The United States men’s soccer team defeated Iran this week in a much-watched match in Doha, Qatar. I am not a huge fan of soccer –or what sports fans outside of the United States refer to as football. But I watched this match because it interested me. Aside from being an artilleryman in Read more…
When I initiated these weekly updates, I began using the postscript, scribendo cogito, or “I think by writing.” That is part of a Latin phrase preceded by docendo disco, “I learn by teaching.” For me, teaching and writing go together like writing and coffee. I love both. But I am not a teacher per se. That’s for sturdier Read more…
As the results from Florida rolled in on Election Night, 2022, it appeared that a Red Wave would wash across America. But as the night wore on, that Republican sweep did not materialize. Indeed, it was a slack tide. And when all the results are in, Republicans will likely wind up with a Read more…
The midterm elections are now less than a week away and, like many of you, I will be glad when it’s over. Political candidates have overtaken the airwaves. People on both sides are riveted on the polls. One is left to speculate on who will come out on top. The Pols: Having delved Read more…
When I served in the Virginia General Assembly, I learned the hard lesson that campaigning isn’t governing. Campaigning is the argument to eventually govern. Most people who enter politics do so with an agenda in mind. That agenda is based on their world view and further refined by their ideology. That results in Read more…
Sunrises at our home on the Northern Neck on the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay are stunning. Our Creator God formed them marvelously. Fed by the Potomac along with 149 other major rivers and streams and 100,000 smaller tributaries, the Bay is a precious resource that once teemed with life. In Read more…
Some words in the English language are contronyms; words that—depending on the context of their use—have opposite meanings. Consider the word “cleave.” It can mean to adhere or to stick to something or someone, and alternatively it can mean to cut, split, or separate something. “Bolt” can mean to secure something to Read more…
I want to take a break from dispensing wisdom to share a bit about writing. I love it. Writing is a release for me. As the postscript for each of my weekly missives, I sign off with scribendo cogito. That is part of the Roman proverb, docendo disco, scribendo cogito, or “I learn by teaching, Read more…
There’s nothing more confusing to average folks than military acronyms. The U.S. Army has a lot of them. One that is important for taxpayers to understand is DOTMLPF, pronounced in military parlance “Dot-Mil-P-F.” What in the world does that mean? In short, it stands for Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership (including Education), Personnel, and Facilities. Read more…
It was something I could no longer put off. My eyesight was steadily growing worse. About five years ago, my doctor informed me that I had advancing cataracts in both eyes. It was not a surprise. As a writer, I could tell. I found it harder to read without reading glasses. I needed glasses different from bifocals Read more…