In our first installment of Owners and Pets, we covered Presidents and Pets: A T-Boy Odyssey Into Why They Loved One Another. Part I ended with a request to our friends, families and readers to consider sending us photographs of their own sacred pets, including those who had passed away, but will never be forgotten. This should help others to understand; when our pets love us, we tend to love them back. I've noticed in cinema, when male and female actors sign a contract to play in a film, they specify things that their character will never do.

The country holding captive the birthplace of the religion I grew up with, Christianity, of the ethics that shaped me, has withered beyond redemption. It seems hell-bent on withering spirituality throughout the world.

We all have a part of our lives we prefer not to visit again. Mine came when I was about 12. A traveling accordion salesman came to our house. I know, you think I am making this up. No, it was real. It happened. My parents were both home along with my younger sister and myself. It was a Saturday, a day that will live in infamy. The salesman only wanted a few minutes of our time and my parents let him in carrying a huge box with him. He said his music company was looking for local musical talent and opened that giant box revealing a black shiny accordion.

Ukraine is a now a tilt-a-whirl that’s come loose. To understand it, I’m trying for inputs beyond the mainstream that’s had a dubious track record in the past, from WMD’s in Iraq to Russiagate. One shouldn’t ignore the mainstream, but one needs a wider angle lens.

Underscoring its commitment to create unforgettable memories for every member of the family, Give Kids The World Village (GKTW) has announced the opening of Olivia’s Oasis – a relaxation spa dedicated exclusively to wish parents, adult family members and caregivers. The venue marks another milestone in the storied history of the Village, an 89-acre, whimsical nonprofit resort in Central Florida that provides critically ill children and their families from around the world with life-changing week-long wish vacations at no cost. A grand opening celebration open to media, wish families and donors took place this past April 12th, offering a first glimpse at the spa.

There’s been much media commentary related to the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, widely regarded as one of the greatest foreign policy blunders in history.  g to go into the wayback machine for my take on it, below, a piece written in 2007 for the late Gatsby Magazine, one of the international magazines I wrote Letters from Washington columns for. It’s a stab at divining the self-righteous mentality that popped open Pandora’s Box with the March 20th, 2003 invasion of Iraq under the false pretenses of Saddam Hussein harboring weapons of mass destruction and being in league with Al-Qaeda. This was amplified by journalists and politicians who should have known better, some of whom likely did.

Being on the ground in over 180 countries means you get the full story.

As vaccine rollouts accelerate, especially in the U.S., travelers filled with that oft-mentioned “pent-up desire” are looking at whether it’s safe to travel to Europe and when they’ll be able to go. And while it’s too soon to travel to most countries in Europe right now, we maybe have a clearer idea of when it might be possible to visit the continent again.