Phobophobia

Phobophobia is the fear of phobias or the fear of fear. While there is no exact number, and clinicians and researchers create new names as needed, there are over 400 recognized phobias. That’s a lot of things we are afraid of. Over 25 million people in the U.S. have Aerophobia, the fear of flying, and many are…

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Steering The Boat

We went white water rafting once when the river flow was very high (read fast). It was exciting and exhausting at the same time. For our guide to steer, the boat had to be going faster than the water—which means we had to paddle like mad. Conversely, we have also rafted when the flow was low…

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Compounded

Would you rather have $1,000,000 dollars today or 1¢ with your total doubling every day for 30 days? Unless you are very young or haven’t been paying attention, you will choose the penny and end up with over $5,000,000 dollars. This is an example of exponential growth and is often used as an encouragement to…

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Resolute

The HMS Resolute set sail in 1852 to search (for a second time) for Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition. The Resolute had been part of an earlier expedition to look for Franklin’s group which had returned with evidence of Franklin’s first winter camp. Franklin, with 2 ships and 128 men, set out in 1845 to explore the Northwest Passage.…

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The Gift

It is a scene that will unfold in countless homes on Christmas Day. Presents will be pulled out from around the tree and passed to the intended recipients. Some will patiently take turns revealing the contents of each package as the others look on. Others will disgorge every package in a flurry of wrapping paper…

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Cowboy Code

It’s been a tough year to be a Cowboy (that’s an Oklahoma State University Cowboy). We struggled every weekend this football season, most of the time coming up short, resulting in our first losing season in two decades. I am not a fair-weather fan. I am an OSU Alum. (I went to preschool at OSU…

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The Leader’s New Clothes

First published in 1837 (in Danish), Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, is about a vain leader getting exposed in front of his subjects by an innocent and truthful little boy. If you have not read the story yourself, let me give you a summary. A vain and lavish ruler is approached by…

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Kwitchyerbellyakin

My grandfather, Garman Kimmell, had a needlepoint piece with that saying framed in his office. I can remember the first time I was able to read it and realize it was actually four words, misspelled, and run together. I thought it was funny then, and I think it is an appropriate sentiment to reflect on…

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Kingdoms Rise And Fall

“Who cares? Kingdoms rise and fall. Just don’t burn the paintings in the Louvre, that’s all.” I came across this quote by Lestat de Lioncourt in Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat. We don’t talk about ‘kingdoms’ much these days. The language is a bit outdated. However, kingdoms are just as significant today as they have ever…

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Word Games

The North American Bison is often improperly referred to as a “buffalo.” History records that the word buffalo is derived from the French “bœuf,” a name given to bison when French fur trappers working in the US in the early 1600s saw the animals. The word bœuf came from what the French knew as true…

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