Author name: Ed Briggs

Commentary

Order of Magnitude

Despite the Pennsylvania trends, Bedford PA is not a left-leaning area.  One clue is the big “Jesus Is Lord” sign (with photograph of Jesus) that preaches to the Pennsylvania Turnpike as it angles through town.  People support the NRA here, and disapprove the ACLU.  Christian values are promoted in the local paper alongside church suppers, county fairs, and yard sales.  Compared to where I live and work in the Washington, D.C. area, this is a safe and peaceful place.  The crime report tells of of a bicycle stolen from a garage, or a coin box pilfered at the laundromat. …

Alcohol Stories

Breaking Off

I remember exactly where we met.  I remember the intimate lighting and the view outside of all the expensive yachts.  A marina restaurant on Chickamauga Lake in East Tennessee.  I kept looking around to see if anyone was there who knew me.  Yes, I was concerned that someone might see me doing this. But the more I got to know her, the less I cared about that.  There are times in your life when you try something you've held back on in the past, and you cross over and find yourself in a new place.  She was that place. …

Stories

Light-Nosed

I met this man who trains dogs to sniff out explosives. He calls them “bomb dogs.” He does this for the police department in Washington, D.C.  As we know, a lot of people are interested in planting explosives in Washington, D.C.  Sometimes it makes you wonder why we live here. …

Commentary Stories

Stock or Native

I  knew a man in Tennessee whose real name was John Smith.  I point out that this was his real name because otherwise you would think I was disguising it.  John lived in Tellico Plains and he’d been taught to trout fish by a forest ranger who was the best in the region.  John became an expert himself and one day I went fishing with him because we were friends.  I was no expert when it came to trout fishing. …

Places Stories

Goose Patrol Attempts To Break Up Mallard Fight

Animal behavior is always fascinating to me. I filmed this in Bedford County, PA beside the Juniata River. It truly did appear that the geese were embarrassed by the mallard fight and wanted to make them stop. The mallard fight went on and on and was vicious, not sporting. Of course, geese are known to fight as well, but on this occasion they tried to be the peacemakers. …

Technology

Organizing Your Web Browser

Google and others are providing us with a great variety of free tools that enhance and organize our Web experiences.  The following shows how you can use Google’s free iGoogle desktop.  I use Firefox as my browser and this setup works exactly the same on my company PC and on my personal Macs.  I’ve numbered just a few of the key features. …

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