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It has been said that the American healthcare system is not about health, nor is it a system.  Rather, it has been described as a pyramid scheme run by insurance companies with government collaboration, in which exorbitant premiums are collected from those who can afford to pay.  Profits are maximized by simply paying out less in benefits than what is collected in premiums.  The sicker the American population is, the more profits can be made by the insurance companies.  Care is withheld from the uninsured... 

View a short humorous video of Dotty Mazer on her ninetieth birthday here: How does one sum up the life of a ninety-four year old woman, an artist, humanitarian, mother of three, and the recently deceased stepmother of my wife, Susan? I knew Dorothy “Dotty” . . .

I try not to think too much about the fact that I’ve reached that lofty milestone in age of having attended my fifty-year high school reunion. I graduated from Columbus High School in Columbus, Georgia, in 1966. My graduating class had around four hundred seventy. . .

Christmas Eve in Portugal Sometimes small personal interactions with local residents can color a whole experience of a visit to a foreign country. This happened to me today. My friend Bill and I took the morning excursion from the Viking River Cruise boat. . .

Corfu, Greece, is located offshore from mainland Greece at Greece’s northwest corner, offshore from Albania, which has a turbulent history with Greece.  Corfu is proud to be Greece’s greenest island, in terms of climate.

Corfu, Greece, is Greece's northernmost island.  It is a popular tourist destination, especially for northern Europeans.  It lies opposite Albania in the Aegean Sea.  Greek food is legendary.  The secluded beaches and verdant mountains are beautiful.  What's not to like?  Only the over-crowded airport.

Our third Viking port of call was Puntarenas, Costa Rica.  As usual, several excursion choices were offered.  We chose one entitled “Walk in the Clouds.”  We boarded a bus for an hour’s drive from the coast up to the highlands of the central valley running through the country.  Our Costa Rican tour guide spoke for the whole hour as we traveled, providing many details about his country.  I remain very interested in Costa Rica, having heard that it is a popular destination for retired Americans wishing to relocate to a foreign country less expensive than the US and having a great climate.  I’m happy to continue to live in Reno, but we might want to visit Costa Rica again for a more in-depth visit...

Assume that this photo above represents a newly discovered virus somewhere in China.  After first being observed and ignored, and following a suppression of the news about the virus’s discovery lasting many weeks…Suppose that the Chinese city recognizes a dangerous epidemic in the making and seeks to quarantine itself.  The tumors appearing all over the body incite feelings of revulsion and fear of the virus.  This fear is compounded when it is revealed that of the thousands of patients infected by the virus, a significant number die within days... 

The medieval walled city of Dubrovnik has been called “the Pearl of the Adriatic.”  The city dates from the 7th century, and existed as a prosperous independent city-state during the Middle Ages, known for its diplomacy and wealth.