Years ago our then three-year-old son Andrew and a neighbor friend were playing with a little wooden train set. A minor dispute arose over the proper shape for the tracks. Andrew placed them the way … Teaching Our Children to Speak WellRead more
Author: Bill Isley
Nacreous and Raddled: Reasons for Sighs and Groans
My dear sister visited us a couple of weeks ago, and I made the mistake of serving her coffee in my Shakespearean Insults Mug. It’s an hilarious mug, covered with witty insults such as “I … Nacreous and Raddled: Reasons for Sighs and GroansRead more
Mineral, Plant, Animal–Whatever Happened to Human?
Do you remember the three “kingdoms” of our sciences classes—mineral, plant and animal? While this elementary science has many facts right, it may have the whole idea wrong. In fact, limiting the world to these … Mineral, Plant, Animal–Whatever Happened to Human?Read more
Papaverous
I’ve decided to start a new section on my webpage. It’s called the “Philologer’s Corner.” Literally, a philologer is a lover of words. I shall discuss briefly words that I have to look up in … PapaverousRead more
The Problem with Certainty
Most of us assume that certainty is an unqualified good. Who wouldn’t want to be sure that they’ve chosen the right spouse, job or college? Nevertheless, we need to question closely the desire for certainty. … The Problem with CertaintyRead more
