With the veritable explosiveness of smartphone ownership we’ve seen in North America over the last decade, there has been an equally shocking growth in the number of fatal motor vehicle accidents related to distracted driving that occur each year. Distracted driving due to cellphone use has become such a big problem that it has even surpassed driving under the influence of alcohol as the leading killer on our roadways.
Archives for July 2015
Quick! Save the Cat!
All of a sudden a cat ran into the street and was hit in its back end by a car. I watched for a moment as, with collapsed hind legs, it tried to run out of traffic to safety. Before the light turned red, I started towards the middle of the intersection, putting my hands in the air.
Why I Save Old National Geographic Magazines
It is easier for me to access Thomas Condon’s (died 1907) original manuscripts on Oregon paleontology, housed in the University of Oregon’s rare book collections, than it is to get at my own research data recorded on magnetic tape for use by an old mainframe computer in 1971.
Algae: Turning Pollution to Power
Algae’s ability to both capture and convert the energy of the sun makes it one of the most promising biofuel solutions in sight. Simultaneously producing natural oils while consuming the pollutants in waste-water, algae is one of the “greenest” ways to fuel the future.
A Dog Trainer’s Tools
There is an old saying something like, “A good craftsman never blames his tools.” Likewise, it’s important that we never give credit to our tools for good work either. Dog training is an interactive process and as your dog’s trainer, you are responsible for creating a good relationship in which your dog can learn. Choose your tools wisely and learn to use them well!
The Story Behind The Story
Eyes glazing over, I stare at the library stacks. 940.5318. Two shelves stuffed full of books about the Holocaust and accounts of Allied soldiers. The cruelties inflicted upon human beings are heartbreaking. I denounce the evils of Hitler and his followers, but the shelves do not easily reveal this other story that I am seeking—an explanation of what my father’s family went through.
Angkor Wat: The Largest Religious Monument in the World
Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world and has lost little of its grandeur since the time it was built at the beginning of the 12th century. It is also the most recent of some 70 temples the Khmers built over hundreds of years dating back to the 800s. The complex is stunning due to its pure magnitude, its architecture and its carved relief murals. They operate in harmony to create a presence that lends reality to the direct connection between the mortal and divine worlds.
Divorce Club
Sometimes the things we do together can be contagious. Can divorce be a group activity? And where do those ideas come from?
Cheaper Cremations Increase Art Glass Production in Canada
Tied to the earliest religions, the act of burying their dead is how many people make sense of life. The body that ‘returns to dust’ completes the cycle and allows sufficient room for mysticism and hope for the soul’s eternal salvation.
Silence Kills Best
A new relationship brings new challenges. A new person to understand the desires of, and to desire their understanding in return. This, I suppose, would be requited love, after a fashion. Yet sometimes these feelings are never reciprocated. Unrequited love. Loving somebody who never loves you back.