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Showing posts from September, 2020

Winston Churchill and Armageddon - Is an AI Terminator in the Breech?

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I was giving my children some long term investment advice, but caveated it with my growing unease that it could be moot.. I am reading a book my son gave me titled, "Churchill's Trials" In the book, I learned Winston Churchill nearly 100 years ago wrote some things, that I believe may unfortunately be quite prescient. In his 1924 essay, “Shall We Commit Suicide?” Churchill states, “the story of the human race is war. Except for brief and precarious interludes, there has never been peace in the world... From his propensity to slaughter man has been saved so far only by his incompetence"...As the years passed, Churchill hoped science might be an antidote that elevated mankind, over time lost that hope.” Churchill over many decades observed technical superiority rather than virtue or social virtue was the determinator of which society ultimately triumphed in war and that science could also lead to moral degeneration. In 1931 Churchill wrote, “Science and organi

Italy Round 2 via Amsterdam - Empty Jet's, Marvelous Cuisine & Reunions

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 Flying an empty jumbo Boeing 787 airliners to the Amsterdam was a reminder that COVID is still weighing heavily on the world's economy.  What does it mean when only 15 of the 300 seats are filled?  Certainly great service, but a day of reckoning is coming.  For some of the airline staff unfortunately sooner than later... Because Italy will only let us stay for 5 days until we satisfy a 14 day quarantine, we must spend the weekends in Amsterdam.  Darn the bad luck :)  The food and people don't disappoint.  The hotel's are virtually empty, but the staff is so appreciative.  My favorite new bartender Andrea taught be all the tricks for making a marvelous cucumber muddled gin cocktail (e.g. peel the cucumber and use an egg white) and I discovered a delectable new citrus liquor from Spain '43'! Ah, but I digress, not far from Amsterdam's Schiphol's airport is a marvelous French restaurant,  Bij Qunis .  It occupies what for a 100 years was the pumping station th