Posts by D C

It’s not often a person is in the same room as one of her or his heroes.  That was my experience in May 2003, when Mr. Bill Russell, NBA All-Star and Civil Rights advocate, was awarded an honorary degree at Franklin College’s Commencement.   I learned more about Mr. Russell last week when word of his…

The phrase “something has to give” is a warning that applies to a variety of situations. In the world of sports, a rift has opened up between the PGA (Professional Golf Association) and the new Saudi-backed golf league.  Players are having to choose between loyalty to the PGA and a boatload of money by joining…

I have a friend who believes that life is primarily composed of random events, mere coincidences.  I have other friends who see connections and hidden meanings in almost everything that happens.     I am somewhere in the middle.  Much of my life seems ordinary and predictable.  But I admit to feeling a thrill when something happens…

Imagine a person with little musical training announcing that he intends to conduct a performance of one of Beethoven’s most beautiful works.  Because of this person’s popularity, huge crowds show up to hear these performances.  It immediately becomes clear, however, that this person doesn’t even know how to hold the conductor’s baton.  Nor does this…

I came to an enjoyment of science late.  My grades in junior high and senior high school science classes were mediocre at best, and if there had been an emphasis on STEM during those years, none of my teachers would have put my name forward as a good candidate.  Many of my friends found math…

Ukraine’s President Zelensky is worried. That might sound like the understatement of the year, given Putin’s invasion and destruction of his country.   But the worry I’m talking about is one that Zelensky expressed in a recent interview with NBC’s Richard Engel. President Zelensky is worried about you and me, average Americans. He is worried that our support for…

I’m sure many readers have noticed that TV meteorologists often sound apologetic when they forecast approaching bad weather.  If there have been days and days of rain, weeks with insufficient rain, or bad weather expected for an upcoming holiday, meteorologists often adopt that “I’m so sorry” tone in their voices when they tell us that…

With my wife and me both having compromised immunities, we have played it safe during the pandemic. In addition to receiving shots and both boosters, we still carry masks with us for situations that seem problematic. The pandemic has reminded me of something my elders said when I was young: “You can get used to…

Perhaps we all have a favorite sport to participate in or watch as spectators.  For me, that sport is baseball, although my love happily includes softball.   Part of the beauty of baseball for me is the beauty of the playing surface itself.  I will never forget the first time my father took my brother and…

One of the tenets of Buddhism is that human beings find life frustrating because we see problems where no problems exist.  I was reminded of this bit of wisdom as my wife and I faced our annual springtime ritual of pulling weeds and digging up unwanted tree saplings from the garden and yard.  Buddhism would…