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In the days before good ventilation, coal miners never entered a mine without a canary in a cage. Canaries sing constantly, and if the canary ceased singing (and passed out), it signaled immediate evacuation of the mine, due to buildup of deadly carbon monoxide and methane gases.
Contrary to what most people think, the trappings of Christmas are not based on Jesus Christ of the Bible, but are deeply rooted in pre-Christian oral legends, sanitized by theologians, historians and, in some instances, the editorial rooms of more modern times. Of all these legends, none has grown to the stature and popularity of that of Santa Claus.
The scandal involving Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois has all eyes on the corrupt political environment that has traditionally surrounded the Chicago area. The FBI's wiretap recorded Governor Blagojevich's profanity-filled bid for personal gain – allegedly attempting to sell President-Elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder.
It is too easy to be overwhelmed by the statistics and not consider the agony. It is too easy to dismiss the headlines as something happening "far away." But today, men, women and children just like you are suffering and dying in Zimbabwe in a hopeless, hellish nightmare.
A couple months ago, to celebrate one of God's biblical Holy Days, some very good friends mailed me a small gift – a little tin of chocolate covered espresso beans. They are delicious, so to make them last I have only a couple every few days. When I eat a few of these tasty little treats, I remember my good friends – and their friendship.
It was an especially hot summer day growing up in rural Tennessee! Relief from the heat was nowhere to be found—unless we disobeyed my mother’s direct command, “Do not go swimming in that nasty cow pond!” Boys will be boys, the saying goes, as five brothers formulated a resourceful and cunning plan to go swimming without getting caught.
President Elect Barack Obama campaigned on the platform of change. Throughout the year he spoke at hundreds of rallies across the country, promoting his ideas for a better tomorrow and launching his goals for change to the American people.
An item caught my eye in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's front page on December 5th. It was an article on Iraqis and Afghans who have recently moved to the United States. While some have faced hardship here, they love their adopted country. (For all America's faults – and perhaps because of some of them – it is still a country that many dream of coming to.)
Eighty years ago, President Herbert Hoover famously promised, "A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage" if elected. On the 80th anniversary of that promise, what is our ability to fulfill that pledge for the average American?
In 2008, an epochal event passed mostly unnoticed. For the first time in history, more than 50% of humanity now lives in cities. What are some issues and some predictions for our growing cities, and for civilization as a whole?