Business of Life http://www.estatevaults.com/bol/ Marriage, birth, divorce, transitions, widowed, career, retirement, transitions, death, moving, rules of life, aging, caregiving, life events, life changes en-us jillfallon@gmail.com Jill Fallon Copyright 2009 Jill Fallon 2009-07-04T09:20:30-05:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776 http://www.estatevaults.com/bol/archives/2009/07/04/drafting_the_de.html From the splendid HBO miniseries John Adams , Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and Adams go over the draft for the Declaration of Independence. Here is the theme song.  You'll see the earlier American flags inscribed  "Don't Tread on Me", ... Jill Fallon Culture and Society 2009-07-04T09:20:30-05:00 Freedom from Responsibility http://www.estatevaults.com/bol/archives/2009/07/04/freedom_from_re.html IN the years following his presidency, Thomas Jefferson had time to contemplate more deeply on freedom and reflect on the importance of education of the citizenry. He wrote in 1810 in a letter to William Duane,  "The information of... Jill Fallon Civilization - Can We Keep It? 2009-07-04T08:02:23-05:00 What does Freedom require? http://www.estatevaults.com/bol/archives/2009/07/04/what_does_freed.html When it comes to personal behaviour we have now come to believe that there is no right and wrong. Instead, there are choices. So writes Jonathan Sacks across the pond in Credo: Without a shared moral code there can... Jill Fallon Civilization - Can We Keep It? 2009-07-04T07:10:22-05:00 Eye tooth http://www.estatevaults.com/bol/archives/2009/07/03/eye_tooth.html I have a lot of open tabs and many things to blog about, but this is the strangest, most surprising and wonderful news I've heard this week. Blind man sees wife for first time after having a TOOTH implanted... Jill Fallon Scientific wonders 2009-07-03T16:29:19-05:00 No skin in the game http://www.estatevaults.com/bol/archives/2009/07/03/no_skin_in_the.html Negative equity  found to be the biggest reason for the mushrooming rate of mortgage foreclosures since 2007. Zero money down, not subprime loans, led to the mortgage meltdown.... Jill Fallon Economy 2009-07-03T10:41:47-05:00 "Kitsch is a disease of faith" but "Beauty will save the world" http://www.estatevaults.com/bol/archives/2009/07/02/kitsch_is_a_dis.html Roger Scruton on Beauty and its corruptions Kitsch is a mould that settles over the entire works of a living culture, when people prefer the sensuous trappings of belief to the thing truly believed in. It is not only... Jill Fallon Art 2009-07-02T13:56:29-05:00 "Isn't saving the planet grand" http://www.estatevaults.com/bol/archives/2009/06/30/isnt_saving_the.html The horrific solution of  the cap and trade legislation is far worse than the problem. The Waxman-Markey Travesty The formulation of the so-called Waxman-Markey bill was less traditional legislative sausage-making than an unspeakable practice out of The Jungle. Its... Jill Fallon Economy 2009-06-30T21:21:42-05:00 Breitbart's laws http://www.estatevaults.com/bol/archives/2009/06/30/breitbarts_laws.html Richard Fernandez, Carnival of grotesques My first reactions to Andrew Breitbart’s article were a) that the lines between the serious and bizarre in modern culture have drawn dangerously near each other; and b) who heck makes up rules like... Jill Fallon Culture and Society 2009-06-30T20:39:31-05:00 Bungee Dating http://www.estatevaults.com/bol/archives/2009/06/30/bungee_dating.html When you can learn an important lesson from the experience of others, count yourself lucky.  In Bungee Dating in New York City, Gerard Vanderleun tells the story of his friend last night and it's not to be missed. Bottom... Jill Fallon Rules of Life/Lessons Learned 2009-06-30T20:36:34-05:00 McDo in Paris http://www.estatevaults.com/bol/archives/2009/06/30/mcdo_in_paris.html How McDonald's Conquered France In the battle for France, Jose Bové, the protester who vandalized a McDonald's in 1999 and was then running for president, proved to be no match for Le Big Mac....By 2007, France had become the... Jill Fallon Signs of the Times 2009-06-30T17:00:28-05:00