Devotionals

“Hearts and Minds” is a psychological operation employed by an invading military designed to gain the confidence of the people being invaded.  While brute force may be used to gain initial control, subsequent actions benefit the populace such as the provision of electricity or clean water where there previously was none.  A popular representation of that effort is the image of a fully outfitted [...]

Early in my college career a professor gave his advice, intending to save students money.  (At that point in my life I was highly receptive to any tips that would reduce my expenses.)  He told the class that teachers often don’t use supplementary books that the college schedule indicated were required.  He recommended against purchasing all of the (rather expensive) books before class, and to wait until [...]

My wife and I have had TSA pre-check for many years.  As I was telling a friend about the convenience of shorter and faster moving lines at the airport, I made a confession.  I admitted that there’s something in me that likes it when the regular line is extra-long.  The amount of time it takes me to negotiate the checkpoint is unaffected by the [...]

“Petrofilia” is the term for someone who loves rocks.  More commonly known as a “rock hound,” these amateur geologists are always picking them up during a walk, turning them in their hand and, after passing inspection, dropping them in their pocket. Perhaps the most well-known set of rocks in all the world is Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England.  It’s likely you’ve seen pictures in movies [...]

The end of the 19th century brought with it considerable advancements in physics.  The era included Marie Curie, discoveries in the study of geometrical and physical optics, energy distribution and other highly complex problems which led to it being named “the birth of modern physics.”  So sophisticated were the breakthroughs that it was generally believed that the field had reached its peak.  They thought there was nothing of [...]

In basketball a “technical foul” is a violation that does not involve physical contact.  It’s given for displays of unsportsmanlike behavior.  Of course, “tech’s” are frequently called as a result of a player’s frustration or when he’s been embarrassed, but that’s not always the case.  Sometimes they’re given to players when things are absolutely going his way.  In those cases a player receives a [...]