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The day Joe Biden visited my social studies class

I had just hung up the phone in the main office when I got the word: “She wants to see you.”  "She" was the principal.  I was actually excited to speak to her. I had just gotten off the phone with Senator Joe Biden’s office.  Everything was set for tomorrow.  He would be speaking to my eighth-grade social studies class.  In fact, we were going to be cramming both classes into one room. In 2003, social distancing was unheard of.   His office had asked me who would be introducing him. I would, of course. “The senator will speak for exactly 30 minutes, then take questions for 15 minutes,” the woman had said. “When he arrives at your school, someone should immediately direct him to the room where he will speak.” “Got it,” I said. I was excited to tell the principal as I walked into her office, but she was clearly not in the mood to hear me gloat about my special visitor. She asked me to sit down. She removed her glasses and massaged the space between her ...
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Top 10 Great Morality Movies

10.     In the Bedroom - 2001 Directed by Todd Field               This fantastic film takes viewers into the home of the parents of a young man named Frank who was murdered by his girlfriend’s ex-husband.   As the killer walks free due to lack of evidence, the parents (beautifully played by Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson) agonize over how to move on with their lives.   As they become alienated from the world and from each other, Frank’s father contemplates taking matters into his own hands to achieve justice.   The film is an emotional roller coaster, devoid of any macho Hollywood posturing and gratuitous violence.   In the Bedroom leaves viewers in a tortured state, wondering how far one should go to get justice, and whether the pain of loss can ever be alleviated.   9.  Minority Report - 2002 Directed by Steven Spielberg       ...

10 things to avoid when having a conversation

For a human race that loves to engage in conversation, some of us sure are bad at it! Lately, it seems like people are getting even worse.  There are many avenues where we can try to place blame: social networking, text messaging or the increasingly fast-paced society in which we live.  Regardless of whatever or whoever is to blame, there are certain things we should rarely or never do when trying to have a polite conversation.  Here are ten of them.   1. “I’ll do you one better.” For some reason, too many people view every conversation as a contest.  They simply cannot listen to a story and allow someone else to enjoy telling it without trumping it with one of their own that they think is even better.  Polite conversation means allowing people to share the spotlight.  If I tell you about how I witnessed a bank robbery yesterday on my lunch break, there is no need for you to tell me the story of how your neighbor’s house got broken into when ...

Ten Things You Didn't Know About the Catholic Church

1.   Secret Cardinals The College of Cardinals is made up of about 120 senior bishops from around the world whom the Pope has chosen to elect his replacement.   Upon the death or resignation of the Pope, they meet in Rome to elect a new one, almost always from among their own ranks.   Only cardinals under the age of 80 may vote.   However, what most people don’t know is that there are a handful of bishops throughout the world whom the pope has secretly chosen as cardinals.   For a variety of reasons, usually out of concern for security, the Pope chooses not to reveal their names, sometimes even to the men themselves.   This is most common when the cardinal resides in a country where he may face reprisals from his government or face other types of persecution.   The late Pope John Paul II secretly elevated four bishops to cardinals.   One of them was from China, another from Latvia, and one from Ukraine. Their identities were revealed near or a...

Ten Things You Didn't Know About the Apollo Moon Missions

From 1968 until 1972, the United States sent a bunch of men to the moon.  Twelve of them actually got to walk on it.  Since then, nobody has been back.  As the years have passed, much of what those men did while they were up there has either been forgotten by an uninterested general public or ignored by people who didn’t really care in the first place. Most people know that Neil Armstrong was the first to actually walk on the moon, and many can even recite his famous words that followed his first step.  Thanks to the popular movie, many are familiar with the fate of the Apollo 13 mission, which miraculously made it back to earth after an on-board explosion.  A special few have made the lame argument that it was all a hoax, one of whom Buzz Aldrin dealt with by punching in the face.  However, there are tons of interesting facts about the things these men said and did during their historic journeys.  Here a few of the more obscure ones for enthusiasts a...
Why the Ten Commandments are for atheists, too The Second Commandment: You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.    "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will make me go in a corner and cry by myself for hours." -Eric Idle                Words matter. A man is hanging a picture.   His hand slips and his finger shifts in front of the hammer.   Instead of hitting the nail, he hits his thumb.   “ Jesus Christ!” he shouts.                 He could have said a lot worse.   I have actually had this discussion with nonbelievers who see absolutely no reason why they should refrain from using such expressions.   Their attitudes usually soften when I point out that such language might offend people.   They also usually concede that such expressions should not be used around children.   ...