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An observer of the modern scene recently opined that people today don't have many friends; some have none. In the hectic pace of modern life, it seems that many do not take the time or have the opportunity to develop lasting friendships.
Our local newspaper last week reprinted a Groundhog Day cartoon by Mike Luckovich from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It depicted two gentlemen in old-fashioned garb staring forlornly at Punxsutawney Phil who has keeled over (having fainted or died). One gent says to the other, "He saw his 401K." We might display a guarded smile after reading this sign of...
February 12, 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of naturalist Charles Darwin, author of The Origin of Species. It is also the 200th anniversary of the birth of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Each man is known for powerful words that changed our world. But one is still widely embraced as a hero, while the legacy of the other is increasingly being...
These are hard words. They're easy to say, and easy to ask for, but much harder to give—at least sometimes. I'm convinced that, much of the time, I'm just about the most easy-going person in the world. At least, I feel like the most easy-going person I know. But other times...
Besides being one of the best Super Bowl games I've seen, this year's sports extravaganza claimed my keen interest for another reason. During half time, the music superstar who performed four of his best-known hits with his band of almost four decades was once our Freehold, New Jersey neighbor from around the corner. And what better place to watch this show than...
If you've stayed in a hotel or motel in North America, no doubt you have opened the top drawer of your bedside nightstand and found a Gideon Bible or New Testament. It usually is a black, brown or red-covered hardback book with the Gideon symbol, a two-handled pitcher and torch, on the front. Gideon Bibles were standard issue in motels long before TV and...
Each year in January our community holds a ceremony commemorating religious freedom in America. My wife and I have attended several of these memorials over the years. They are celebrated here because it was in January, 1777 that Thomas Jefferson, Edmund Pendleton, George Mason, George Wythe and Thomas Ludwell Lee met at Weedon's Tavern in Fredericksburg,...
As a sportsman, I was disappointed when, upon moving to North Carolina, I encountered the "Sunday law." No deer hunting on Sunday. Period. As a Sabbath-keeper, this has brought me no little consternation! I will not hunt on Saturday, and according to the laws of the State, I may not hunt on Sunday. That leaves Monday through Friday – not ideal for getting...
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...
For years, economists have worried about inflation. But now, the fear of deflation is haunting governments and business leaders alike. Could we experience a devastating deflationary period followed by an almost unimaginable death-blow of rapid "Zimbabwe-like" inflation? How can you prepare?