Pink Slime Delicacy
Over the years, my family and I have hosted several Japanese exchange students during the summer months. Their first food request after they get off the plane is always the same – “American Hamburger”. Although McDonalds now spans the globe, a burger in Tokyo is just not as good as one in the […]
Grading the Candidates
I’ve spent years explaining to college students why grading is necessary. I have thoughtfully reviewed all the reasons why I can’t just give everyone an “A” and make them love me. Grades are merely a tool, I have said; they help you to adjust your learning modalities and achieve your life goals more […]
The Age of Anxiety
In an age where cave dwellers ate small animals and worried about being eaten by larger ones, anxiety was a good thing. “Fight or flight” has seen its day, and that occasional, sudden bolus of adrenaline has been replaced by a lower, 24/7 time-release dosage. “The Age of Anxiety” by W.H. Auden won […]
Thugs in the NBA
Is it just me, or is the NBA becoming a collection of thugs? I know you should never judge a book by its cover, and I certainly have tried my best to avoid stereotyping people based on their appearance. Nevertheless, I can’t help but wonder, as I watch an NBA game, what these […]
Remember “Tebow Time”?
There was a six week period where the excitement over Tim Tebow grew like a nuclear reaction, with “buzzer beater” wins leading to more and more attention. The Denver Broncos backed into the NFL playoffs, too embarrassed to wear the T-shirts and caps that celebrated their AFC West championship. Everyone picked the Pittsburgh […]
Weddings at Funeral Homes
If you are struggling with an important, life changing decision, try strolling through a cemetery at sunrise. Nothing else compares when it comes to adding clarity to your life. If that critical decision happens to involve a wedding, you might be able to save some money by staying on the property and checking […]
Good Battles Evil
In the 2009 BCS Championship Game, Tim Tebow wrote “John 3:16” on his eye-black. An estimated 94 million people Googled it, and found themselves confronted with the central message of the Christian faith. The NFL doesn’t allow players to wear advertising, but in his last playoff game against the Steelers, Tebow passed for […]
The Chinese are Catching Up
Hard work beats talent every time. Based on his public image, Peyton Manning is one of the hardest working athletes in professional sports. So far, it seems to be turning out well for him. Open any American history book and it will tell the story of how our great country was built by immigrants who […]
Half of Us Are Below Average
By definition, half of us are below average (you know who you are). Statistics can be confusing, however (see, for example, “Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists”). This may explain why the entire crop of Republican presidential hopefuls is below average. If it were up to me, I would change […]
Too Many Laws
The US has the most prisoners of any country in the world; one in every 32 adults in this country is in jail. There are lots of people who get paid to analyze this. It seems to me that we do have an awful lot of laws, and that people often are unaware, or just […]
