I am an immigrant. I am one of the millions who have chosen to make America a home.

(Have there been times when politics have made me regret this? A few…)

For me, the Old Country is England. Specifically, it is the English Midlands, where 19th century brick houses built for factory workers line so many streets. Where old quarries have become havens for waterfowl. Where the name Margaret Thatcher brings forth a smoldering hatred outsiders seldom understand.

And every so often, I go back. This periodic reentry is something which reminds me of who I am.

Sometimes I even…

The big story of the Olympics is one none of us wanted. Simone Biles pulling out of the team (and now individual all around) finals because of a “medical issue.”

Which turned out to be a mental issue. Of course, a lot of people are saying she lost it, that she’s weak or soft.

I’m not a gymnast, but I have a basic understanding from my own recreational athletic experiences of what happened to Biles.

It’s more accurate to call this an “injury” than to call it a “mental health issue.”

The Dangers of Gymnastics

If you look at old gymnastics videos you might…

Last week, I flew out of town for the first time since the start of the pandemic. It was a family event (sadly, a long-delayed funeral) and despite the fact that we’re both vaccinated, the idea of climbing into a tin can for a couple of hours didn’t appeal.

We Got Lucky

Going to get this out of the way first. Our trip had absolutely no delays or issues. Nobody screamed at the flight attendants for having to wear a mask (which has been a thing). …

As a note, I’m neither a practicing Christian nor a practicing Jew, but I have put this together from Bible scholarship (my mother was a theologian) and my knowledge of Egyptian history.

The story of Moses is key to Judaism and also important to Christianity and Islam. And it seems on the face of it to be fantastical.

What Happened to Moses

The short version of the story is this:

Moses’ mother, who could not afford to feed him, made a basket and abandoned him in the Nile.

The baby was picked up by a “princess,” who then conveniently hired the mother to wet…

A few years back I was explaining to somebody about how there were a lot of Black people in Rome. The other person, needless to say a white American, responded with “Right, all of those slaves.”

The link between slavery and race was so strong in his mind that he immediately assumed all the slaves in Rome were Black.

Classical slavery was not at all the same as southern chattel slavery. Here are some of the key differences.

It Had Nothing to Do With Race

While the majority of slaves in Rome were foreigners, it had absolutely nothing to do with race.

Slaves were captured in war…

…or rather, the lack thereof.

The fact is, people will believe all kinds of things, as demonstrated by the fact that a good number of people are still convinced there are tracking chips in the COVID-19 vaccines.

Fortunately, the one I came across today is far less harmful than refusing to get vaccinated against a potentially deadly disease.

But it’s honestly…just as ridiculous and while it gave me a good laugh it demonstrated just how ignorant some humans manage to be.

Confession time: I’m closer to 50 than I am to 40. I don’t consider myself to be old yet. But I’m no longer a spring chicken.

While researching last week’s post I discovered an article about basically…things you shouldn’t wear as you get older.

By now, many of the people reading this blog know: I’m not into telling people what not to wear, even if I think it’s personally kinda silly.

But fashion ageism is definitely a thing. And it goes in both directions, I just found an article warning younger people not to wear X, Y and Z because…

So, my husband has never been the comic collector in the family. But as a boy growing up in the 70s and 80s, he did in fact acquire comics.

Somehow, these comics survived some shoddy treatment in a readable form and are now in my possession. None of them are better than fair condition, most are poor or worse, but they are readable.

I’ve been reading them before I place them in more careful storage.

And I’ve seen something…interesting. And kind of sad.

Comics as an Advertising Platform

The modern readers who complain that the price of comics has exceeded inflation are right, but they…