Black Crayons

I got this in 1997 from a friend. It was written by Deirdre Sholto-Douglas*. I’ve discussed it with her and she assures me it’s a true story, and gave her permission to publish it. I originally ran it on December 9, 2000, when Randy’s Random was a long-form joke email publication; she originally posted it in the Usenet newsgroup alt.peeves in 1994.

She did a very good thing for her daughter.

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To the Moon

I Look At a Lot of Articles to find just the right mix for each weekly This is True column. Naturally, the vast majority are discarded, and I have to tell you about one that didn’t make the cut. It has a lot to do with “cognitive processes” …aka thinking.

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039: Failure is Not Optional

In This Episode: Humans don’t like to fail. Sure, sometimes failure has catastrophic results, so surgeons work hard to ensure their operations are successful. But when we don’t allow ourselves, or our children, or our employees to fail, they can’t reach their full potential. Here’s why you should actually embrace failure.

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Pomp and Circumstances

A follow-up for a story from last week’s (19 May 2019, Premium only) issue. First, let’s start with the story: Don’t Worry, Be Happy Starting next year, Mason (Ohio) High School will stop recognizing valedictorians and salutatorians at graduation time as part of a new initiative to “improve students’ mental wellness.” No really: “It’s about … Continue Reading

Which Humans Have No Worth?

…or, More Stupid Unsubscribes.

Last Week’s Issue Brought several protest unsubscribes. “The sense of moral superiority woven through the issues has become tiresome. Unsubscribe.” wrote “Hobar” in Texas, a nine-year subscriber. Huh? Then “Darl” in Oklahoma, who also subscribed in early 2010, was a bit more forthcoming in explaining his objection:

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022: The Little Things

In This Episode: The “little things” matter — a lot. Right down to making the world a better place for generations to come, and they’re easy to do. And really: if a 5-year-old is obviously starting to develop Uncommon Sense, anyone who puts their mind to it can develop it too.

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