US Represented

Writings

Ten Reasons to Write Regularly

In “Why I Continue To Write: Thirty-five years after Last Exit to Brooklyn,” Hubert Selby Jr. says of his youth, I went into the hospital in 1946, with advanced tuberculosis, and altogether I spent three and a half years in the hospital. By the time I got out I had had 10 ribs removed, one

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Ten Reasons

I wake With death in my mouth. Before I wash it out, I start with Ten reasons why I cannot take my own life. One–Suicide is selfish, Especially for you. You help so many people. What would they do Without you? Two–Who else Can make Algebra fun? All your students need you. Three–Who would get

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Ten Reasons to Exercise Regularly

Most people generally understand the significance of exercise. Still, listing some of its specific benefits clarifies why exercise improves everyone’s quality of life. 1. Working out increases your lifespan. American life expectancy is 78.6 years. Countries like Slovenia have surpassed us in this regard due to Americans making poor lifestyle choices. Among other things, exercise reduces

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Of Yucca Moths and Four-Leaf Clovers

The creamy blossom beckoned to me that early Sunday morning and when I opened the petals, I saw her. My first yucca moth! Nestled near a pollen-heavy stamen, she shifted her position as the sun flooded her hideaway. My job as a volunteer naturalist at Cheyenne Mountain State Park had immersed me in the amazing

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UFO Traces

Over 100 billion stars populate our galaxy, and our galaxy is just one of another 100 or more billion galaxies, so the universe must be teeming with intelligent life. Given that we live in a middle-aged galaxy, other life forms are surely far more advanced than we are. This means our comparatively primitive notions of

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UFO Traces

Over 100 billion stars populate our galaxy, and our galaxy is just one of another 100 or more billion galaxies, so the universe must be teeming with intelligent life. Given that we live in a middle-aged galaxy, other life forms are surely far more advanced than we are. This means our comparatively primitive notions of

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Viktor Frankl on the Last of the Human Freedoms

We who lived in the concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms —

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Turn Off the Bubble Machine

Requiem for Literacy I first noticed that the medium was indeed supplanting the message in 1967. Just back in the world, I was spending a lot of time at demonstrations against the war in Vietnam. We’d march around and hold our fists in the air, with or without the two-digit peace sign, and chant various

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Putting the “Fair” Back into Fair Trade

Growing up as a late ‘90s / early 2000s kid, I was well aware of the fact that almost every item I owned was stamped with the phrase “Made in China.” As years went on, I learned about outsourcing, as well as stories of horrible factory accidents and abysmal working conditions. It seems such a

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Narcissism: Life in a Snow Globe

In recent years I’ve been dealing with a narcissist in my life. I think most people know at least one person with narcissistic tendencies, so with this article I hope to define some traits of narcissism in a way that makes it easier to understand. I’m not a psychologist, so I can’t diagnose anyone; I’m

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Just Survive, Warrior.

I would be lying if I did not feel any confusion or emotional disturbance from receiving a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. As I recall, I was with my unit in the Army, sitting at a table awaiting a leader’s meeting. The doctor called, and I answered, of course receiving bad news. I began to have

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