Tag: non-fiction
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United Republic column
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Fire in the Sky
From a letter to a friend shortly after 9/11 Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 10:03:47 -0500To: DaveFrom: DeafScribeSubject: Fire in the Sky That was 3 hours well spent. I just returned from the beach. Got the bike out at 3:30, mounted the night light, added a bit of air to the front tire, and set…
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Conservatism in the Defense of Air Safety is No Vice
I grew up in small aircraft. My father was a private pilot and took me along often, showed me the landscape of Saskatchewan from 5,000 ft before I learned to ride a bicycle. We always had copies of Flying magazine around at home, a publication with a deep and dedicated stable of editors and writers…
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Physics for Curious Teenagers
[One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] Physics is often an intimidating subject because it encompasses so much – it is the foundation for how everything else works. Our understanding is advanced and growing, but not yet complete. There are still holes, and this is where the excitement lies –…
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Cultural Differences in Moral Reasoning
[One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] Cultural differences in moral reasoning are driven by various influences — history, leadership, religious belief, experiences with peace and warfare, available resources and the strategies for extracting and distributing those resources. These cultural differences are not limited to the scale of nations. There…
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Why Parents Shouldn’t Be Able to Refuse Medical Treatment for an Ill Child
[One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] Legally, refusal to provide or access medical care for children can be termed medical neglect. According to the latest available national statistics, documented child abuse and neglect in 2011 affected more than 675,000 children, or nearly 1 in a 100 kids. On average,…
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High School Swimming Lessons
[One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013. Published version here.] In school districts with sufficient budgets and facilities, high school students can choose from beginning, intermediate and advanced swimming courses, often modeled on the American Red Cross’s Learn-to-Swim program. Some schools also offer competitive swimming. Knowing how to swim well…
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Child Behavior Checklist Items
[One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] As children develop, parents like to see them hitting normal developmental milestones. When it appears something is not quite right, a screening behavioral review is an early step. The widely accepted Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment offers two screens, one for children…
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Effective Programs to Help at-Risk Teenagers Stay in School
[One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013. Published version here.] Keeping at-risk teens in school entails a variety of strategies. It begins by identifying who is mostly likely to drop out and the influences that compel them to do so; these can include bullying, homelessness, financial insecurity, poor nutrition, substance…
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Evangelism in the Early Seventeenth & Eighteenth Centuries
[One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] The roots of American evangelism go back to 16th century Europe, when Anabaptists began suggesting that church should be separate from the state. This view did not find favor among governments closely aligned with the Catholic church, and consequently Anabaptism was brutally suppressed.…
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