To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Generally the passing of a retired chemical engineer wouldn’t make a dent in the national news cycle. But Harrison Ruffin Tyler, who died May 25, was no ordinary citizen. He was the last surviving grandson of John Tyler. Yes, that John Tyler – the man who became America’s 10th president 184… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here New York City has always been a harrowing place to live. During the 1850s – a long time before the arrival of subways and skyscrapers – the city was deeply unsettled. As depicted in Martin Scorsese’s 2002 feature film Gangs of New York, the streets roiled with conflicts between rich and… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Tom Toro draws cartoons for The New Yorker magazine, long considered the ultimate cartoonists’ showcase. His work springs from his humorous observations concerning the challenges of everyday life, as evidenced by the panel above. But it took a while before he hit the big time. The New Yorker accepted his… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Winston Churchill loved dinner parties. The World War II-era British Prime Minister savored hearty entrees, tasty desserts, endless rounds of brandy and champagne, and imported Cuban cigars. What Churchill most enjoyed, however, was the chance to sit for extended periods with friends and foes alike. In her book Dinner with Churchill,… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Some people just have a way with words. That includes Muhammad Ali, whose wit, wisdom, and sheer audacity place him near the top of any list of the most “quotable people” in the English language. There wasn’t much in his childhood to presage such fame. Ali, who was born Cassius Clay,… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here It’s hard to overstate the eagerness of many underage men to join America’s armed forces in World War II. Calvin Graham was one of them. In August 1942 he walked into a recruiting station in Fort Worth, Texas. The recruiting officer had a pretty good idea Calvin was too young to… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Who could have imagined that followers of Jesus would owe a debt of gratitude to Friederick Nietzsche? That particular German philosopher, after all, has long been regarded as one of history’s arch-atheists. Nietzsche (1844-1900) was the intellectual who popularized the phrase “God is dead” – and then challenged his fellow nonbelievers… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Like a lot of people, Cliff Edwards wanted to hit the big time. Unlike most people, he actually succeeded. In 1909, Edwards dropped out of school in Hannibal, Missouri – he was 14 years old at the time – and became a traveling entertainer. He sang in saloons and flophouses across… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here How did hurricanes get their names? It’s a long and interesting story. As Eric Jay Dolin reports in his book A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America’s Hurricanes, there were no standard naming protocols prior to the middle of the 20th century. Storms were often tagged with the particular year… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Invictus is one of history’s most enduring expressions of self-reliance. It came from the pen of William Ernest Henley (1849-1903), a highly regarded poet and literary critic during Britain’s Victorian Era. From the age of 12, Henley had battled tuberculosis in the bone of his left leg. At age 20 it had… Read more »
