coronavirus. Yet, conspiracies and defiant attitudes made a recovery daunting.  Why? supporting links 1.      Who...

It's happened again. In a synagogue in Pittsburgh of 2018. At a Walmart in El Paso. Now, it's happened yet again at the Tops Friendly Market store in Buffalo. All three of these shooting incidents that took place were the result of someone seeing not human beings. Rather, they saw immigrant invaders, an invasion of non-whites. The dots are starting to connect. What is so unnerving is tha...

So, let’s see. Inflation is on the rise. The Ukraine war could get to a nuclear state if Putin has his way. Wall Street is struggling. The Florida governor has attacked Micky Mouse. Apple’s iPod is going the way of the Walkman. Elon Musk wants to reinstate Trump’s Twitter account! It’s like our world is going topsy turvy. What else can go wrong. Oh, this just in. A leaked document from the Supreme...

As the Ukraine war continues, people worldwide have come to their aid. Countries have provided military aid, as requested by President Zelensky. Another group came to provide aid, but they brought a spatula instead of a gun. supporting links 1.      #ChefsForUkraine: Stories from the Ground [World Central Kitchen] 2.      Jose Andres and Humanitarian Efforts [Jose Andres website] 3.      Jose Andr...

In this episode, we talk about some common reasons men choose not to see their doctor for annual checkups. The list of reasons varies, but most common is embarrassment or discomfort with discussing specific issues and fearful of being told they have a troubling diagnosis. Your host was one of those individuals and now shares his story. supporting links 1.      Why are men less likely to see a doct...

Every other Wednesday, Rick Barron, invites you into a discussion about life’s happenings in this world that conjures up such words as complicated, intriguing, frightening, life-changing, inspiring, and more. Thoughts and perspectives will cover politics, climate change, human behavior, people’s beliefs, and overcoming obstacles. He’ll touch on life’s imperfections as well as its celebrations, alo...