Think Different

I listen to radio news reports and watch TV just like all of you. I do read a few blogs that pop up on my News Feedbut I’m careful to read stories only from credible (or supposedly credible) news sites. I try to stay away from people who are just bloggers with no particular credentials to back up their news reporting. Citizen journalism leaves much to be desired. I am a communications major and I guess my master’s degree does give me some room to write a blog but I feel I should stay within the boundaries of my area of expertise.

Outrage!

I get up this morning and I’m greeted by a news story on the radio about Ted Cruz making an unfortunate campaign stop in the Bronx. A man named Rebel Diaz yelled, “He is anti-immigrant. He denies climate change. He’s a right-winged bigot and he’s not welcomed here.” Wow.

And there we were

Had a wonderful weekend in Chicago with my wife Patti Shea. Made me think of this: “And there we were, in a kind of harmony; and the evening was so beautiful, that it made a pain in my heart, as when you cannot tell whether you are happy or sad; and I thought that if […]

Mount Sinabung

I watch for these kinds of things and I think you all should know about the eruptions taking place on Mount Sinabung in Indonesia. Folks chuckle at me when I talk about “super volcanos” and the impact they might have on this planet compared to us human beings. This regular volcano in Sumatra has been erupting on and off since September of 2013. It cranked up back in 2010 after more than 400 years of peace and quiet. The current eruption spewed a massive cloud of superheated gas over 4 miles high. Can’t stop this carbon dioxide source or even tax it! It will do as it wills and we’ll suffer the consequences on a global basis.

During the Time of Shadows

I was closing on the tower. It was round with a pointed roof cap a good four stories above me. It was completely black but not like dirty stone streaked with ages of dust storms and polluted air, no it shined in the tepid moonlight reminding me of obsidian. No, it was obsidian and the surface was covered with ancient words. As hard as it was for me to believe, the tower looked to be one single piece of stone carved into this shape. As I approached, it loomed overhead shining black like the natural glass it was. This tower had been forged in the heart of a volcano and born perfectly formed just for this purpose. The writing had been etched with painstaking accuracy onto the tower’s glass surface then fused with a power that made the