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The headlines scream of the carnage unfolding in Syria, with new allegations of the use of poison gas by the Bashar al-Assad regime. While the United Nations makes empty pronouncements and the major powers hurl meaningless threats of intervention, people on both sides of the conflict die in increasing numbers.
My wife and I once had the opportunity to rescue a baby deer that had become separated from its mother and was on the verge of dying. While we were driving to and from a deer rehabilitation center in North Carolina, we began discussing our experience, and it became quite apparent that there is a great deal of responsibility and joy associated with taking care of...
Many historians have written about the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. From Edward Gibbon’s epic work to modern books on the subject, numerous reasons are offered for Rome’s decline that offer interesting parallels to America’s declining power and prestige. Could America also fall?
From the barbarian hordes and the over-extension of the military to moral...
Earlier this year, thousands of workers crowded into a huge building known as the Rana Plaza in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This building housed several clothing factories, where workers endured deplorable working conditions not uncommon in many developing countries. As the workday unfolded, the building suddenly began rumbling and shaking. However, this was no...
As summer ends and school begins, many parents take a deep breath, close their eyes, and take the plunge into the next hectic chapter of life.
Most of us grew up having learned childhood “fairy tales” about figures such as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. In our innocence, we may have believed them with all our hearts. They filled our young minds with fun and games. We happily “pretended”—and were encouraged to do so by our parents, who loved us and only wanted to make us happy.
A hearty laugh is good for us. Something truly funny, that tickles our "funny bone" and causes us to laugh out loud, has a calming, stress-relieving effect on us as human beings. Scientific studies have shown the benefit of hilarity and good humor on our health and well-being. And yet, much of what passes for humor today has a bite to it or the laugh is at...
When I was in grammar school, I shared a class with a young man who became known as "Stevie the Liar." If anyone told of an event that they had actually experienced, Stevie developed a more extravagant fabrication that overshadowed that occurrence. Stevie constantly shared "points of fact" that upon closer scrutiny proved to be more of his vivid imagination. In...
Many years ago, while exploring in the dark recesses of our attic, I saw a treasure. Someone had left a violin among the piles of old saved things. I knew this was a rare find, and that someday when I was older I would recover it and make beautiful music. Years went by before I retrieved the old violin, but after some string work I was ready to make music beyond...
The cool, bright spring morning was nearly perfect for an invigorating walk. As I approached a wooded green belt, the delightful sweet smell of honeysuckle in bloom wafted over me. It added greatly to the enjoyment of the morning. How sad that so many people go rushing through life and do not have time to enjoy the sweet smell of the flowers in springtime.