Friday Fun

Kermit the Frog told us decades ago that it wasn’t easy being green.  We’re only now starting to understand.  Coal is thought to have first been used for heat in Northern China 4,000 years ago.  This special rock could burn like a log, providing warmth in a cold part of the globe and likely the first time humans used fossil fuel.  Fast forward through various ind

Some of the best laid plans develop crimps.  Take the Kinks and their song Lola for instance.  They recorded the song in 1970 (it became one of their most famous songs) but needed to re-record it in order to get airplay on the United Kingdom’s BBC.  You see, broadcasting is different in the UK.  The nat

Humans and our ancestors have used tools for millions of years.  They started with rudimentary instruments made of rocks (hence the stone age moniker).  Suddenly, around 12,000 years ago, humans began to harness copper.  Since then, we and this utilitarian metal have maintained a longstanding relationship.  It was the first metal worked by our ancestors and is still an impor

Lawn bowling is a wonderful pastime.  In California, the weather is generally nice enough to play outdoors, but there are parts of the nation (and the globe for that matter) which offer indoor greens.  It’s leisurely but provides something for those with a competitive spirit as well.  In short, the goal is to roll your asymmetric bowl down the green toward the jack (a white

American pop culture was lucky enough to be graced by the Talking Heads for 16 years before they split up in 1991.  Their willingness to experiment with and mix various sounds made them a seminal force in the creation of new wave music, a whole new genre at the time.  Their second album titled More Songs About Buildings and Food is a perfect starting point for a future blog a

Atlas tries hard to avoid controversial topics.  We exist to help clients manage risk through a variety of environments using a proprietary method of market analysis.  But we’ll tangentially touch on topic today that comes with some contention here in America because the title above was too good not to use: Masks.

We all know how important energy is to the modern world.  We’ve recently had a couple of instances demonstrate how messed up things can get when its supply is interrupted.  First was that freakish weather pattern which blanketed much of the nation in February as the Polar Vortex dipped lower than normal, pushing the power grid to the brink of failure in many areas.  Simulta

Classic relationships can be so romantic.  They can even inform our own ideas about the successfulness of our pairings.  Take Ethel and Fred Mertz.  I know Lucy and Ricky are the main characters, but their neighbors really crack me up.  Like Fred, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked for the price tag on some item my wife wants to get rid of because I thin

Movies are the perfect medium for a comeback story.  Most that come to mind are fictional.  The writers can concoct a variety of scenarios to facilitate the protagonist getting back up from whatever setback she’s encountered and triumph before the credits roll.  On occasion, a movie sets up an actor for a return to the Oscars.  Two that come to mind for me is John Trav