An Ounce

 The World’s Olympic Games. An amazing showcase of athletic ability and sportsmanship. People can train for years to perform and compete for a few moments. Every event showcases the best of the best for all over the world. But, sometimes, things just don’t go ... well … as well as expected. 

For example, in 1904, in St. Louis. The Olympic Games were paired with the world’s fair. And for the first time in modern history, the games to...

Back in the days before sanitary conditions and anesthesia were a thing, priorities in preforming surgery were valued a bit differently than they are today. One of the greatest priorities to improve patent survival was speed. 

The longer a patient was on the table, the more blood they would lose, the more pain they would feel, the more likely there were to have some kind of infection, or die of shock. In other words – the quicker it...

 Here is a twisted tale of how pirates raiding a ship in the Caribbean in Sea caused hundreds of years of ongoing disorder in world trade. 

In the 1793 a man named Joseph Dombey was crossing the Atlantic with a rather small set of objects. These were carefully packed and protected within a sturdy 3-inch by 3-inch copper cylinder, with a little copper carrying handle on top. This man, and his little copper case, were intended to be p...

Recorded live on February 14, 2023, during the Virtual Linguists, Toastmasters International, online meeting.

Ever wondered, “Have I been Jinxed”? 

Have you had things pile up on you, events occur, trouble seem to follow you? I guess it might be possible to be cursed, vexed, or jinxed. Though we may have our suspicions, in the long view of things we may well find that it’s just not so. That dark cloud that shows up and ruin...

An interview with Brent Averett, with a story about how quality matters.

Brent talks about how a principle of quality applies to a good knife, and to life. Yes, it may mean you have to pay more, work harder, and do better to enjoy the benefits of quality. But the return is worth the sacrifice.

You can find Brent online at www.mrknifeguy.com, or:

Mr. KnifeGuy® is located at:
1127 W Sunset Blvd
St,...

 With everything we know about our planet, with satellite imagery, GPS systems, and so much more, there isn’t much of our planet that hasn’t been seen. But there are still some incredibly remote places on earth. The kinds of places people don’t get to very often. 

On the list of those remote locations are places where people aren’t very comfortable. Places where extremes in the environment make it tough to want to be there for too l...

When I was about 6 or 7 years old, a friend of the family dropped in to visit. I don’t remember his name, but I do remember, he brought a dog with him. 

The dog was less than a year old, and very well-trained. He was a black medium poodle, with a great disposition, who loved to play. 

I am not sure what the negotiations were like. All I know is when the friend of the family left later that day, Jocko stayed. 

I was so excited I walked...

There was wisdom in the destruction. 

At the time, there was a real possibility that if the Japanese attacked Hawaii again, they could defeat the US military there and occupy the Islands. 

And, if they did, they would likely do the same thing they had done before in other locations. Confiscate all the money, and use the cash to bankroll their military. 

Then somebody came up with a brilliant idea – let’s get rid of all the cash before...

It was January 1835, and King Richard was in Washington, DC. As he approached his target, his hand slipped inside his coat, and he drew out a pistol… and shot it at Andrew Jackson, the Sitting President of the United States. The pistol misfired, so he dropped it and withdrew a second, and pulled the trigger, but the second pistol misfired as well. The determined king had failed to kill the President. 

To his credit, the fiery Andrew...

Did your parents or grandparents ever tell you one of ‘those’ stories. You know the ones – “Back in my day we used to walk 7 miles to school. It was uphill both ways. It was always raining, the snow was at least chest deep, and you were lucky if you didn’t get heat stroke.” 

IT’s kinda’ fun to hear them tell their stories, but O. k. old timer – we get it – things were harder ‘back in the day’. 

Speaking of ‘back in the day’ I’ve got ...

Did you know that the driest desert on this earth has not received any precipitation for as long as 2 million years? 

You’d think it must be hot, and dry, and oppressive. 

And, well dry – yes. Oppressive – maybe. Hot – not even. The driest deserts on earth are found in Antarctica. Ice and Snow cover about 98% of the continent,  leaving 1-2% permanently ice free. These ice free spots are dry valleys, or Antarctic Oasis. Not necessaril...

Everybody love’s bunnies. Rabbits are ubiquitous. Soft, Cuddly, Cute. 

But is it possible to have too much of a good thing? 

Rabbits are found in multiple environments – from desert to mountain… or as a stuffed plush, may be snuggled up tight to a sleeping child. 

On another - they can be great sport to hunt, and can be prepared to be downright tasty. Just ask Elmer Fudd (and if you don’t know who that is ask a grandparent). 

These ado...

I have observed as many of us participate in one of the biggest, and most well know, consumer events in the United States. That magical Friday after Thanksgiving when folks line up in the early morning hours outside their favorite stores to get a shot at amazing deals on the newest hot toy, electronics, and other items with prices cut to the bone. 

Retailers in brick-and-mortar stores, and online businesses, brace for the Black Frid...

The heart of a human can – and sometimes does – just stop. It can be a chronic condition that worsens over time; or an acute event that suddenly, catastrophically, just happens. 

Its potential causes are legion. Some we can take precautions against – some strike out of the blue. 

When heart failure happens, it is possible to recover. But recovery is certainly not guaranteed, and it is not easy; nor is there any certainty recovery can...

The date of the release of this episode is Friday, December 2, 2022. In 5 days, December 7th, it will be 81 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor. This surprise attack was the impetus that pulled the America into World War 2. When considering the history of The United States of America, December 7th, 1941, like September 11, 2001, is a day that can never be forgotten. Within the conflict of World War 2 there are thousands of event...

 I’ve got a familiar story for you. Yes – familiar, but not the one you might be thinking of as you hear the tale. 

Back when the rich took time to ‘dress’ for dinner, when no female would ever consider wearing pants, and long before air travel was practical. Back in the glory days of trans-Atlantic travel - there was a ship. A ship built bigger and grander than any other. It was an engineering marvel for it’s time. It could cut thr...

Ever heard the old saying lighting never strikes twice. A phrase, that I suppose, was meant to covey that extraordinary things only happen once. That rare circumstances and happenings just don’t repeat. 

And, if you ask the odds makers, they’d likely agree. There are plenty of things that, if they ever do happen, will probably only happen once. In fact, I suspect there are many who would tell you that some things are just never goin...

This is a bonus episode, practical Bit 3, an interview with Wil Becker.

The interview introduces a resource that I think this audience will appreciate. 

Wil Becker is promotes books and other media from which we can learn lessons and gain wisdom. In the interview, Wil shares some of his favorite books, and explains why they had an impact on him. He also recounts an experience where he used the kid's animated ...