Arrivederci Roma.

There will be plenty of good memories of this past week's trip to Rome (with day-trips into Tuscany and Florence).  As I walked through the Orto Botanico (botanic garden) in the Trastavere area this afternoon, I savored the clear skies and the peace of visiting a public area on a weekday.

It's good to travel abroad when possible to learn something about other parts of the world--and, also, get some perspective as to one's place in the world.

Hoping that I can regard personal/professional problems as smaller and more manageable after this one-week push of the metaphorical pause button.

Thumbs up for President Obama's high-speed rail plan.

It's a right-wing talking point to dismiss Barack Obama's Presidency by comparing it to Jimmy Carter's one term in office.

But, among his lasting achievements (such as the Israel/Egypt peace talks), Carter (and his then-Transportation Secretary Brock Adams) managed to decrease support for the Amtrak rail system.

This is why Obama's support for high-speed rail as an alternative mode of transportation is a welcome change of approach: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/04/18/obamas-rail-plan-speeds-ahead/