You are a fifth-grade girl who comes home from school to find a doll on your front porch. The doll looks like you, is dressed like you, and there is something about the eyes. Who left it? Why is it here? And what makes this doll so special?
Jim Jenkins is an ace detective who solves the most difficult crimes. Yet he always works alone. Or does he?
Learning how to wiggle your ears is really hard. But you can do it if you keep trying. And if you learn to keep trying, no problem is too big. So if you can wiggle your ears, you can do anything!
I know predicting the future is difficult (even today, our smart phones can do so much more than the fabled Stark Trek Communicators), especially when things are progressing so rapidly (when I was growing up we still had a telephone party line and got two TV channels in black and white). But if you think
“You can run for me anytime!” In past posts, I’ve written about the sport of running. Of all the sports I’ve played, it fits me best. It’s solitary, but I consider that an advantage — no teammates messing up or referees blowing calls — it’s all up to you. And so far (knock wood) I’ve
You’ve always heard the mantra “money can’t buy happiness.” Well, maybe it can. According to a new paperback from the editors of Time magazine entitled The Science of Happiness: New Discoveries for a More Joyful Life, (and yes, It’s on Amazon.com), “Money can help you find more happiness, so long as you know just what you
Don’t you just hate a story that begins, “You’ve probably heard this before.” ? Well, that’s what we’re dealing with here. This is my version of a story we used to tell around the campfire when I was a boy scout. I posted it on a writing website several years ago, and the comments I
If you could save five lives for the cost of one person’s life, would you? What about saving five lives by murdering one person? These are thought-provoking moral dilemmas explored in the podcast “Driverless Dilemma” on the National Public Radio show Radiolab, which was originally broadcast on September 26, 2017. Most people say “yes” to
When I was in high school in the 1960s, I often wondered how that era would be remembered — would it be the Atomic Age or the Space Age? Now it appears the best label would be the Transistor Age. I was reminded of that when I read that October 18, 1954, was the first
You’ve heard of the saying “Don’t judge anyone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes”? I grew up in a mostly rural area with no minorities. When I was in high school, the black sections of communities in our area were like a parallel universe. As an adult, I’ve always tried to be empathetic,
Today I’ve been reading about the NFL players and owners meeting discussing proper procedures for the national anthem. I don’t want to get into that specific subject, but as a military veteran, I do have definite thoughts about patriotism. Realizing that this nation has its problems, I believe patriotism includes calling attention to those problems
In view of all the discussions of patriotism these days, I thought this subject was apropos. Contrary to what some people believe, the Founding Fathers had nothing to do with the Pledge. According to The Writer’s Almanac, it was first recited en mass on October 12, 1892. It had been written in August 1892 by
Harvey Kurtzman , the creator of Mad magazine, was born in Brooklyn on October 3, 1924. As a youngster Kurtzman began drawing comics. He even sent some “very bad” drawings to Walt Disney. It wasn’t until he saw college humor magazines that he realized that was the style that best suited his talents. Kurtzman started
