Wealth Whispers is Book III in my shapeshifter series. It will be out in December. In the meantime I want to share with you some of the fun I had putting the story together. I begin with my Yakuza research. First, what’s yakuza? They are Japanese gangsters. The word refers... read more
Your first question might well be: “Rocky Mount, why?” It’s a good one. Eastern North Carolina is not typically on a tourist’s radar. A Carolina beach town, sure. But Nowheresville in the middle of Nowhere? Title image: the old cotton mill campus. You can just make out from the writing... read more
For my first foray out in the world since the start of the pandemic I chose Medellín, Colombia. I am very happy with my choice. Medellín is the capital of the Colombian state of Antioquia. If nothing else, it is known for its mountainous beauty: And has the reputation of... read more
Medellín, Colombia’s favorite son is the painter/sculptor Fernando Botero Angulo (b. 1932). How do I know? When I visited the city last week, his prominence was obvious. The name of the central square is Plaza Botero. And it’s chock full of his statues. I’m tempted to say “chunk full.” The... read more
Comuna 13 is a neighborhood in Medellín, Colombia that I visited last week. Does mention of Medellín and/or Colombia bring any quick thoughts to mind? If you thought of the drug trade, the Medellín Cartel or Pablo Escobar, then you are not alone. As a traveler I have to remember... read more
This week marks my first foray into international travel in a year and a half. That is, since the beginning of the pandemic. I am currently in Medellín, Colombia. I will start my exploration of this beautiful country by identifying ten famous Colombians. Famous Colombians: Number One Singer Shakira Isabel... read more
This post on Famous Burmese first appeared in July, 2019. After the military coup in Myanmar yesterday, I will repost over the next few days several of the blogs I wrote during my visit there. I’d like my readers to be able to inform themselves about the country from some... read more
We all know what happened at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday this week. Over the past two days commentators have remarked repeatedly that the last time invaders stormed the Capitol was during the War of 1812. I was aware of this fact because of all the research I did for... read more
I first posted this blog about Lalibela on July 13, 2018, when I went to Ethiopia with my dear friend Phillip. I am reposting it because 60 Minutes aired a segment on the city today, on Christmas. 60 Minutes named their segment “Built by Angels.” According to Elias Alemayehu, our... read more
Doctors come in many varieties. On Saturday the issue of who gets to call herself Doctor arose when the Wall Street Journal ran a pretty darned stupid opinion piece. As you have no doubt heard by now, the writer of the op-ed chastised Dr. Jill Biden for insisting people refer... read more
