Category Archives: Uncategorized

Being Unc-Adjacent, Hard Truths and The Myth of Elon Musk.

Your last text to me ended with the question: “Why all the hate for Elon Musk?” I’m tempted to respond with a question of my own: “Why all the love for Elon Musk?” But that would be a snarky way … Continue reading

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A Rant, Being a Dutch Uncle, and Trump’s War on the Undocumented

Dear Nephew, Forgive the letter format, but it’s easier for me to type with all ten fingers than just my thumbs. Before I begin, I want to be transparent about my feelings regarding immigration. In 1936, my father and his … Continue reading

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The Whataboutism Poll

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Anniversaries, Going Brazilian, and Gratitude

Thirteen years ago today, I met Elaine. I was on an eighteen-day cruise up the coast of Brazil with a transatlantic passage that would make port in Morocco, Portugal, and Italy. It did not start well. My first dinner partner … Continue reading

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The Brazilian Constitution, Mar-A-Lago and the Democracy of the Beach

Brazil’s democracy is among the youngest in the world. After decades of a repressive dictatorship, supported in part by the U.S., Brazil adopted its current constitution in 1988. It did not hold its first presidential election until 1989. Despite its … Continue reading

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The Smoking Snake, My Dad, and The Forgotten Lessons of The Greatest Generation

My wife met my father for the first and only time in the last month of his life. Three months earlier, I had met this gorgeous, smart, funny woman on an eighteen-day cruise up the coast of Brazil, with a … Continue reading

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Jardim Itanhangá, Carnival and Washington DC

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Jardim Itanhangá, Carnival and Washington DC

We live in a quiet neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, nestled in the shadow of Pedra da Gávea—the world’s tallest coastal monolith (2,769 feet)—and a cone-shaped granite dome (whose name I don’t know and, apparently, neither does anyone around here. … Continue reading

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The Tijuca Forest, Climate Change and Pissing in A Stream

Baby, It’s Hot Outside How hot? The cisterns that hold our water are located in the eaves of our attic, providing additional water pressure for the home. In the three weeks we have been here, we have never had to … Continue reading

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