Archive for August, 2008
Behind the Wheel
Wednesday, August 20th, 2008Yesterday the State of Missouri entrusted our daughter with a learner’s permit. (They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but those first twelve words probably create a thousand pictures in the minds of parents with driving teens.)
After work I sat in the passenger seat and Lindsay took her place behind the wheel as […]
Everyday Olympians
Tuesday, August 12th, 2008The world has Olympics fever again. Our family spent much of last Friday night awed by the opening ceremonies, and we all cheered our heads off when the U.S. men’s team won the 400-meter freestyle relay Sunday night.
Some decry all the hoopla as a massive waste of resources that could be directed to far worthier […]
Ants
Friday, August 8th, 2008I was surprised recently to read that the animal with the fastest strike in the world is not a sprinting cheetah or a diving hawk, but a pouncing ant. The trap-jaw ant, according to Biology News Net, closes its mandibles at anywhere from 78 to 145 mph. The ant can strike at about 2,000 times […]
Rush to Judgment
Thursday, August 7th, 2008The Washington Post reported today on emerging evidence connecting Bruce E. Ivins with the anthrax attacks that killed five people in 2001. Ivins, a government scientist who helped the FBI analyze anthrax samples from the attacks, killed himself last week just as the Department of Justice was preparing to file charges against him.
The Post’s coverage […]
Well Spent?
Monday, August 4th, 2008Two news items on cnn.com grabbed my attention last week. The first reported Exxon’s record $11.68 billion quarterly profit. That worked out to $1,485.55 a second, according to reporter Steve Hargreaves. A second article on the same Web page listed per-pound estimates for the cost of the world’s most expensive foods. Top of the list: […]
Tad’s Dad
Friday, August 1st, 2008Yes, Father’s Day is in June. But fathers never really take a holiday. I wrote this article for one of our Father’s Day editions. It still reminds me to evaluate my priorities.
***
August 8, 1863
My dear Wife,
All as well as usual, and no particular trouble anyway. I put the money into the Treasury at five per […]
