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"You have to shake it" with those words I got my first instructions on how to handle salad dressing that had oil and vinegar and other seasonings. You have to shake it up because the ingredients just don't normally mix together. Their properties are so different that they just don't combine naturally. You have to…

The gradual shift in modern educational philosophy to a “self esteem” emphasis is nearly complete. From the math standards that discourage teachers from “correcting” incorrect answers to the ball fields where “we don’t keep score” so no one “feels” bad, this shift is now producing consequences of its own. To be sure, this shift in…

  We live in a cynical world, and the dangers of cynicism lie in the deadening effect of cynicism on hope and joy. There is nothing more hopeless and sad than a cynic who simply can’t allow himself to believe in something better. The death of faith always comes after the loss of the vision…

You’ve met them before. They are the ones who aren’t the center of attention, but they recognize who should be the center of attention and introduce those folks to everyone else. These people seem to have the knack of recognizing who should lead, who should speak, and who should be the example for everyone else.…

Have you ever looked at your schedule and thought “Wow, how am I ever going to finish all this?” Yea, me too! I sometimes wonder about all our “busyness.” Is mere abundance of activity really necessary, or are we doing so much to “hide” from something? Just looking at my own children’s schedule of dance…

There is an old story about a monk who was bothered by the insults from his fellow brothers, so he went to the wise abbot and asked what he should do to overcome these feelings of hurt, resentment, and anger. The old man looked at the young monk and instructed him to go to the…

He arrived in the US with $26 in his pocket from an Eastern European country. In his native land, he sold music records (remember those!) to make ends meet. But he spent every penny he had to buy an old computer that costs as much as someone made in a year in his country. He…

I love this line from Shakespeare: “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy; he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! My gorge rims at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I…