A collection of miscellaneous weekly blog posts below!
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An epic novel takes time to absorb, so reading it over and over again, irrespective of its literary prowess, linguistics, and message, could end up feeling like a chore. There are a few novels I’ve read multiple times, A Prayer for Owen Meany among them, but it was over a period of years, decades in…
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Viruses, irrespective of their origins, have one universal characteristic: they cannot travel over water. So, for example, if you were standing on the beach with the ocean to your right, you could rest assured that no virus could attack you from that direction. Also, if you are old enough to have read a newspaper on…
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Mmm, what would I want carrying my name? The first thing that comes to mind is some sort of structure. But definitely not a tunnel; in the event of an accident, I wouldn’t want people stuck inside me. It would be somewhat ironic if I had to call my wife and tell her, “Honey, I’ll…
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In what was dubbed “Operation Cyclone,’” the U.S. furnished the Mujahedin with the weapons and cash they needed to resist the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; Iraq fired SCUD missiles that they acquired courtesy of the Soviets at the U.S. for intervening in the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait; the U.S. coughed up a billion or so…
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Dear Miserly Old Prick, In the event that you’ve lost track of time (doubtless you have; it’s a symptom of living too long), it’s 2062, and you’re 100 years old. Congratulations. But are congratulations in order? Should longevity count as an accomplishment? Let us examine the situation, shall we? Presently, you’re enjoying life with the…
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I’m a basic man, a conservationalist in my accepted wisdoms, who practices the art of minimalism. I am also a salt-of-the-earth Italian who believes in attacking matters one at a time and correctly. Some call it OCD; I call it focus. If I’m doing something, rest assured, it is not a frivolous whim but a…
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Me, after tackling my 100-foot New Jersey driveway. The hot broth and grilled cheese my dear Kathy made would’ve gone down good. What a shame it went to waste. Easy come, easy go. Winter isn’t going quietly into the night; it has become a Tyrannosaurus Rex with a thorn in its ass.
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The Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black” always had a place in my top ten of classic rock songs. Watch Gamazda, born Alexandra Kuznetsova in Moscow, Russia, and a graduate of the prestigious Tchaikovsky Conservatory, apply her classical technique and put her thumbprint on an ageless classic rock gem.
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And so another February 14th is among us. As history illustrates, February 14th, in the year 1929, did not go so swimmingly for old Bugsy Moran. Never let it be said that Al Capone was not a man without a sense of irony. However, the Saint Valentine’s Day massacre, which took place in Lincoln Park,…
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A brainstorm, an open pasture, a few good friends, and whatever became of Alexander Joy Cartwright? Baseball is not a fast-paced game, but it is sudden. Often, we can’t see baseball coming; it just happens—the game’s defining moments come and go like a flicker of light, bringing instantaneous and unexpected joy and crushing heartbreak without…
Michael's Corner 