The best-before date

The best-before date

New is better. That about sums up our American attitude toward all things architectural, from houses, apartment buildings, stores, office buildings, schools, arenas, up to and including entire cities. In the name of expediency, we gleefully tear down old to build new....
A Little Help from a Friend

A Little Help from a Friend

A frog becomes a prince, Cinderella becomes the belle of the ball, an ugly duckling becomes a beautiful swan, the underdog comes out on top, an orphaned, Jewish girl in a foreign land becomes the Queen of Persia, a hillbilly family from the Ozarks moves to Beverly...
Oh, and one more thing

Oh, and one more thing

Picture this possible scene in an upper bedroom in Capernaum, in the house of the royal official who made the journey to Cana to implore Jesus to come heal his son: It’s been almost three days since the child has been awake. His breathing is so shallow as to be...
New here?

New here?

It’s been said that the UK and the United States are two countries divided by the same language. Even French friends refer to this language barrier as English and American. In some cases, words are different for the same thing. Between us there are possibly hundreds...
Will it be noisy?

Will it be noisy?

Human beings love to be wowed, to be awestruck, to be rendered speechless, to be overcome by magnitude, precision, dexterity, creativity, sportsmanship, as in a fireworks display, a finely built piece of machinery, artisanship, athleticism, musicianship, wordsmithing....
Too good to be true?

Too good to be true?

We’re familiar with the story. An American teenager, Peter Parker, a poor sickly orphan, is bitten by a radioactive spider. As a result of the bite, he gains superhuman strength, speed, and agility, along with the ability to cling to walls, turning him into...