What is a coffle? It’s an obsolete (I hope) word that means a group of enslaved people chained together in a line. It was commonly used by slavers in the 18th and 19th centuries when they moved slaves long distances. Coffle, like slavepen and overseer (person on a plantation paid a wage to organize the work
When do we start learning? Recent research suggests it’s as soon as we’re born. Which also suggests another advantage affluent families have over poor families — their children are exposed to more learning opportunities as preschoolers, thus giving them a head start when they get to school. One study estimated that this translates to
I don’t know what I was thinking. I forgot my favorite animated character’s birthday! Mickey Mouse’s birthday is November 18, because that was the day in 1928 when he made his first appearance, in a cartoon short entitled Steamboat Willie at the Colony Theater in New York. Steamboat Willie was actually the third film made, but it was
You may have heard of the rapper Notorious B.I.G. Biggie or Biggie Smalls. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Notorious_B.I.G.) Despite having died in 1997 at the age of 24, a victim of a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, he’s still considered one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. This was quite an accomplishment for someone with
I’ve been catching up on my reading, and I realized we’ve just passed another interesting anniversary. Ellis Island formally closed on November 12, 1954. I visited the island while chaperoning a middle-school educational trip to New York City about 15 years ago and got to see the museum. More than 12 million immigrants passed through its gates in
This is a piece I first posted on July 10, 2015. It was originally published in the Dayton Daily News at a time when a wave of terrorism was sweeping Europe. Sadly, it seems even more appropriate today, so I’m reposting it. My brother came home safely. I think about this every time there is another
I’ll get right to the point on this one. I’ve just listened to a podcast about a woman whose computer files (over 5000 of them) were locked and she had to pay $500 to ransom them. Yes, there are cybercriminals who can remotely take over your computer, lock your files, and demand payment before you
The nice folks at Bewildering Stories have published another story of mine in issue #643. It’s entitled “Distant Replay” and is based on my wargaming hobby. This issue’s link is — http://www.bewilderingstories.com/
I haven’t posted anything recently because I’ve just returned from my 45th college reunion. I don’t publicly announce my travel, so I hope everyone understands the lapse. If you’ve ever looked on my Facebook page, you know I graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1970 and retired in 1990. I haven’t returned to the
Yes, it’s a bit early to think about winter. But then again, it will be here before you know it. Collateral Damage Once they were strong, solid, dependable, upright. Now they are angled in different crazy directions. Some can barely stand. Here’s one almost on the ground. They are mailboxes