Last Saturday night, I returned to the Odyssey Theater in Los Angeles to see a new play by writer, actor and poet, Pat Kinevane, who hales from Dublin.

Kinevane says his play, Before, is about love. Nah. It’s about the quirks of fate that happen to us, and how love gets...

Long before there was an Europe or Christianity or a Christian empire, there were several empires in the Near and Far East. The Near East (Middle East) is the location I am addressing today. Let me preface my remarks by admitting my own longing for a return to the anci...

This is the motto I’ve lived, for the past 26 years. Though I didn’t discover the sculpture with its message until I visited Washington DC in 1998, the study of history and mythology have filled my days since 1992. 

History discovered me way back in 1966. Mythology grab...

The word of the week is, modesty.

We will look at this word in its third use: “Behaviour, manner, or appearance intended to avoid impropriety or indecency.” (OED)  A few of the synonyms for modesty are, decorum, decency, simplicity, and my favorite, lack of pretension. 

...

The word that keeps going round my head this week is CHAPERONE. Synonym words are, supervisor, companion, duenna (Spanish) and minder. We are looking at this word because, I suggest, we bring it back, into the modern lexicon. 

Why?

Because young people, when left to thei...

The writers life is about editing. It’s that first line of defense before we let our manuscript loose into the hands of those who will give it a first reading.  That first edit is a magical time because it’s when a writer discerns they either have something good, or th...

The Internet is a wonderful place. The Internet is an awful place. 

Yes, you know what I mean. The Internet is full of information, and it’s full of lies. There’s knowledge, but there’s very little wisdom. 

When it comes to the art of bull shit, the Internet, especially...

The heated debate over gun control rages on. Facebook, Twitter, such a war of the words! One ship blasting broadsides at another, and neither will be happy unless it sinks the opposing ship.

What a horrible state of affairs. Can we do something about it?

How about saying...

In the midst of the 12 days of Christmas, we have the 10 Crucial Days of the American Revolution. We’ve looked at the first few days of this period, which covers the most well known of events, Washington’s crossing of the Delaware and the first battle in Trenton. 

Aside...

Now, where were we? Oh yes, on the banks of the Delaware with that blizzard blowing and the Continental Army loading boats.

Fortunately, Colonel Glover and his Maidenhead boys were in charge of this operation. These guys are like the Navy Seals. Tough, tough and tougher...