Missive #286 Published 31 May 2024
37. NASRUDDIN IN THE ROSE GARDEN
As Nasruddin was walking home one day, he decided to take the long way through a rose garden instead of the usual road. The roses were all in bloom, and the scent was heavenly.
But as Nasruddin strolled through the garden, he slipped in the mud and crashed into some rose bushes. He was badly bruised and bleeding from where the thorns had scratched him, plus he was covered with mud.…
Missive #283 Published 24 May 2024
This is the last in Cornwell's Sailing Thrillers series. I enjoyed them all but will be looking forward to reading more of his historical fiction which is his best genre.
Missive #279 Published 17 May 2024
35. HOW OLD IS NASRUDDIN?
Nasruddin was sitting in the coffeehouse drinking coffee with one of his friends. They were talking about this and that, and Nasruddin’s friend asked, “Just how old are you, Nasruddin?”
“I’m fifty years old,” replied Nasruddin, taking a sip of his coffee.
His friend thought for a moment and then said, “Fifty years old? Really? I’m sure that’s what you told me when I asked you your age several years ago.”
“That’s right. I said I was fifty years old then, and I’m sticking to my story!” said Nasruddin. “I’m a man of my word; you can count on it.”
A lot going on this past week.
Missive #275 Published 10 May 2024
34. NASRUDDIN AND THE FISH Nasruddin and his friends were sitting in the coffeehouse, getting into arguments as usual. “Fish are truly remarkable animals,” Nasruddin opined. “Nobody really respects fish, but they deserve our respect. Talented, intelligent, well-behaved. In fact, there’s nothing a person can do that a fish can’t do better!” “That’s ridiculous!” protested one of Nasruddin’s friends. “Fish can’t talk better than people do. Fish can’t even talk at all. I’ve seen hundreds of fish, thousands of fish, but not a single talking fish, and that’s because fish can’t talk.”
Missive #272 Published 3 May 2024
33. THE WISDOM OF CAMELS…
This is an interesting book that opened my mind to the possible future. It could be read as science fiction although the authors did not write it with that in mind. They are serious that this is the direction the economy will take. I have doubts.
Missive #267 Published 26 April 2024
32. NASRUDDIN RESCUES THE MOON
Nasruddin’s house happened to catch on fire while Nasruddin was in the coffeehouse. One of his neighbors came bursting in to tell him the bad news.
“Nasruddin!” he shouted. “Come quickly! Your house is on fire!”
Nasruddin jumped up and ran to see what had happened. It was true: his house really was on fire. Flames were shooting up into the air and the whole structure was about to collapse.
Nasruddin, however, just stood there smiling.…
Missive #264 Published 19 April 2024
31. THE SUN OR THE MOON?…
Slot machines, revamped by evermore compelling digital and video technology, have unseated traditional casino games as the gambling industry's revenue mainstay. Drawing on fifteen years of field research in Las Vegas, anthropologist Natasha Dow Schüll explores the dark side of machine gambling—a solitary, rapid, continuous form of play that has less to do with the competitive thrill of winning than with the pull of "the machine zone," as gamblers call the trancelike state they enter.
Missive #260 Published 12 April 2024
30. NASRUDDIN RESCUES THE MOON
Nasruddin was walking home late one night when he stopped at a well to drink some water.
As he stared down into the well, he saw the moon.
“Hang on, Moon!” he shouted. “I’ll rescue you!”
He lowered the bucket into the well but, as he tried to maneuver the bucket into just the right spot so the moon could climb in, he stumbled on the hem of his robe and fell over backwards.
Missive #255 Published 5 April 2024
29. THE SKY IN A DISTANT LAND…
My dental appointment for a cleaning and exam went as I expected. While I was in Wellton I had two pain incidents with my lower front teeth which I have known for years would have to come out. The dentist here said it was time; there is infection around the root which was causing the pain. Therefor I'm back to see him again next Tuesday for extraction, back again after about five days for a temporary dental bridge then back again in about 6 months for the permanent bridge. There is a molar that is also infected that will have to come out; it is not doing me any good since there is no opposing molar that helps me chew. The good news about all this is the cost will be significantly less than what I would have to pay any United States dentist.
Missive #251 Published 29 March 2024
28. NASRUDDIN VISITS A TOWN FOR THE FIRST TIME
Nasruddin was visiting a new town for the first time. He didn’t know anybody in the town, and he wasn’t sure what to do or where to go; it made him feel uneasy.