[July 7, 2026] Italian actor Roberto Benigni once said, in all seriousness, “I thank my parents for the greatest gift of all: poverty.” He said this in his acceptance speech for the Best Actor Oscar in 1999 for Life is Beautiful (La vita è bella), referring to his humble upbringing in a small Italian village. Psychologically, the quote… Read More »
[July 6, 2026] I ran across a video that made me think about the idea of beauty as a rejuvenation of the spirit. A content creator published a video showing a tall, beautiful woman in a red dress (based on a classic stewardess uniform) standing on a busy city sidewalk. The idea was to capture the reactions of… Read More »
[July 5, 2026] Like I normally do, my article today was written yesterday (July 4th). I’m typing with tired fingers after our huge Fourth of July Parade here in my hometown of Galloway, and being physically exhausted from the effort. Things get harder as we get older, and I’m much older than back in my Army days. Thankfully,… Read More »
[July 4, 2026] It’s hard to believe now; 22 years ago, my Engineer unit had been deployed in combat just shy of half a year. The city of Baghdad, Iraq, was unlike any Western metropolis I’d ever seen; dusty, hot, smelly, and dangerous. I was there on the 4th of July 2004, and we enjoyed the day, at… Read More »
[July 3, 2026] After entering college for the first time, I struggled greatly with understanding my professors and the purpose of my daily assignments. I admit it. I was lost, and the struggle was most in my history and social science courses. Math, engineering, chemistry, and physics were easier for me. At the time, my discovery of my… Read More »
[July 2, 2026] I was recently asked to write a short article about my experience with the most infamous stretch of road in Iraq: Route Irish. I’ll do my best to talk about surviving on that road. While pulling out my notes, I was mentally transported back to my unit’s deployment to Baghdad in early March 2024, to… Read More »
[July 1, 2026] And we wonder why America won its independence from Britain. UK police arrested a clothing store’s plastic mannequin for wearing “immodest clothes.” Okay, they didn’t actually arrest it; they confiscated it, put it in a police van, and drove it off to jail, guarded by at least a dozen police officers. It is reported that… Read More »
[June 30, 2026] I recently did a basic review of The Meditations by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, but I felt that I’d not given it enough attention. Here, I’m going to try and correct that by giving a little more of my personal take on it. Bare with me, as I plow myself through. In PDF format link… Read More »
[June 29, 2026] Shocking headlines in America have, for years, claimed that 40% of kids can’t read. That is not true, but what is really happening is nearly as bad. This misconception starts with the 40% figure from annual tests given to fourth graders, but this means they can’t read at what is called a “basic level.” What… Read More »
[June 28, 2026] It’s late Saturday night and I’m tired. What made me so tired? First off, I was nervous about traveling out to the western side of New Jersey (yeah, only a little over an hour drive) to attend a U.S. Marine O-6 level change of command. For those who’ve spent any time in the military, know… Read More »