The man above is running around with his hair on fire, careering from one absolute no-kidding-I mean-it pronouncement to its almost immediate never mind TACO pull-back. Today, he appears to be on the brink -or not!- of invading the Republic of Iran. Journalists, commentators, policy makers, government leaders at home and abroad, and ordinary people like me are paying attention to this matter, as requested by our favorite - or not! - President DONALD J. TRUMP. First, he tweets this. Then, as the deadline is about to expire, he tweets this. Given the on-again, off-again mercurial character of our all-caps President, I thought it might be useful to re-post three blogs I wrote about him that might help to understand - or not! - what is going on and why. The first, Alma Matters , posted on March 2, 2019, recalls the President’s years at New York Military Academy in upstate New York. His father, Fred, sent his 13-year-old son away on account o...
November 17, 2025 – Kyoto Turning once again to the Lonely Planet Pocket Guide to Kyoto & Osaka to organize our day, we decided to explore Northwest Kyoto. That walking tour would allow us to visit two of Kyoto’s star temple attractions, both listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites: Kinkaku-ji, known as the Golden Pavilion, and Ryoan-ji, with its raked sand garden punctuated by an enigmatic arrangement of 15 large stones. In addition, the itinerary would include lesser known Ninna-ji temple and the Myoshin temple complex within which one finds Taizo-in, a stunning garden with a dry landscaped forecourt and a lush landscaped area with a small pond beyond. We set out for Shijo Station on the Karasuma Line and got off at Marutamachi Station, where picked up the #204 city bus to the Kinkaku-ji stop. From there it was a three-minute walk to the temple. It would be a pretty full day—a five kilometer walk with an (under)estimated time of three hours. I...