One of The New Forty's regular readers (Tim) said something in a blog comment a couple of days ago that begged for deeper reflection; as such, I share it with you today. The excerpted portion of his comment that I want to share is: "I think The Kardashians are worse for America than the Patriot [...]
We’ve got trouble…
Readers - do not be alarmed, but pay careful attention to what I am about to share with you. Yesterday, a convention full of North Dakota firefighters converged on West Fargo. I know this not because I was asked to be the honorary goodwill ambassador, a speaker, or even a mascot - I know this [...]
Privacy – a fallacy rooted in outdated realities.
Hello folks...have you met the USA PATRIOT Act? You may recall it as the sweeping piece of legislation passed about a month after the attacks on 9/11. The Act is so voluminous that it is said no legislator read it in its entirety before it was passed with virtually no discussion or debate. It all [...]
Surprise, surprise, surprise!
I could swear I heard Gomer Pyle uttering his famous phrase - Surprise, surprise, surprise! - after reading today the story of Duluth runner Trish Staine. Staine went to the emergency room on Monday with pain that she thought was attributed to the training she was doing for a half-marathon. Upon arriving and being examined [...]
To those who rush in…
Today a group of my students helped with active shooter exercises for Cass County Sheriff deputies. The deputies were put through multiple scenarios. I watched the deputies go through a shooter scenario in the large lunch room area. One student played the shooter each time while the others simulated students in a chaotic situation. The [...]
Word by word…
When I am tasked with writing things I do not particularly want to write, it is a painful process. Even if it is a short 1,000 word piece, it can take 10 times longer to write than a piece on something I am excited about. The extraction of every sentence is long and excruciating. I [...]
A lesser of evils?
I like the slideshow presentations regularly found in cyberspace that give you short lists of tips. It is like an old school Reader's Digest version - a short, concise summary with pictures. That is my speed. The most recent slideshow I viewed was titled: Pests, Be Gone! 10 Natural Ways to Make Your Home Critter-Free. [...]
THE NEW FORTY 