www.markholder.org

What a year 2020 has become. As the federal government (particularly the head of the executive branch) dithered, a microscopic killer grew in strength and swept across the globe. A novel virus; one which humans have not been exposed to and thus have no immunity from. No effective treatment, no vaccine at this time. The possibilities are horrendous. At first it was a China problem, then an Asia problem, before it became a global problem. In my home state of Georgia, it has become a human behavior problem. The state has been partially shut down for a matter less than one month, yet is set to reopen in days. Never mind that our governor claimed he was unaware that the virus could spread via asymptomatic persons, earning himself a place on the Dumbest Governors list. The state is reopening with a mind-boggling list of businesses: hair salons, barber shops, tattoo parlors, massage parlors, bars. These are the last  businesses that should open, yet Kemp, doing his best impression of a son

Ah, April Fool's Day, the day in which a middle aged man such as myself gets to clown around at the expense of friends, family and colleagues. Not this year. The world is on edge and there is palpable tension in the air. Everyone is feeling anxiety, about the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic crash, shortages, physical distancing and more. Speaking for myself, it doesn't help that the Empire State Building is lit up like an emergency vehicle: This year, I'll go home to my family. Instead of pulling a prank, I'll ask how the day went. My son has piano class (over FaceTime for the foreseeable future) on Wednesdays, so I expect to hear a song or two. Dinner, a little TV, then end the day. 2020, you win. But I'll be back. We'll be back, We always come back.

“Fear cannot be banished, but it can be calm and without panic, it can be mitigated by reason and evaluation.” Vannevar Bush

Author, editor, blogger, and so much more Shaun Mullen has passed. Noting his blog  Kiko's House  hadn't been updated in a while, I did a search and discovered his  obituary . My friendship with Shaun goes back to 2006. While living in Australia, I'd discovered his blog when searching for informed commentary on US foreign policy in the Middle East. Sadly, much of that policy remains unchanged 14 years later, but that is for another post. Shaun  had noticed that his blog wasn't rendering correctly in Internet Explorer and asked if anyone could suggest a fix. I, being a bit of a tech head at the time, suggested Firefox or similar browser, and the problem was solved. We kept in and out of touch, finding common ground in music (I mentioned my love for the Grateful Dead and Shaun sent a dozen CDs of concert recordings. By International mail. The man was generous to a fault.), worldview, and more. My old site got its greatest number of hits when Shaun linked to a few of m

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.  - Edward Abbey

Some chemists, having synthesized a few compounds, believe themselves to be better chemists than nature which, in addition to synthesizing compounds too numerous to mention, synthesized those chemists as well.  - Dr. Robert de Ropp

Out With The Old, In With The New I'm sure you've heard the story: somewhere-in-line-for-the-throne Prince Harry and wife Meghan are leaving Britain and stepping back from their Royal duties for a new life in the US. And one can be sympathetic, considering her merciless treatment by the British press. With the popularity of the royal family riding high partly in thanks to the popularity of such shows as The Crown, trendy America will be more than happy to welcome a real live prince to its shores. Look a bit closer and things get interesting. Not only is Harry a member of the Royal Family, he's also a  Lieutenant Commander of the Royal Navy, Major of the British Army and Squadron Leader of the Royal Air Force; if such qualifications were applied to someone else, that person would immediately be considered a spy. He is married to an American (bonus point) actress (double bonus point) of multicultural heritage (21st century trifecta). They may hope for a quiet life,