September 2014 Blog Posts (51)

Exit: Pursued By A…

How To Win Short…

Extreme Planets: A…

Hot Air - by Geoff…

Escaping Reality - by…

I really enjoy the forms of the American Taekwondo Association. The white belt form has 18 moves and you work yourself up to 81 moves for the first degree black belt form. White belt starts with some very basic moves, punch, front and side kicks, low, high, and middle blocks, and a knifehand strike (karate chop). Each form thereafter introduces a new move or combination move with some extra turns, and so…

I received an interesting question from an English teacher in Iran who wanted to know the differences, if any, between “must” and “have to/has to.” This is an interesting question because the expressions are nearly identical. To answer, I had to think not only about their strict definitions but also about how they are used. 

The terms “must” and “have to/has to” are modal auxiliaries that communicate (1) an obligation to perform some action or (2) that some state of being or action is…

Mystery conventions have to be some of the wackiest, most creative and high energy get-togethers around, Comic Con not withstanding (if you can stand a hundred Darth Vadersroaming around).

Years ago,…

While driving the unmarked-company vehicle Steve dialed his fiancé’s number but she wasn’t picking-up. Listening to her voicemail’s tagline for the umpteenth time, the irked man waited for the beep and finally left a message.

“Barb, I’m pulling into your driveway. Our flight didn’t take off. I hope that your auto-answer is on because I don’t want to barge in and frighten you. I figured I’d give you a heads-up; I’m staying…

My first bike was a 5-speed Schwinn. The gear shift was in the middle with a big black knob on the end. Banana-type seat. Later, I had a ten speed which I outgrew. In Oskaloosa, I had, for a short time, a three speed several decades old, complete with a headlight. Unfortunately, I kept it in the laundry room and someone stole it. Now I have a ten speed that is just a bit small for me, but it…

All You Need All You Need To Know About Grammar- by Kathi Wyldeck

This book introduces and explains all the main concepts of grammar to students in years (grades) 7-10, thus greatly improving their reading,…