Attention Readers (and Talkers)

We have already alerted you about the next Vital Signs Book Brunch on April 12, 10 AM, at the Hartford home in northwest Omaha. The book under discussion will be the classic Lord Foulgrins’s Letters written by one of our favorite contemporary authors, Randy Alcorn from Eternal Perspective Ministries. (FYI — The book can be obtained for…

The Top 5 (March 22)

1) “John Roberts’ Obsession With SCOTUS Legitimacy Has Severely Delegitimized It. — Ending universal injunctions once and for all is the least the chief justice can do to defend not only the judiciary, but our country.” (Benjamin Weingarten, Federalist)) From the article — The chief irony of Chief Justice John Roberts’ tenure at the Supreme Court is…

What’s the Plot?

Ronald Tobias (professor, writer and documentary filmmaker) once wrote a book describing how the story lines of all novels, plays and movies fall into one of twenty Master Plots. It’s an interesting idea, one that has taken root in many literature classes and book club discussions. Here is Tobias’ list. 1. Quest2. Adventure3. Pursuit4. Rescue5….

How Well Do You Know Your Tolkien?

The photograph at left is an unfamiliar look at a very familiar 20th Century author. It is J.R.R. Tolkien, taken when he was a second lieutenant in the 11th Lancashire Fusiliers. A rather dashing fellow, what? Anyhow, from an old New York Times I came across, here’s a rather gentle trivia quiz to test your knowledge of…

The Top 5 (March 15)

1) “The West is facing an Islamic holy war. Governments and the public alike persist in a state of lethal timidity and denial, but they must start connecting the dots.” (Melanie Phillips, Jewish News Service) From the article — What was most mind-blowing, she said, was the revelation from 1993 when the FBI wiretapped Hamas members in…

The Latest Visit with Sherry

On Wednesday and Thursday Claire and I were down in Wichita to see my little sister, Sherry. Her dementia, along with her overall health condition, continues to worsen and communication between us now is quite limited. But she remains my sweet little sister and every moment we can share is precious…as is every memory, every…

Michael Crichton on Falling for Journalist’s Ignorance & Lies

“Briefly stated, the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect is as follows. You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. In Murray’s case, physics. In mine, show business. You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues. Often, the article is so wrong…

The Top 5 (March 8)

* “Too many Democrats: On the real problem in Washington” (James Piereson, The New Criterion) From the article — onald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency is turning over the rocks in the nation’s capital, every day revealing some ridiculous federal expenditure for DEI programs in Serbia, LGBTQ+ comic books in Guatemala, and climate programs everywhere. These abuses,…

The Latest Letter-Writing Party (With Targets, Addresses, & Sample Letters)

This morning’s Vital Signs letter-writing party found 9 of us gathered around our dining room table and, after our regular 75-minute session, we had written over 50 cards and letters. Good job, guys! You’ll be able to see several of the letter recipients (and issues) as you read a few of the notes I randomly…

But be doers of the word,
and not hearers only.