Columns

Did you know that Memorial Day is commemorated in different ways and on different dates throughout our nation?
The observance had its beginnings during the Civil War, which is a good hint that there would not be uniformity.
More than two dozen cities and towns lay claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day, and each had its own customs.
There is evidence that organized women’s groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War.
Following the war, towns in the North decided it would be a good idea to honor their military dead also.
In 1868, “Decoration Day” was officially proclaimed. It was so named because the emphasis was on decorating graves of fallen soldiers.

My wife and I broke down the other day and got ourselves some smart phones.  But it turns out that the phones really aren’t all that smart.  
My phone couldn’t learn even the simplest of dog tricks like roll over, beg or fetch.  It does however stay with amazing non-agility.
It didn’t take long for us to find ourselves downloading apps. Reading apps.  Game apps.  Navigation apps.  Productivity apps.  
I suddenly knew what it felt like for Columbus, opening your eyes one morning and discovering a new world.  
Well, almost exactly like that, except that I didn’t get to destroy civilizations, steal riches or brutalize and enslave any Indians.

Amid the news of Osama Bin Laden’s killing, and the extreme public reaction in Pakistan, it is worth asking, “Do all Muslims support jihad killing of innocents?” and “What human rights do Muslim majority nations allow?”
We regularly read about the denial of voting rights, civil rights, public education or free speech for women and minorities in Muslim nations, such as Iran’s killing of members of B’nai Brith, an offshoot sect of Islam that many Muslims consider a heresy.
But how much of this repression of basic human rights is due to the “culture” of national governments and how much is due to the religion of Islam?

I call the computer the bringer of prospects. A few odd souls will think of computing. Most think of video games, texting, or e-books.
Environmental thinkers may think of smart cars and paperless records. Rare is the breed hooked on sustainability games, a many-pronged teaching tool.
Who knows? Games may be the best hope that the world’s youth will work out the problems we pass to them.
“Sustainability games” are computer games that test a player’s skill at prolonging the world’s use of natural resources and the environment. The games take many forms.