Since childhood, I have sought fame, to be known and publicly recognized for my talents. Yet as I’ve slipped beyond the midway point of my life’s expectancy, I’ve learn that I’ve had it all wrong. I should have sought riches, which are far more than money or material things and do not fade away with…

Much of my life can be boiled down to one-liners; some humorous, others serious. All in all, this is a sad state of being. First and foremost is: “Only the mediocre are always at their best.” It’s an apt description of me as I’ve always been a ‘mediocre man.’ For years I’ve never really had…

In the 1989 movie, “Raider’s of the Last Crusade,” the bad guy Walter Donovan takes a jewel encrusted goblet, and thinking it’s the one Jesus drank from on the night he was betrayed, drinks from it. He quickly regretted having done so, because he died a hideous death immediately afterwards. It’s said that life imitates…

For years my mantra about this blogging thing had been, “No rules. Jus’ write.” I stole that slogan from the restaurant ‘Outback,’ whose tagline is “No rules, just right.” Then as I continued to write, I realized I did have rules – and it suddenly appeared hypocritical of me to proclaim a ‘no rules’ statement.…

The 2005 REAL ID Act has long reminded me of those old 1950 and 60s film noir spy movies where an Eastern Bloc KGB/Gestapo-type official would ask for papers to make certain the protagonist had the ‘right permissions’ to travel and the suspense would build because they didn’t. Well, that scenario is coming to pass…

While it is called a ‘guide,’ the Associated Press Stylebook is often taken as the ‘bible’ in the newsroom when it comes to how to write an article. Here’s the complete entry regarding ‘global warming:’ “The terms global warming and climate change can be used interchangeably. Climate change is more accurate scientifically to describe the…

To His Most Holiness, Pope Francis: While I respect your opinion on church matters as that is truly your business, I disagree with your supposition that the ‘over-use’ of ‘air-conditioning’ is ‘harmful.’ Furthermore, most of your views on capitalism’s based on Marxism and is incompatible with the mind of Christ as taught in the New…

Sexual abuse of children, especially young boys, has been a problem in Afghanistan for centuries and now our U.S. military’s being instructed not to intervene. This policy of non-intervention’s intended to maintain good relations with the Afghan police and militia units being training. It also reflects a hesitance to impose cultural values in a country…

Stop blaming others for your troubles. The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility, you give others power over that part of your life.

It was late October 1969 and we kids were all getting ready for Halloween which was to be on a Friday that year. However, none of us were certain that we’d get to go out because of a letter our local newspaper, the Del Norte Triplicate, had received a week or so before. In the…