An Ounce - For Your Consideration

Got a great story about a real character who almost everyone has heard of. But, We’re going to explore his childhood and some of the other attitudes and behavior he exhibited later in life. Al was born on March 14th, 1879. As a newborn, he was described as having a ‘swollen and mishappen head’ and a grossly overweight body. When Al’s grandmother saw him the first time she was reported to have scre...

I’ve got a really fun little story about a boy and his dog. You’ll find it a bit different than other ‘boy-and-his-dog’ stories. Because, this dog was supposed to be a hunting retriever, meant to swim out in the cold waters of a pond and retrieve ducks. But, at this task, he became pretty much useless  - Or at least that what a neighbor thought when he saw what the dog could do. So many times, som...

Have you ever heard of the fabled lemming? A Lemming is a small rodent, a bit like a small mouse but more of a vole, with a short tail.  Every five to seven years, they are said to instinctively recognize they have overpopulated, and a large group of them will head off in a furry little heard, and commence to stampede headlong off a cliff and into the sea, committing mass suicide for the benefit o...

I have a question for you. How do you get from where you are to where you want to be? That’s a question not only of geography, but also one vision, self-identity, and personal worth. Well – I believe the first thing you have to do is figure out where ‘there’ – the place you want to go or the destination – is. Then you have to ‘want’ to get there. You will have to start with ‘wanting’ to go ‘there’...

In the mid-1950s, in Bangkok Thailand, a well-loved and centuries-old statue of Buddha was being moved from its tin-roofed pagoda to a more permanent location. This statue of the Buddha, covered in a concrete stucco and inlaid with colorful glass was 10-feet-tall.  It was incredibly heavy even considering its large size, and very difficult to move. During the move, and in a final attempt to lift t...

So why do they call it a hummingbird? Because it remembers the melody, but it can't remember the words.  OK sorry – but how about this. A flock of hummingbirds can be referred to in many ways. Grouped together they can be called a Boquete, a glittering, a hover, a shimmer, or ….. a tune (without words of course). And, the name Hummingbird – comes from the sound of their rapidly beating wings....

Lynne Cooper was born on October 4, 1916, in St. Louis Missouri.  But, Who was she? In her early years, she worked as a school teacher.  And, Lynn was a graduate of Washington University in her hometown of St. Louis and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa sorority. IN 1939, during a tour with her sorority sisters at Radio station KXOK, Lynn met Paul Aurandt (or-NOT) who was employed at the station. Pau...

This little bean has been around delighting the tastebuds of humans for thousands of years.  What Little Bean you ask? Well, we’ll get to that. Around 4000 thousand years ago the Olmec’s of Central America began to pick from the trees, pods, each pod containing about 40 beans.  Cortez said though he was in search of gold, the Aztec emperor gift him with a cup of the drink made from this highly pri...

You know what they say – The early bird gets the worm. And, he who hesitates is lost. But, Good things come to those who wait.  And, it’s better safe than sorry. But, nothing Ventured Nothing Gained.  Life is seemingly full of contradiction: Analog vs Digital Democrat vs Republican Progress vs Tradition Old vs New It goes on and on. There is a need to reject the perspective of ongoing contradictio...

This episode is about an 'alarming' character. Why do I describe this person as alarming? Perhaps it is because he blazed his own path, cutting through many societal expectations and norms. He worked tirelessly to better himself, and to provide opportunities for others to do the same. He was born in 1706 to a Boston family of modest means. His father was a soap and candle maker, who marr...

It is Fire Prevention week! But the information in this Practical Bits episode is good all the time. Seasons are changing and it’s time to take a few important actions to prevent fires and reduce the loss that fire can cause. Listen for some practical tips, and a fun game you can play with the kids

Names – everybody’s got one. The use of names – that’s how we know who or what we are talking about, reading about, learning about. They are a vital and useful part of our society, culture, and personal identity. “What’s in a name,” asked Juliet of her beloved Romeo? “A rose by any other name is still a rose”. As an introduction, it has the meaning bestowed in the mind of the stranger to whom it i...

