Tag: news
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July 19: Remembering My Mother Amid Political Turmoil
Afternoon, Saturday, July 19, 2025 – Miami, Florida It’s a quintessential summer day in South Florida—sunny skies, no thunderstorms looming, and a heavy, palpable heat that clings to everything. At 91°F (33°C) with humidity hovering at 64%, the “feels like” temperature is a sweltering 101°F (38°C). For anyone who doubts the effects of climate change,…
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July 4, 2025: No Fireworks, No Sousa Marches…Just Grief and Dirges
🗽 “Fourth of July, Unfinished” Afternoon, Friday, July 4, 2025 – Miami, Florida Hello, everyone. Today is, as you likely know, Independence Day in the United States and its territories. The Fourth of July—“the Glorious Fourth”—marks the day in 1776 when the Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, formally severing political ties between…
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42 Years Ago, in a High School Not So Far Away (A Tempus Fugit Gig)
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Billy Joel, Blogging, Cold War (1945-1991), Computers, John Williams (Composer), Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in South Florida, Personal History, Personal Thoughts, Personal Thoughts, South Miami Senior High School, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Tempus fugit, U.S. History42 Years Ago, in a High School Not So Far Away…. Late Morning, Tuesday, June 17, 2025 — Miami, Florida “It was only high school, after all—arguably one of the most bizarre periods in a person’s life. How anyone emerges well-adjusted is nothing short of a miracle.” — E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly A…
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The Dark Web of Russian Influence: How Moscow Manipulates America’s Right-Wing Politics
Midday/Early Afternoon, Tuesday, January 7, 2025, Miami, Florida For my esteemed friend Jenny: The Russian Influence on American Right-Wing Politics Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about how Russia is influencing American politics, especially on the right. Using their GRU intelligence service and the Internet Research Agency (IRA), they’ve managed to tangle up a…
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Old Gamers Never Die: Some Thoughts on ‘Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age’ (Early Access)
I’m an avid enthusiast of naval combat simulations. My journey began in the spring of 1987, when my uncle Sixto gifted me my very first computer, an Apple IIe. The first game I eagerly added to my collection was Destroyer, a 1986 single-player simulation of a Fletcher-class destroyer crafted by Epyx Games. Set in the…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: ‘Reunion: Coda’ Update – 22 Chapters Down…Only a Few More to Go!
Late Morning, Friday, December 20, 2024, Miami, Florida I’m pleased to report that yesterday’s afternoon writing session was delightfully productive, and Chapter 22 of Reunion: Coda is, pending my Beta Reader’s seal of approval, officially complete. It’s a rather succinct chapter, perhaps one of the shortest in the novel, clocking in at a mere three…
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Triumph and Tragedy in the Med: A ‘Sea Power’ After-Action Account Told as a Press Release
Press Release: Naval Battle in the Eastern Mediterranean October 21, 1984 The Navy Department reports that, 12 hours after Warsaw Pact forces began hostilities in Western Europe following the deposition of the ailing General Secretary Konstantin Chernenko by Soviet hardliners, the USS Nimitz carrier battlegroup successfully fended off coordinated air and submarine attacks by Soviet…
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Old Gamers Never Die: ‘CVBG Norwegian Sea’ Scenario in ‘Sea Power’ Revisited
“Dawn Clash in the Norwegian Sea” Time Magazine March 11, 1985 Issue By James K. Garraty, Senior Correspondent. With reporting by Alex Diaz-Granados from Washington In the early light of dawn on March 1, 1985, the tranquil waters of the North Atlantic were shattered by the deafening roar of jet engines and the explosive engagement…
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Old Gamers Never Die: A ‘Sea Power’ After Action Report (Told as a News Story)
F-14 Pilots Thwart Soviet Attack in the Norwegian Sea ABOARD USS NIMITZ, March 1, 1985 In a series of intense aerial clashes above the Norwegian Sea on Day 12 of the ongoing war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, F-14 pilots from the USS Nimitz carrier battle group emerged victorious, shooting down four Soviet Backfire…
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Exploring ‘Sea Power’: A Naval Combat Experience
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Cold War-Turns-Hot Games, Cold Waters, Computer and Video Games, CreateSpace Independent Publishing, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Life in Florida, Life in Miami….Again, MicroProse Software, Personal Thoughts, Regiments (2022), Regiments: Iron Curtain, Regiments: Second Wave, Regiments: Winds of Change, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age, Triassic Games, Writer’s BlockLate Morning, Friday, November 15, 2024, Miami, Florida Hi there, dear Constant Readers. Well, here it is late Friday morning, and it’s shaping up to be a typically warm – even hot – and humid day in the subtropical zone. The temperature is 83°F (28°C) under partly sunny skies. With humidity at 63% and the…
A Certain Point of View, Too 