Published in Manual Focus·4 hours agoMember-onlyTales of Horror and SuspenseHistory’s Mysteries Part 2 of 4 — Welcome back to our art mysteries series. Let’s begin with a viewpoint on how to approach these questions. From Treasure: Professor Chatsworth kept talking. “Because we see what we want to see. We impose our desires and our hopes and our personality onto these mysteries. We often refute the evidence–or…Art7 min read
Published in Hadrian’s Hall·1 day agoMember-onlyIntelligencism: Society’s Bias Against Smart PeopleI’m sick of intelligencism. That’s what I’m calling bias against intelligent people. I’m tired of intelligent people being negated, mocked, or characterized as clowns. The bias is so overwhelming I can’t ignore it. Here’s where it gets ugly. The following societal practices perpetuate bias against intelligent people: The Education System…Intelligence9 min read
Published in Warts & All·2 days agoMember-onlyBest Friend WantedTwo Questions You Need to Answer to Find a Best Friend I’ve been thinking. I need a new best friend. Before you lay on the guilt trip and question the depth of my marriage, yes, my husband is my intimate partner. He is my other half. My soulmate. Sure. …Philosophizing9 min read
Published in Hadrian’s Hall·3 days agoMember-onlyMelody RoadsTime for a road trip! Time to travel! Tom Hanks and the film, Big, made famous the floor piano played with your feet. And I found musical staircases, like the one in Boston’s Museum of Science, more fun that I liked to admit. My children and I would spend several…Travel5 min read
Published in Solitude Spiral·4 days agoMember-onlyTasting PinkMy mother, Marjorie, is just about the most talented interior designer in this city. I discovered this when we got a big-screen television. We had never been able to afford things like that before. Since then, her success never fails to impress me. My mother earns in a quarter what…Very Short Fiction10 min read
Published in Warts & All·6 days agoMember-onlyProve ItGood and bad evidence “I’m doing my speech on ocean pollution,” the only student in the front row offered. I think his name is James. He’s always raising his hand. Sometimes his enthusiasm is a relief when the rest of the room is crickets. “Great! What’s your proposition?” “Um, that…9 min read
Published in Manual Focus·6 days agoMember-onlyArt Ethics: Grinning Assassin–The Societal Threat of Image ManipulationPart 3 of 5 in the series In the previous article in this series, we asked: So what if we manipulate images? In this article, we answer that question and demonstrate how harmful image manipulation can be to our society, our psyche, and our democracy. Yes, our democracy. …Photography12 min read
Published in Hadrian’s Hall·Aug 10Member-onlyNo Words Tell AllMaster communication through nonverbal coding The guy in the header photo is my dad. He was a master at expressing emotion with a glance. Here, you see his “angry” stare. I had him pose for several of these facial expression photos for my book, No Words. …Nonverbal Communication7 min read
Published in Manual Focus·Aug 9Member-onlyGreatness, Mediocrity and Glorious DefeatEschewing Perfectionism & Seeking Brilliance For many years, I mourned my unrealized life as a world-renowned painter. Until the age of twelve, I drew and painted almost every day. I filled my imagination with fantasies of posh galleries, television interviews and billion dollar sales. As I recall, I told myself…Perfectionism10 min read
Published in Hadrian’s Hall·Aug 8Member-onlyColor Your WorldWhy and how color is a powerful symbol Have you ever considered that color is symbolic? You probably have not considered how powerful color is. You know different colors affect you emotionally, psychologically, and physiologically. But perhaps you do not know how color is vital to communication. Have you explored…Symbolism7 min read