Huh? What's Up With That?

two different paths...   This is the concluding post celebrating women making history during this  Women in History Month .    You will meet two outstanding women who have carved paths quite different from each other.  But, each has set her sights on reaching personal and/or career goals and thereby writing her own history.     Kayla Kaps is a secondary education teacher at Franklin Central High School in Indianapolis.  Kayla succeeded me as general manager of WRFT-FM upon my retirement.     Susan Martin is a retired stay-at-home mom of three grown sons.  She and her family reside in Louisville, Kentucky.   July 16, 1840 is a date worthy of note.  According to usnews.com , that's when Catherine Brewer became the first woman from any college in the United States to earn a bachelor's degree.   She graduated from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia.        Harvard was the first American university and...

4 women making history...   March is Women in History   M onth .        According to its website , Women in History Month ...... had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress asked the president to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as Women's History Week .     Since  1995, presidents have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as Women’s History Month .    So, in this the first post during women's contributions awareness month, we salute four outstanding women who have set their own paths and traveled the road to success in their chosen fields.  Instead of recapping the accomplishments of historical figures or past known leaders,  H ? WUWT ? brings to your attention four contemporary women who are writing their own history.         Our role models include an Air Force pilot, two barbers who own their own business, and a foot surgeon. ...

covid speak and other yakety yak...     It seems every decade or so brings us new expressions or slang that become part of our every day language.  Events within our society can trigger this deluge of linguistic freedom at a moment's notice.  Wars, depressions, cultural revolutions, and even diseases and viruses can alter our go-to words of the moment.    HUH ? What's up with that ?    Prior to the hippie counter-culture evolution of the 60s was an era that began after WWII and went through the 50s known as the Beat Generation .  It was started by a group of authors and soon became a literary movement.  Three writers, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs supported the exercise through their writing.  Much of their work embraced alcohol, drugs and greater freedom.    It was from the Beat Generation words like, daddy-o , dig , chick , cool , and many others became popular. Some of them have even carried...

  cupid, draw back your bow ...               Sam Cooke, 1961                                              So, just who is this Cupid fellow, anyway, and where did he come from?   In Roman mythology, Cupid is the son of Venus, the goddess of Love.  But, in Greek mythology, he was known as Eros and was the son of Aphrodite.      Following Roman lore, Cupid fell madly in love with Psyche despite his mother's jealousy over Psyche's beauty and Cupid married her, but he made Psyche promise to never look at his face.  When she eventually peaked, Cupid ran away.         In classical mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction, and affection.  That pretty well covers that whole deal.   The first sign of the linking of Cupid with Valentine's Day was Caravaggi...

presidential precedence...   It's nothing new for a president to snub his successor by not attending the newly-elected president's festivities.  In fact, back in the day, there very well could have been an app called, Presidential Snubhub .   John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had been close friends for many years.  They had worked in Europe as fellow diplomats and, of course, both worked side by side to help create the Declaration of Independence.  But, as the two politicians' careers took different paths, they became rivals.   On the day of Jefferson's inauguration, Adams was nowhere to be found.  In fact, John Adams and his family had left the White House hours before Jefferson's swearing-in (sound familiar?) and headed for the family farm in Braintree, Massachusetts.     Ironically, history repeated itself 28 years later when Adams' son, John Quincy Adams boycotted the induction of his replacement, Andrew Jackson.      Martin ...

  what's with the 20s....   According to the American Optometric Association,  20/20 vision   is a term used....t o express normal visual acuity (the clarity or sharpness of  vision ) measured at a distance of 20 feet .   In other words,  20/20 eyesight is as good as it gets.     But, in hindsight , the year 2020  was not as good as it gets.  The year was  a mix of emotions and a roller coaster ride for most of us.     Come to think of it, we've probably never had a perfect year.  How would we define an unblemished 12 month period?  Lots of factors to consider.  There's a global overview of the state of the world.  We would want to know how events impacted our own nucleus.  Plus, there's always something called, personal opinion .  So, unlike perfect 20/20 vision, an impeccable year would be difficult at best.  There are just so many elements to intrude upon perfection.  T...

encore performances...#2      This post is a continuation of stories about people who have retired, only to start his or her Encore Performance, so named by a good friend of H?WUWT ?.     The expression fit perfectly as the transition from broadcast to teaching became a reality.  R ecently retired from a radio/television career, it was a golden opportunity to teach others how an amazing medium could influence our hearts and minds.     Just like the previous Encore post, unless otherwise noted, each person's real first name is used.  Prior to Covid-19, H?WUWT? had talked to about 40 individuals and asked each one how he or she spends his or her time now that each no longer has career obligations.     After listening to the first dozen or so people, it was clear most of them had an enthusiasm for life; each one was excited about what they were doing; and, though sometimes wistful about the past, both men and women seeme...