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Author Archives: John Swinburn
Road Trip in a Mercedes Benz Convertible
My wife keeps frighteningly meticulous records. I, on the other hand, assume I will remember things. I don’t. Not unless reminded. Today, she reminded me of the trip I made to Florida back in 2007. She pulled out credit card … Continue reading
Posted in Cars, Family, Memories, Travel
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Hidden
You cannot think through my mind, nor can I think through yours. This is a terrible dilemma. Not so much the fact that I can’t think through your mind, but that you can’t think through mine. If only you could, … Continue reading
Posted in Dreams, Philosophy, Wisdom
1 Comment
Well, Tread Lightly, Then…
A few days ago, I wrote about my concerns with the police searches in Watertown, MA in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing. I remain concerned with attitudes that allow U.S. Senators to call for a United States citizen … Continue reading
Posted in Government, Legal Rights
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Too Terrible to Consider
Almost no one dared think it, for it was too terrible to consider. But Galen Cameron thought it. And he spent the better part of ten years delving into it. Not that finding the answer mattered one whit, because if … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction
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Changing Places
I wonder how much truth there is in Emerson’s words: “Traveling is a fool’s paradise. Our first journeys discover to us the indifference of places. At home I dream that at Naples, at Rome, I can be intoxicated with beauty, … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Travel, Wisdom
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Don’t Tread on Me
Maybe I’ve allowed paranoia to set in. Or maybe I’ve just begun to shed my naiveté. The horrendous attacks on the Boston Marathon were devastating. But the chilling events surrounding the ensuing identification of, and manhunt for, the perpetrators have been … Continue reading
Posted in Government, Legal Rights
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Confusion, Perhaps
It begins as a whisper, faint and indistinct. But it grows incrementally, almost imperceptibly, louder with the passage of time. The amount of time varies with each whisper and every ear. Eventually, though, the whisper becomes a voice and the … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy
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The Core of the Problem Could be the Processor
When I created this site, I had grand visions that it might become a place of “big ideas.” I envisioned earnest conversations and civil debates leading to secular epiphanies and a deeper appreciation of this universe. Sadly, those things require … Continue reading
Posted in Wisdom
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Treatment Deferred
Maybe, if I were smart, I’d go see a doctor. Well, smart isn’t it, really. If I were rich, or had health insurance, I’d go see a doctor. But neither describes me, so I won’t, at least for now. Just … Continue reading
Posted in Health
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Comfortable Clothes
For years, I’ve been intrigued by some of the clothing worn by men in India, Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. My intrigue is based, primarily, on my belief that some of the clothing worn by men in those countries is … Continue reading
Posted in Fashion
4 Comments
What “Drives” A Person to Live Out of a Vehicle?
As I started exploring what “life on the road” might be like, I came across a fascinating blog, http://cheaprvlivingblog.com/. The blog and its associated forums, as well as other blogs linked to them, are loaded with tips for living on the … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Travel
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Cognitive Development Conspiracy Theory
I have vague memories, from my college years, of reading about and discussing the role of language in cognitive development, and vice versa. Somewhere, deep in the recesses of my mind, I harbor memories of Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive … Continue reading
Posted in Language, Lies/disinformation, Philosophy
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Above all, they are poets
Even in coarse popular media I sometimes encounter beautiful gems of language, words and phrases so beautiful as to bring tears to my eyes. Most recently, I encountered such a stunning surprise while I was watching the BBC spy thriller … Continue reading
Posted in Television
1 Comment
Change…Big Change
If it seems like I bounce around in many different directions, it’s because I do. One day, I might be ready to buy land and a tractor, the next day I come to the conclusion that it’s impractical or unaffordable. … Continue reading
Posted in Change, Travel
7 Comments
Serious Questions that “Sound” Stupid
I’d call it being blind-sided. Something happens, some idea enters your head, some “data” is presented to you…something that brings about confusion and doubt. Serious doubt. Something that causes you to question almost everything you’ve ever learned. Has it ever … Continue reading
Posted in Nature, Philosophy, Television, Wisdom
2 Comments
Night on the Town
Angry clouds, grey chalk and dried blood, churn mercilessly against the setting sun, inciting gentle souls toward a felonious night. Even the street lights are afraid, shuddering and blinking with each shrieking gust of wind and every snarling howl of … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Poetry, Religion
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The Last Jolt of Winter
Last night when I went to bed, about 11:00 pm, it was unusually warm…about 78 degrees. That’s not so uncommon for summertime temperatures, but we’re net yet in mid-April, so these beastly hot evening temperatures are neither expected nor appreciated. … Continue reading
Posted in Weather
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In the ‘Hood
Sometimes, you just have odd questions. Sometimes, they get answered. Sometimes, they don’t. Adulthood Falsehood Parenthood Babyhood Livelihood Childhood Knighthood Bachelorhood Likelihood Brotherhood Personhood Priesthood Sisterhood Statehood Sainthood Motherhood Boyhood Girlhood Manhood Womanhood Nationhood Fatherhood Widowhood
Spring Winds
Spring weather in north Texas tends toward the dramatic. Last year—on April 3, 2012—a monstrous band of thunderstorms, some spawning tornadoes, ripped through the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Video of semi-trailers being flung hundreds of feet in the air made national … Continue reading
Chatter
We had a good time yesterday and today. My brother, the one who’s retired in Mexico, came through and stayed the night with us. He left this afternoon, bound for Paris where he’ll join his wife and, after a few … Continue reading
Posted in Family, Food, Music
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A Place…A Real Place
Lest you get the wrong idea…The Third Place is not my original idea. It was first proffered by Ray Oldenburg around 1989. But even then the concept was old. Oldenburg was simply the first one to successfully identify and promote … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Third Place
2 Comments
The Third Place
There is a place in the world that is welcoming. There is a place in the world that calls out to you in a way that no place else can. There is love and solace in your home. There are … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Third Place
1 Comment
An Antonymic View of The World
The world is a reflection of itself, an inverse expression of who or what it is. Land versus water. Matter versus void. Certainty versus doubt. Truth versus deception. Love versus hate. My view of the world says these opposites are … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy
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Foreign Service
Over dinner tonight (my wife’s wonderful Osso Bucco with rice and green beans and a superb salad), I mentioned to my wife that I had read some interesting comments on an online forum. I subscribe to a Quora feed on … Continue reading
Posted in Government
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The Legacies of Bigotry
As I watched the video presented below, I was struck by the fact that there have been so very many lives lost and ruined by bigotry in all its many forms. Stop, think what bigotry means: big·ot·ry /ˈbɪgətri/ noun, plural … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Secular morality, Wisdom
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