LightGramsJanuary 5, 2023Volume 27, Number 1 A December 30, 2022 article published by the Associate Press noted that several significant literary and musical works would officially enter the public domain on January 1, 2023. Among the works was the last Sherlock Holmes mystery, works by Agatha Christie, Willa Cather, William Faulkner, and Ernest Hemingway. Entering…
LightGramsDecember 15, 2022Volume 26, Number 38 “When my ship comes in” is a phrase many of us have heard or even used. It’s basically a vision of wealth at some future date, “when my ship comes in”. One website explains that people could once buy shares of ships’ cargoes; for their investment, they would be…
LightGramsDecember 1, 2022Volume 26, Number 36 Merriam-Webster, known for their publication of dictionaries of the English language, announced earlier this week their “Word of the Year for 2022”. The word “gaslighting” surprised even the editors, who said that there was no single story in the news that caused interest in the word to peak. The…
LightGramsNovember 10, 2022Volume 26, Number 34 At a garage sale you purchase an old purse that caught your attention. As you examine it later you discover a baseball card tucked away inside. Further investigation reveals that this card, which is in near-mint condition, could be worth a great deal. So what do you do with…
LightGramsOctober 27, 2022Volume 26, Number 33 With the Associated Press story of Rorie Woods being arrested is a photo of her wearing an unusual hat, one that covered her entire head and face. It’s the garb typically worn by beekeepers who want to protect themselves while they tend to their hives. Woods put this on…
LightGramsOctober 13, 2022Volume 26, Number 32 I recently overheard a man talking about preparing chicken breasts that were the best he had ever had. The key, he said, was a particular salad dressing which he used as a marinade. After sitting in that marinade for a time, the chicken was baked and served. I recently…
LightGramsOctober 6, 2022Volume 26, Number 31 An interesting auction took place a few days ago: an aging and rusting lighthouse was sold by the U.S. government to a yet-unnamed bidder. Situated in the Chesapeake Bay, the structure sits in the water with no easy way to approach it. It’s in great need of repair, and…
LightGramsSeptember 29, 2022Volume 26, Number 30 If asked to give a memorable quote from the late artist Andy Warhol, many could give a sound bite at least: “fifteen minutes of fame”. The fuller statement is this: “In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes.” Few really know what Warhol meant, but that…
LightGramsSeptember 22, 2022Volume 26, Number 29 According to Yahoo News, Grace Brassel’s video on TikTok has gone viral, gathering over 2 million views. She tells about being told that her order at Starbucks was free, that someone in front of her had paid for it. Her first reaction was, “How nice!” But then the barista…
LightGramsSeptember 1, 2022Volume 26, Number 28 The phrase “Justice is blind” refers to the impartiality of the legal system. Ideally the courts should never look at a person’s ethnicity, gender, economic status, or educational level when making judgments. The judgments should be on the basis of evidence alone. Richard Bernstein is a Justice on the…