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- The True Value of a Milestone and the Devil You Know
- A Civilization Poisoned by Progress: From Lead Pipes to Microplastics
- These Aren’t the Aliens You’re Looking For
- How We Forgot the True Meaning of Decoration Day (and Found a Great Deal on Mattresses)
- Take the Extra Minute: Search and Rescue as a Tourist Recovery Service
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Category Archives: Culture
The True Value of a Milestone and the Devil You Know
My manager retired this week. Twenty-eight years with the same company. Let that number sink in for a moment. She was a tough woman, a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, an absolute hard-ass when the mission demanded it, but a … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Leadership, Philosophy
Tagged career, celebration, experience, fine dining, leadership, life events, luxury, mom and pop, restaurants, retirement, things that matter
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How We Forgot the True Meaning of Decoration Day (and Found a Great Deal on Mattresses)
There was a time when Americans looked at a field full of graves and thought, “We should bring flowers.” Now we look at a three-day weekend and think, “Forty percent off patio furniture!” Progress is a mysterious thing. Mostly, it … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Holidays, Retail
Tagged Civil War, Decoration Day, history, marketing, mattress sale, Memorial Day, remembrance, sacrifice
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Take the Extra Minute: An Imperial Safety Briefing for the TK-Trooper
As search and rescue volunteers, we live by the creed of preparedness, planning and visibility. We preach the gospel of readiness, the wisdom of planning and the essential need for high-visibility gear. The Empire, on the other hand, apparently skipped … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Humor, Search and Rescue
Tagged armor, Dark Side, Galactic Empire, May the 4th, New Order, Rebel Alliance, safety, search and rescue, Star Wars, stormtroopers, TakeTheExtraMinute
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Hug Your Cat Before It Plots Against You Day
Last November, amidst the noble surrender of Chaos Never Dies Day, I stumbled upon a dark whispered necessity, a holiday so vital to the survival of the human race, that I promised to research it further, the “Hug Your Cat … Continue reading
Friday the 13th: The Double Feature
Last month, we survived the first Friday the 13th of the year. We checked our blind spots, avoided ladders and perhaps felt a smug sense of relief when the clock struck midnight as the calendar rolled over to the 14th. … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Holidays, Society
Tagged 28, calendar, déjà vu, Friday the 13th, Gregorian Calendar, horror, Rule of 3, science, sequel, superstition, trilogy
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International Women’s Day: Beyond the Bouquet
If you look at International Women’s Day on social media, you might think it’s a holiday for bouquets, compliments and being told how nurturing you are. The world pauses, at least briefly, to recognize half of humanity, often with flowers … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Holidays, Society
Tagged culture, equality, equity, gender, girl power, glass ceiling, International Women's Day, unyielding floor, women
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The Cheeseburger Constituency: Why Your Bathroom Scale Doesn’t Care How You Vote
I dread talking politics. In the current climate, saying “good morning” can feel like a partisan statement. No matter what I say, I risk offending half the room, and in a world where we’ve forgotten how to bridge the “Space … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Science, Society
Tagged causation, cheeseburgers, correlation, data analysis, economics, elections, food, ice cream, obesity, opinions, politics, sharks, statistics, voting
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Fifty States of I Do
On this Valentine’s Day I wish to invite you to my dubiously legal quest for interstate matrimony. Remember that giddy, slightly unhinged feeling when you first get married, where every grand gesture seems perfectly reasonable? For my wife and me … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Holidays, Society
Tagged bigamy, collectibles, commitment, law, legal drama, marriage, Valentine's Day
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Superstition, Statistics and Our Unshakable Love of Spooky Math
It’s not quite Halloween. There are no ghosts, no monsters, no spooky hauntings, no plastic skeletons on the lawn, no “fun-size” candy bars clogging the pantry and no neighbors dressed as inflatable dinosaurs, at least not in the costume aisle … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Holidays, Society
Tagged black cats, Friday the 13th, Halloween, luck, psychology, science, superstition, triskaidekaphobia
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The Great Rodent Referendum: A Proud Tradition of Meteorology by Rodent
I can’t let the cultural wonder known as “Groundhog Day” pass by without a comment. The idea behind the celebration is an odd Old World carryover rooted in European weather lore, specifically from the German custom of Candlemas. Originally, if … Continue reading