allpurposeguru

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The potter chooses what to make from a lump of clay. He can smash it and start over. God makes the same decisions about humans. That doesn't make him a bully. He always shows love and grace.

Bacteria in sewage contain energy equivalent to the annual output of 70 or more large nuclear plants. Microbial fuel cells can convert much of that energy into electricity and potentially reduce the need for fossil fuels.

On Earth Day 1971, Walt Kelly's Pogo featured its most famous line ever. Kelly liked it so much that he used it again in a later strip. Today, with so many different kinds of environmental issues, it helps to remember Kelly's wisdom instead of joining in the noisy blame...

Lt. Elmer Ellsworth (better known as Col. Ellsworth) took a detour from his orders to take down a Confederate flag that he knew offended his good friend Abraham Lincoln. It cost him his life. His death shocked the whole nation.

Most people would prefer to reach their goals by the most direct route. God led his people out of Egypt by a roundabout path that no one could figure out. That may be one reason why his plans come out better than ours.

Until the late 1970s, publishers kept most titles in print until they sold out. Bargain books as a separate business model resulted from several changes that started at that time, including a Supreme Court case and the growth of chain stores.

Some kinds of writing need shortcuts. Initialisms like LOL, RTM, even BFF, serve a useful purpose. Now they're in the OED. Some people have apparently tried to make up very obscure texting abbreviations and get them to go viral. Such wordplay explains some of the original OED entries. Who knew a dictionary could document so much fun?

No time or money for exercise? You can enhance your health and fitness by building periods of moderately intense activity into your daily routine.

The first time Jesus asked if he could see, he said men looked like trees walking. That's after Jesus wouldn't agree to heal him until after his friends had begged, after Jesus led him out of town, and after Jesus spit in his eyes before saying a word. By not getting offended at any of that, the blind man of Bethsaida received his sight.

It took a long time for manufacturers to develop really good chocolate for candy. Chocolate is often used to dip some other kind of candy, but it is a very temperamental ingredient that requires tempering. Nonetheless, people who learn to do that can make wonderful candy as a hobby.

By the time he moved to New York in 1950, Harry Smith (1923-1991), a beatnik film maker and record collector, had amassed thousands of recordings of folk music. He was about to exert tremendous influence on American music and American culture with his Anthology of American Folk Music. Most...