Jack's Africa: Cape Town property: On Russian Radar

Jack's Africa: Cape Town property: On Russian Radar: Cape Town property: on Russia’s radar Jul 23, 2013 2:56pm by Irene Madongo 5 in Share 2 1 Wealthy Russians buying mansions...

Take The Time To Write A Will!!!

After work last night, Elena went with me to sign her will and have it witnessed by two next-door neighbors. It is probably the first time in Elena's life that she has a legal will. My mother and father both died without leaving a will. This made life "hell on earth" for my dear sister and I. We ended up sitting in court for years and seeing big legal bills eat away at the estate. In most states (including California) it is simple to write a will. You can print a form off the internet or even write one by hand. You just need 2-3 witnesses to your signature. You do not even have to pay for a notary or a lawyer. To those you love, one of the nicest ways to say: "I love you" is to leave them with a will. It is also a wonderful way to make sure that your pets are taken care of after you pass to the next life.

Rockridge Craftsman incites bidding war while next-door neighbor remains wallflower | On The Block | an SFGate.com blog

Rockridge Craftsman incites bidding war while next-door neighbor remains wallflower | On The Block | an SFGate.com blog:

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Forty Four Years Ago Today Neil And Buzz Set Foot On The Moon!

Forty -four years ago man first set foot on the moon.

1969 was a surreal year. Most of us knew that the wild and liberated 1960's with all of its hope and revolution was fading. We did not know what was coming next. We believed that the Vietnam war would end soon. Right before the moon landing, Life Magazine ran a cover story about the 125 young men who died in Vietnam that week. They had a picture of each military person who died. I was in the US Navy and thankful that my picture was not there.

On that fateful Sunday my first wife and I decided to go for a ride from Houston to Beaumont on Hwy 90. As the afternoon rolled on, we listened to the progress of Apollo 11 as it headed for the moon. As the LEM got closer to the lunar surface, we pulled off into a rest area and stopped. We listened transfixed to the radio. Neil Armstrong was just like a great airline pilot who was so calm, reassuring, and competent that the passengers were not the least bit concerned. (Little did we know that he had a huge crisis on his hands with fuel very low and no good landing site detected. Neil literally had to "think outside the box" and come up with a wild lateral flight path that saved the day.) Our hearts beat fast and we were on the edge of our seats. Not a word was spoken. Finally we heard that the LEM had touched down and the motors had cut off. We were so relieved and sort of numb also. It had not sunk in yet what a great accomplishment we were witnessing. Later we listened as Neil stepped down from the LEM and put his feet on lunar soil.

We returned home after the landing. Ironically we lived in an apartment off of Waugh Drive in Houston. Our landlord was a very nice man named Larry Waldstrasse. He was an MIT graduate and worked at the Manned Spacecraft Center on the Apollo program.

My first wife decided to take a good nap after all of the excitement. I went to the offices of my employer at the time, Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. I joined my dear friend Ralph Wallace III and our supervisor Charles Weaver. We had a television on. We listened with great pride and fascination as President Nixon called Neil and Buzz from the White House and congratulated them on their incredible achievement. We all felt awed and proud. Later we got word that President Nixon had issued an executive order making the next day a holiday for all Americans. We did not have to go to work.

On Monday morning my first wife slept late. I got up early and got in our blue Mustang Mach One. I drove around the area where our apartment was for a long time. I felt so proud and happy. I was sure that this was the beginning of a true space age when humans would go to Mars, etc.

Sadly these great expectations were not realized. The Vietnam war went on for six more years. Some 21,000 more Americans would die. We had Watergate and a national crisis of confidence. Things never were the same.

I still feel incredible pride for that moment. It was one of the high points of my life.

Jack's Africa: Somalia’s Somewhat Friendly Skies - NYTimes.com

Jack's Africa: Somalia’s Somewhat Friendly Skies - NYTimes.com: Somalia’s Somewhat Friendly Skies - NYTimes.com

NSA’s phone and web snooping more far-reaching than thought - FT.com

NSA’s phone and web snooping more far-reaching than thought - FT.com:

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Jack's Most Incredible People

I have been blessed to have been around some incredible people. H. Ross Perot , the internet company builder and presidential candidate makes the list. In person he is a warm and compassionate man. He is also a genius whose mind operates at twice the speed of a normal human. Former Secretary of State James Baker makes my list. In 1972 I got an internship with him. He's a Princeton and University of Texas law school graduate. He is from a wealthy Houston family that owns Texas Commerce Bank. Despite all of these accomplishments, Jim is a super modest and kind man who treats everyone with respect. He also listens to everyone carefully. I was blessed to sit in a meeting with the late President Ronald Reagan. He was the most charming human being I have ever met. He also was much more intelligent than his critics thought he was. James C. Lewis makes my list. He was a Cuban of African ancestry who went to Colombia, spent 20 years in the US Air Force as a transport plane pilot, and later was my employer. He spoke English, Spanish, and Japanese fluently. He was also the most honest person that I have met in my life. Former President F.W. de Klerk also makes my special list. I had dinner with him in 2004. With the help of Nelson Mandela he saved South Africa from a brutal civil war like Syria is experiencing now. In person he is a man of incredible sensitivity and intelligence. He is not a racist or a right-wing person. My dear Uncle John Robert Helms also makes my very special list. He was a war hero and a man who had survived incredible hard times. Despite this he was always a funny and modest person. Of course my wife Elena makes the list. She was a teenager when the military coup happened in Argentina. It was a terrible time when over 30,000 people literally vanished. Despite this awful world Elena found herself in, she graduated from high school one year earlier. She went on to graduate from the University of Buenos Aires medical school at age 23 with an honors diploma. The final person on this list is Tim Bax. He was an incredible soldier in the Rhodesian army and one hell of a tough and special man. Tim congratulations on the publication of your autobiography! It comes out in two weeks and I already have one reserved for Elena and I.