The Strawpocalypse! Strawmageddon! It's StrawTastrophe!!!

The Final Straw by Eric Power

Well, now! My Father’s Day 2018 was quite the eventful one. Yes indeed! We took our first step onto the “Butler County Donut Trail” with Milton’s Donuts in Middletown, Ohio. I may be a tad biased, but they make probably the most exquisite tasting donuts ever. .Seriously. They’re phenomenal. Then we had some great fun at a Dave and Busters-style place called Scene75 with some video games and laser mazes. And then for lunch, we indulged in a nice guilt-ridden lecture from a California wannabe environmentalist at a local restaurant in the area. I thought they served burgers, but hey, I guess I read the menu wrong.  So here’s what happened.

Where's All This Global Warming They Keep Talking About?

Gearing Up For The Big Chill by Eric Power

If you live just about anywhere in the United States, it's probably safe to say that you've noticed a colder-than-typical winter this year. Climates throughout the Midwest and the East have been bitterly cold, and characteristically warmer locales such as the South and Southwest have experienced a very unusual cold snap that has left them reeling in utter confusion, with some locations getting snow and ice for the first time in decades. Southwestern Ohio received a substantial brunt of the Polar Vortex, punishing us with subzero temperatures, even harsher windchill and dumping more snow on our heads than we've seen in quite a few years.

"Never Out of The Fight", Lone Survivor!

My Thoughts on Marcus Luttrell's Thrilling Biopic by Eric Power

The story of Marcus Luttrell and his SEAL brothers is told in a gritty, unrelenting fashion in the movie adaptation of his book from 2007, "Lone Survivor: TheEyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEALTeam 10". I took  my 14 year old son, Alex, to see it on opening night (and then saw it again with my wife, a week later). It was a hard movie to watch, and I admit that I was moved to tears at many points throughout the movie. Before the credits rolled, they played a dedication to all the men who perished in that operation. I am not one who cries easily, certainly not in public. But seeing the sacrifice that these men gave for their country, their loved ones, and their Brothers-in-Arms, in living color on the big screen, was more than I could handle. It was probably a good 10 minutes before I could trust myself to speak steadily with Alex about what we had just seen. These guys have more honor in their left hand than I have in my entire body and I am humbled to know their story, and more importantly, to pass on their story. If seeing his old man in tears helps him to understand that point a little better, then so be it.