In the late 1800s, a young Scotsman became a successful and widely read author. Robert Louis Stevenson is best known for his colorful adventure novel Treasure Island, but he also wrote an allegorical tale about good and evil in 1886 in his best-selling book entitled The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

“That boggles my mind!” Many of us have made that exclamation when we were astonished or amazed upon seeing or hearing something incredible. The word “boggle” means to be astounded or overwhelmed. Is your mind boggled?

Before anyone builds a structure, the first concern should be about setting a firm foundation. In our town, over a century ago, the community fathers mined coal using the room and pillar method, some 300 feet below the surface. Miners left pillars of coal to support the ceilings, and the rooms extended underground for miles. Later, methods developed to extract the pillars, and wood structures were placed to hold the roof. But the supports didn’t last.

Earth is described by some as a “lonely planet”—yet, scientists continue their search for extraterrestrial life. However, the quest to find life beyond Earth recently hit another roadblock. “Alien life may be more unlikely than commonly thought, according to a UK study that hints at a cosmic lack of phosphorus.

North and South Korea held serious peace negotiations last week for the first time in years, and this time it appears real progress may be made.