John Steele Gordon wrote a fascinating article in today's Wall Street Journal that looked at coincidences, extremely unlikely things that happen more often than we perhaps realize. Here are some of the examples Gordon shared: Sen. John McCain died Aug. 25 of a brain tumor, a glioblastoma. Sen. Ted Kennedy died of the same disease, … Continue reading Strange Coincidences
Baseball is a game steeped in tradition; changes to the game are rare, although there have been some over the years. It used to take eight balls to walk someone, then six balls, then four. Walks were called hits and then they weren't. Pitchers had to throw underhand (which is why we still call them … Continue reading Thinking Outside the (Batter’s) Box
Elon Musk is worth $20 billion. He turned 47 on June 28, and he said he spent the full 24 hours of his birthday at work. “All night — no friends, nothing,” he said in an interview with the New York Times. Two days later, he was scheduled to be the best man at his brother's … Continue reading Is This What It Takes to Be a Billionaire?
As if college isn't already expensive enough. According to the College Board, the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2017–2018 school year was $34,740 at private colleges, $9,970 for state residents at public colleges, and $25,620 for out-of-state residents attending public universities. The College Board reports that the average cost of room and board … Continue reading What Does $999 Get You These Days? How About One Textbook…
It is no wonder that so many tributes have poured in for Senator John McCain. He was a hero, a man of honor and decency, and a man committed to serving his country. While there are many instances of such exemplary behavior, I think one of the best is his reaction to a woman at … Continue reading In Memory of John McCain
Byron Tau wrote a great piece in today's Wall Street Journal about watching a baseball game in Japan. Baseball is my favorite of the big 4 professional sports, probably because it's the one I played the most as a kid (not well, however). It sounds like they take their baseball quite seriously in Japan. Just … Continue reading Take Me Out to the Ball Game – in Japan
My wife, youngest son, and I spent a wonderful weekend in Amsterdam this past winter as part of our three-month stay in Europe. I wrote about the experience, which was one of the highlights of our time in Europe. One of the things I I liked about Amsterdam, and the Netherlands in general, was its … Continue reading The Dutch Seem to Do Things the Right Way
Here is a blurb about the color pink from the Color Psychology web site: Pink has many positive associations. It is a calming, non-threatening color. It is linked to innocence, hope and optimism. It also represents positive aspects of traditional femininity like nurture and kindness. Its negative sides are that it can seem weak, vulnerable … Continue reading The Color Pink – the Latest In Psychological Warfare?
One of my blogging colleagues, Justin Wheeler, told me that he uses the Hemingway app to help keep his writing simple and concise, something that Hemingway was famous for (although I was not aware of that). To use the app, you can either download an app and then enter your text into the app to … Continue reading Improving My Writing, with Hemingway at My Side
I had grand plans for this morning. Get up early, do my workout, make my smoothie, shower, and be at Jiffy Lube by 7:55 so that I would be first in line for an oil change when they open at 8:00. I always use a similar plan when I get my haircut; get to Hair … Continue reading What’s Five Minutes? Well, Let Me Tell You…
Borden's Blather 