It’s called Dim Mak. An approximate translation would be “pressing the pulse,” and the phrase is familiar to students of martial arts and fans of martial‑arts movies. I have an old book of the same name, subtitled Death Point Striking. I keep it mostly because I never get rid of books. It’s a relic from … More The Art of Dim Zi
Slowly, slowly, and then all at once. It begins with a faint dusting you barely notice. You think, “It must have been that construction area we drove through,” and you hose it off. But it’s back the next morning, and that night, when you make the evening rounds with a flashlight, it looks like it’s … More The Pollening
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” When Shawn told me we were publishing a letter to the editor responding to the 11 March piece, it struck me how long I’ve been doing this. My mind went back to some of the reactions we received during the Iraq War. Twenty-three years later, … More In the Company of Neighbors
Trypoxylon politum is the dress‑up name of the organ‑pipe mud dauber that builds its distinctive nests in barns and under sheds. The contents of those nests are a familiar discovery on the inquisitive journey of any child fortunate enough to grow up exposed to country living. Break open the nest and you’ll find stacks of … More Mud, Metal and the Myth of Diversity
William Tecumseh Sherman told the graduating cadets at the Michigan Military Academy in 1879, “I am sick and tired of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation.” In … More Strange Bedfellows
Let’s begin with a small challenge—something Alex Trebek might have delivered with that knowing half‑smile that meant the answer was hiding in plain sight. Consider the following passage and see if you can identify the speaker, or at least the era in which it was spoken: “Often God overturns the expectations of men, raising up … More Though The Ground Has Moved
The wrestling match had gone on much longer than I had anticipated, and I was beginning to tire. The floor was hard, my arms were aching with fatigue, and the Maytag dishwasher hadn’t even broken a sweat. This wasn’t the noble, steel‑bodied Maytag of old — the kind that weighed as much as a Buick … More The Fight To Repair
Marcus Aurelius encourages us to “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them. Think constantly on the changes of the elements into each other, for such thoughts wash away the dust of earthly life.” I read that in Meditations, inscribed on an ancient device that displays information via … More The Quiet Page
As we recoil from the unrelenting drama of world news and weather, we turn now to the renewable resource of wisdom and entertainment provided by the creatures with whom we share this world. We don’t have to look far. Dogs teach us unconditional love. Cats show us how to stay limber. Snakes remind us not … More Playing Possum
We used to call it “winter.” It is a season of extremes and, as far as the weather is concerned, a time of uncertainty. Most of you will read this after the long‑predicted ice storm has passed. This morning it hasn’t happened yet. The lights are on here and the house is warm. It’s a … More Occam’s Butcher Knife
Outside The Box 