On August 28, 2008, then presidential candidate Barack Obama said, "America needs a strong and vibrant US-flagged Merchant Marine.  That is why . . . you can continue to count on me to support the Jones Act."  While pleased by this promise, our father was also puzzled.  "Who was Jones?"

What may have begun as a casual inquiry, quickly turned into a "jones" for Joneses.  We prescribed a blog.

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If, during the 20th Century, a Yankee male had been asked to name his brand of underwear, the chances were that he'd answer "BVDs."  And should he have been asked what BVD stood for, the chances were that he'd answer "I don't know."  In the 21st Century, things aren't much different.  Whether Jockey or Fruit-of-the-Loom, male underwear is often called BVDs.  We live in times when abbreviations and acronyms threaten to demote English to our second language.

"Which La Paz?" you ask. There are five of them in Latin America alone. And if it's the one in Bolivia, you might wonder why seamen would care whether that La Paz is fireproof. It would be a most unusual ship holding Fire & Boat Drills in a land-locked Andean valley at an altitude of 11,500 feet. The only thing maritime in the neighborhood is Lake Titicaca, 35 miles away and a thousand feet higher. But I'm a seaman and since I do care about the La Paz in Bolivia, let me explain why.