Daily Blues & Views

 Yesterday morning as I put on my Otter socks, a recent Christmas present from my sister-in-law, I realized that people now feel free to give me all manner of Otter things.  How this got started can only be attributed to my experience while fishing the headwaters of the Deschutes River in Central Oregon.  More about that later, but for now, let's look at how and why people get attracted to collecting specific things and why that passion is reinforced by their friends and family in the form of gift-giving. I had a friend once who collected chickens.  She was so obsessed with this fetish that I found myself aware of anything representing chickens every time I went shopping.  Once in a while, but rarely, I gave her a chicken object.  It made me feel good to reinforce this obsession. The same went for an old girlfriend who collected penguins. She had a shelf full but no matter, people gave her penguins all year long.  My best guess is that when a person ex...

 This is the time of year when we take stock of our lives. We think about change and make promises to ourselves. Some call it resolutions but by whatever name, we evaluate expectations for our self-improvement.  This is not bad, but it all comes down to lasting power. Still, the opportunity to self-reflect is always worthwhile. The year ahead features both another Olympic Games, and a Presidential election. Both are on shaky grounds. Both will enrapture the media and both are vulnerable to terrorist attacks.  We are also at an inflection point with big concepts like democracy, artificial intelligence, and existential wars that roll on with little regard for those most vulnerable, especially the elderly and children. To these threats, we must add our constant bearing witness to a disintegrating environment and our need to change our behaviors to sustain this magnificent planet for those yet to be, and those yet to come on board with what is demanded. Mostly, the start of a...