Theodor was born in Springfield Massachusetts on March 2, 1904. He was born to a German family who was considered prosperous, but as world War 1 broke out their German heritage brought them under suspicion, as it did every German in the United States. It was a time when the German Frankfurter became the ‘hot dog’, and sauerkraut became ‘liberty cabbage’. Regardless of the attitudes of others, the...

In our lives of all kinds, things and events happen. Events and things like rain, entertainment, laughter, relationships, coincidences, and surprises. Some we don’t even notice, like the smile of a store clerk as we buy that morning pastry. Some might catch our attention, like the report of a natural disaster in a faraway place. But, though it may be sad or shocking, it has very little direct impa...

Young Tom was born the seventh, and youngest child, of Samuel and Nancy on February 11, 1847, in Milan Ohio. Samuel, an exiled political Activist from Canada and Nancy an accomplished school teacher.   It became apparent the young Tom was not going to be like other children.  Though suffering from rather profound hearing loss due to scarlet fever, he was vigorous, bright, and engaged in life. By t...

As a (now retired) firefighter/EMT It has always been odd to me the random things that I would notice during an emergency. Allow me to share an example. It was a few days before Christmas and I can recall that this first man was very well-dressed with a dark suit, dark overcoat, and some very expensive shoes. He was tall and distinguished though his appearance was greatly diminished by the fact th...

Have you heard of some of those crazy ‘challenges’ going around on social media?  In the past few years there been a few such as the “Ice Bucket Challenge” where a person has a full bucket of cold ice water poured over their head. The “Cinnamon Challenge” where the participant snorts cinnamon up their nose - Ouch. And, the ever ridiculous “Tide Pod Challenge” some numb-skull pops a tide laundry de...

So – If you’re going to become a famous popular music singer you’re going to need to be Good Looking, Have an edgy attitude, have great moves, a really good manager, and be able to sing your butt off. Well, maybe not that last one. Maybe, you don’t need to sing at all!  Allow me to tell you about it.

A man was lost in the desert. He’s was dying for lack of water. His brain was cooking inside his skull. The wind felt like a standing in front of a dozen hair dryers blasting away on their highest setting.  HE needed water – soon. He looked around him a there was nothing but dirt, sage, and cactus. In the distance, he saw the shimmering of what appeared to be water – lots of it – but he knew bette...

Today's episode is on a subject that might be of some value as we look around at what is happening in our world today.  Everything seems to be so loud, conflicting messages blasting at a fevered pitch - demanding attention, our obedience, and our agreement.  Disease, Riots, political upheaval, natural disasters, and pundits who are trying to convince us that life as we know it is over unless...

You may remember John Paul Jones, the American Revolutionary War hero, and his famous words, "I Have Not Yet Begun to Fight"! Well, did you know he also lead the invasion of Britain in 1778? This is a great story about a badly bumbled raid on Whitehaven in the UK, and how failure became a success in the end.

Our world is filled with things, gadgets, and ideas that are ingenious. Ingenious in the seemingly miraculous things they can do, in their complexity, or sometimes in their simplicity. Have you ever pondered, “what is the best invention ever?” Or seen some new gadget and thought, “That’s brilliant, I should have thought of that!” I have… SO, in this episode, I contacted friends and family and aske...

Seems everyone has heard of Rosa Parks, and rightly so, a young lady of color who refused to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus in Montgomery Alabama. IN the 1950s Her actions helped inspire real changes to the segregation laws that existed in the United States. BUT, there is another….. About a century earlier….. The year was 1854, the American Civil war was still 7 years away. And,...

The Hindenburg disaster is one of the most well-known events of the early 20th century. Many have seen the old newsreels and the radio broadcast recorded as the Hindenburg burst into flames as it was attempting to land in New Jersey. We’ll explore that event and another event that happened previously.  The beginnings of the age of the airships had great promise. But it was all new. Nobody really k...

He was that rare mix of tough and smart. He knew how to work hard, was occasionally restless, and one of those people who learned fast.  He was born the son of a ‘gas driller’ and grew up turning wrenches. He was a very competent mechanic at a very young age.  A few months after graduating from high school he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. Learn what you might not have known about this legend and...