One of my favorite current cartoonists is Brooke McEldowney. I discovered his work online a few years ago in the form of "A Fairy Merry Christmas". In the interest of copyright non-violation, I'll leave it to youse to Google up your own excerpts. This cartoon series was an NEA sponsored…
The news, reported by Jamison Foser of Media Matters, is depressing: Through 17 debates this year, roughly 1,500 questions have been asked of the two parties' presidential candidates. But only a small handful of questions have touched on the candidates' views on executive power, the Constitution, torture, wiretapping, or other…
There are other ways to keep older minds active. These other activities involve contributing to society rather than hiding out with a word puzzle.
I am really getting tired of reading articles that advise “elderly” people to pass the hours doing crossword puzzles in order to keep their minds healthy and active. It’s really hard to think of anything more self-centered or useless then sitting at home, alone, and filling in the little squares to pass the time. Maybe it’s the sort of thing you would do if stranded in a lifeboat, waiting to be rescued, but why spend your precious hours on Earth this way when there are so many valuable ways to spend your time?
Am I exaggerating when I suggest there is a lot of this misguided crossword puzzle advice directed to elderly people? Not at all. You can spend an entire day reading articles if you Google “elderly crossword puzzle mind.” Check out this story from NPR. And take a look at this and this and this.Â
Who are the “elderly” in the context of these articles? Presumably everyone who’s elderly or becoming elderly. Presumably, that includes everyone who’s not “young.” The bottom line of these articles is that we must do crossword puzzles or else our minds will atrophy. These article argue that our brains won’t shrivel up as long as we contemplate “14 across†and “43 down†(at least until we give up and look up the answer). Telling a person …
It is amazing to me that so many active duty members of the military would risk repercussions by taking a strong position contrary to the President. The effort has been organized by Appeal for Redress. Many active duty, reserve, and guard service members are concerned about the war in Iraq and support…
Cartoons often communicate complex political ideas faster and better than prose. For this reason, DI recently purchased a license from Cagle Cartoon Syndicate in order to reprint the cartoons of some of the best cartoonists in the business. We are proud to support this work. Today’s topic is oil.
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