The Secret Compass of Birds by Angela Rieck
It’s Autumn, when birds display their aerial murmurations and unusual birds show up at our bird feeders. Murmurations are the patterns that birds create when they gather en-mass and build fluid, rapidly shifting shapes. Murmurations are spectacularly coordinated flight patterns of birds moving as one large, shape-shifting cloud. They consist of hundreds—sometimes thousands—of birds flying […]
The Trump Meltdown and the Midterm Elections by J.E. Dean
Yes, as the President tells us, the midterm elections are about Trump. Vote as if he is on the ballot. But before you cast that vote, realize we are in the midst of a Trump meltdown. Trump is descending into a world untethered from reality, one that was unimaginable two years ago. Just this month, […]
Many Talented People Die Friendless and Penniless by Maria Grant
I just finished reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, the next selection in my Great Books Club. I read it several years ago and enjoyed reading it for a second time. Wilde died in extreme poverty after serving two years in a British prison for homosexual offenses. Today, in addition to Dorian […]
Many Talented People Die Friendless and Penniless by Maria Grant
I just finished reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, the next selection in my Great Books Club. I read it several years ago and enjoyed reading it for a second time. Wilde died in extreme poverty after serving two years in a British prison for homosexual offenses. Today, in addition to Dorian […]
Sisyphus by Jamie Kirkpatrick
I think I know how Sisyphus must have felt. You remember Sisyphus, don’t you? In case you don’t, he was the cunning and deceitful King of Ephyra who angered the gods by cheating death—twice, even!—and revealing some secrets belonging exclusively to Zeus. His punishment was harsh: Sisyphus was sentenced to an endlessly repetitive and futile […]
From the Gridiron Playing for the Ravens to College Professor by David Reel
Fans of the Baltimore Ravens may recall John Urschel, who was an offensive lineman for three seasons and then retired. His retirement was not because of poor performance on the playing field or failure to come to an agreement on the terms of his contract. It was due in part to his concern over reports […]
Where Does The Path Lead? By Al Sikes
The year was 2016 and I had just wrapped up a book tour that took me from a Barnes and Noble in Nashville to friends hosting a talk in New York City. In two weeks, I had met with hundreds—their questions and comments reflected a pervasive unease. I write ten years later. The unease has intensified. […]
Same Day Delivery By Laura J. Oliver
So I’m at JT’s, my personal trainer—only he’s not all that personal. By my count, he’s about 50 people’s personal trainer, and I’m sure we all start our sessions with a self-disclosing catch-up on our week’s activities. We are diametrically opposed politically, so I avoid those topics, but that’s easy enough to do for an […]
A New Fad—Earthing and Grounding by Angela Rieck
There is a new fad called earthing. The theory is that as we are separated from the earth by noise cancellation, rubber-soled sneakers, and multi-layered urban concrete, we are more disconnected from the literal Earth. Earthing, also known as grounding, is the wellness practice of placing bare skin directly on grass, soil, sand, or open […]
Anticipating Shenanigans and Trouble, but With a Happy Ending by J.E. Dean
My seat belt is tightened, and I expect surprises, negative ones. The happy ending is the triumph Democrats are likely to enjoy on November 3rd, a day that will live in history as the beginning of the end of Trumpism. That day, if it happens, may almost make the next few weeks worth it. It […]