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Taxation without Representation Writ Large
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of being led around by the nose like a bull.
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Drawbridge Incidents
Drawbridges seem to attract people who are mentally ill or, at the very least, not using their best judgment.
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Introversion is Not a Mental Illness
There’s no shame in thinking of alone time as a gift.
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Empathy vs. Boundaries
The other day, in advance of what was expected to be a catastrophic storm, I saw a woman standing on the sidewalk on the south end of my bridge. She was moaning quietly to herself, and rocking back and forth. I was coming back from doing some maintenance nearby, and was due to walk right…
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Where Does Charity Begin?
The other day I was on my way to volunteer to serve lunch at a soup kitchen with some friends. I’ve done this before, and found it to be a gratifying experience. I was really looking forward to doing it again. But while waiting for my friends, a homeless woman came by, looked at me,…
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One Slap at a Time
I am convinced that the reason so many violent and/or abusive people in this world get away with their bad behavior is that we have a tendency to break things down into separate incidents. If you look at a wife beater’s conduct one slap at a time, for example, it should still be considered unacceptable,…
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Scary Small World
I just learned that Omar Mateen, the Orlando gunman, briefly attended Indian River State College, and was kicked out because he threatened to bring a gun there. I received my last degree from IRSC, and I’m now profoundly grateful that I wasn’t there the same year. Even so, this news has me extremely rattled. He…
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On Mass Shootings
Once again we’ve suffered a tragedy in a school in which a very disturbed guy decided to take a lot of people with him to wherever one goes after this life. It’s upsetting. It also makes me angry. Naturally, the topic of gun control is on everyone’s mind, and everyone is resigned to the fact…
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Migraine Awareness
June is Migraine Awareness Month. As a lifelong sufferer myself, I know what it’s like to deal with people’s many misconceptions about this malady. The lack of understanding and the crazy ideas about migraines can be nearly as painful as the headache. The first, most frustrating fallacy about migraines is that “It’s all in your…
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Shield Man
Not far from one of the bridges where I work is an abandoned building covered with graffiti. A homeless guy is squatting in one of the sheds on the property. He likes to carry a bright pink shield that he seems to have fashioned out of scrap wood, duct tape and a plastic bag. He…