Sherman from Harrodsburg, Kentucky, says her grandfather used to speak of accomplishing something physically challenging through main strength and awkwardness–in other words, through brute force and sheer determination. In the 1500s, English...
Look up the verb comfort in the Oxford English Dictionary and you’ll see that in the 13th century, this word meant “to strengthen.” It comes from Latin fortis meaning “strong,” the source of fort, fortify, and forte. This is part of a complete...
A hopeful Ethiopian proverb: When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “When Spider Webs Unite” Music Here’s a great Ethiopian proverb. When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion. Ooh, I...
The asthenosphere, as described in Brian Kevin’s Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks guide (Bookshop|Amazon) is a gurgling sea of plasticized rock beneath the earth’s rocky crust. Asthenosphere derives from Greek asthenes, meaning “weak” or...
A Hindi proverb that means “unity is strength” literally translates as “one and one make eleven.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Hindi Strength Proverb” Grant, the other day I came across a proverb in Hindi that I really like. It...
You dream of writing the great American novel, but to make ends meet, you spend your days writing boring corporate reports. There’s a difference between writing for love and writing for a living — or is there? Does a heyday have anything to do with...

