From Merriam-Webster: Your Cheatin’ Words

by Kevin Burton    Here’s where country music meets the dictionary, a sleazy list of words from Merriam-Webster about adultery and/or its aftermath.    The Bible doesn’t have a hierarchy of sins, at least that I can find, but I sort of do.  Marital infidelity is very close to the worst in my estimation.    …

Imitate Jesus By Practicing Forgiveness

by Dane Massey    (Dane Massey is the former Pastor of Mulvane Christian Church. He is now in ministry in Houston, Texas.)       The thought that seems to permeate through II Cor. 3:18 is that we are “transformed” not by keeping outward rules but by “contemplating” (musing, looking upon intently, meditating) the Lord’s glory …

The Great Depression Featured Funny Money

by Dictionary Scoop    The Great Depression, a period of economic instability that lasted from the early 1930s until the end of the decade, was one of the most challenging times in American history. Kickstarted by the Wall Street Crash of October 1929, the recession hit hard, bankrupting thousands of businesses and leaving no one …

Boom, Boom: Fireworks Store Erupts In Flames

by Kevin Burton    You hear this phrase a lot: “don’t judge.”    Well in this case, go ahead. Be my guest. Judge, and jump in with both feet, or both wagging index fingers, if you want to. I don’t care.    On our first regional beep baseball trip, to Indianapolis in late May, I …

Blinded Ukrainian Commander Helps Others

by ABC World News (LVIV, Ukraine) — Col. Oleh Avtomeenko was wounded while performing a combat mission in Donetsk region, in the first days of the Russian full-scale invasion in late Feb. 2022, and lost his eyesight.    And now, after 20 years in the Ukrainian Army, he has to say goodbye to it and …

“Peanuts” First To Introduce Minority Character

by Kevin Burton    “At the time of Charles Schulz’s death he had produced 17,897 strips, and Peanuts had run in more than 2,600 newspapers worldwide and been translated into 21 languages,” reports http://www.interestingfacts.com.    Today we continue yesterday’s post, presenting more facts from that website.    I know for a fact that the Peanuts gang speaks …

Coffee Chain Creating Jobs For The Disabled

by Karen Shimizu Food &Wine    Bitty & Beau’s is a civil rights movement disguised as a coffee shop.   Bitty & Beau’s has everything you could want from a neighborhood café. The coffee is hot and strong, there’s ample seating, and the free wifi encourages you to linger.    But the experience it offers is rare …

Embrace Your Mother While You Still Can

by Kevin Burton    Hug your mom.    Hug her today if you can. Hug her tomorrow because tomorrow is Mother’s Day, but don’t wait for a prompt from the greeting card companies. Hug her any time.    Hug your mom.    You see this on Facebook all the time. Hug your mom because you will …

Studies Say Music Is The Way To Brainpower

by Kevin Burton    My father wanted me to study computer programming in college. He had that charming way of pushing his desires for himself onto other people.    I wanted to be a journalist – an unblinking champion of the truth and a painter with words. I had that charming way of evaluating ideas …

Here’s The Very Definition Of Happiness

by Dictionary Scoop    For Charles M. Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip, happiness is a warm puppy. For some, it’s a habit. For others, it is a philosophy, a quest, or an ideal, among many other things.   Join us on a linguistic journey through the lexicon of happiness, discovering the many shades and …