To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Ron Popeil has almost certainly made an impact on your life, even if you don’t recognize his name or face. Popeil, who died two years ago at the age of 86, was the founder of Ronco, the company which gave birth to the Veg-O-Matic and dozens of other novelty inventions. In the 50s and… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Every time we tune in to a TV news broadcast, attend worship, or hang out with neighbors, it isn’t long before a familiar, soul-wearying subject rears its head: It’s Left vs Right. Liberals vs Conservatives. Progressives vs Reactionaries. What are the two sides fighting about now? And who decided that liberals should be called… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. “Love” and “forever” go together like macaroni and cheese. Do a quick inventory of your favorite pop and rock songs, and you’ll discover that lovers routinely make eternal promises to each other. Jackie Wilson tells the world, “(Your love keeps lifting me) Higher and Higher.” Natalie Cole declares, “This Will Be an Everlasting Love.” … Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. There are a lot of misquotes out there. Famous people are routinely credited (or saddled) with things they never actually said. Albert Einstein, for instance, never declared, “Compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe,” even though it sounds wonderfully Einsteinian. Winston Churchill is widely associated with the quip, “Americans can always… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Every day of the year is special. Take today, for instance. May 8, for no apparent reason, is National Have a Coke Day. And National Student Nurse Day. And National Give Someone a Cupcake Cake. And National No Socks Day. And National Report Government Contractor Fraud Day (yikes). And National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day,… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Chicken cordon bleu is a dish that features chicken wrapped around ham and cheese. The exterior is then breaded and fried. It is a tender and delicious recipe that is entirely worthy of a blue ribbon, which is the French meaning of “cordon bleu.” A few years ago I was dining alone in a… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Do some people take Star Wars a little too seriously? Let’s put it this way: It’s astonishing how many fans of the pop culture phenomenon, when asked on a form if they would prefer to declare a religious affiliation, write “Jedi.” May 4 is the unofficial national holiday for devotees of the space opera… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Electrical engineers aren’t usually considered public celebrities worthy of deep affection. Charles Proteus Steinmetz (1865 – 1923) was the exception. At barely four feet tall, he was instantly recognizable. He suffered from kyphosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine which rendered him a hunchback. In the picture above, he’s standing alongside a young Albert… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. It’s amazing how many TV commercials and printed advertisements portray the joy of being at rest. A woman gazes out her window, savoring a cup of coffee. A couple yawn and stretch on silk sheets, welcoming the rising sun. Friends walk together slowly through the woods. A teenager strums a guitar at the… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. It’s not always easy to appreciate modern concert music. That’s especially true when it comes to the radical creations of artists like the French composer Pierre Boulez (pronounced Boo-LEZZ, 1925-2016) and the German musician Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007), two of the most influential avant-garde composers during our lifetimes. The irony is that contemporary musical artists… Read more »