Engaging Life with Courage and Intelligence
A post with a historical reference
If a rabbit does not see, hear, smell, or feel a bobcat coming, the rabbit will be the bobcat’s next meal. I have no perception of the microbiome of subterranean ecosystems. Likewise, I am unfamiliar with the current pop song “Born to Die” by Lana Del Rey. These two facts do not mean that I…
Artificial intelligence (AI) is not likely to cause the demise of the human race. Instead, AI-like humans are more likely to trigger our downfall. These AI-hybrid humans will not be half-human, half-machine cyborgs, as depicted in the movies. Instead, they will be fully human, driven by their burning desire to dominate others. They will not…
I hope my predictions of the future are wrong. Almost everyone except the very poor or the very rich plans for the future. Most of us need to plan and perform mundane activities, such as holding down a job, balancing our checking accounts, and keeping appointments. People who employ others must also be concerned with…
A surprising percentage of Americans side with the narrative that some things cannot and should not be thought about or acted on. Guns, including automatic firing capability, should not be controlled. If God allows dozens of crazy men to shoot 20 people at a time, who are we to object? A minority of Americans (about…
Sixty years ago, when an English professor required a class to read something like Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, what did many “busy” students do? They took a shortcut. They went to the bookstore and bought the CliffNotes for Wuthering Heights. CliffNotes were summaries of a wide array of books. CliffNotes were a lazy student’s…
By 2003, the George W. Bush regime did the following: a) lowered taxes for his ultra-wealthy benefactors, b) loosened financial regulations to allow his ultra-wealthy benefactors to snooker millions of students, retirees, and wannabe homeowners and investors, c) blamed all the problems on Democrats, and d) started a war with IRAQ. In 2025, the Donald…
Father’s Day Mannon and Whitfield Vandiver, 1916 . Miracle at Oakmont J.J. Spaun sank a 64-foot putt on the 18th hole to win the 125th US Open at the rain-drenched Oakmont Country Club. He started with an unlucky five bogeys on his first six holes. However, his many competitors fell by the wayside on the…
A Brief History of Family X The following is the final chapter in a series about the evolution of the famed family X. It is hard to put lipstick on a pig. Errol X and Maye Haldeman’s marriage dissolved after nine tumultuous years. Maye was high-spirited, physically attractive, and intelligent. Errol was her equal, but…
A Brief History of Family X The following is a chapter in a series about the evolution of the famed family X. John Elon Haldeman was an intelligent and educated man who relocated his young family from Minnesota to Saskatchewan. Although his son Joshua was drawn back to Davenport, Iowa, to attend the world’s first…
A Brief History of Family X The following is a chapter in a series about the evolution of the famed family X. Continuing from the last chapter, Maye Haldeman married into the family X in 1970 in South Africa. Maye’s roots lie in Switzerland in the Mennonite faith. Her Haldeman family was forced out of…