‘I’ll try to keep this short enough to cover the subject, and long enough to be interesting, like a mini-skirt.’ The math class of 35 students at Blythe, CA laughed, and explaining how to solve for X became as easy as falling off a desk. It wasn’t always so straight forward. I’ll never forget my [...]
Blue Eyes
Anyone who has moments of feeling sorry for himself should read the uplifting Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave: Written by Himself. It must be opened slowly and read like a healing sore. As with any autobiography, I advise to bypass the introduction and go straight to the 100-page narrative. Douglass [...]
My Days with Jim Watson
I was honored, in about 1995, to be invited to a dinner party at the home of George Soros at the Hamptons. I borrowed a coat and tie and walked into a large dining room with such dignitaries as ambassadors milling about while sipping cocktails. It was a fundraiser. I pulled up my jacket sleeves [...]
We The People Are Not Fruit Flies
Note from Vic and Laurel: this essay contains much material and a framework we don’t agree with, but as Bo is always insightful and fruitful to read and know, here it is for his current and future fans. I get so tired of the genetic prattle in the news. It’s a stunt. If kids are pre-programmed [...]
Robot Trials
The robot gently helped another robot after it had blown over in this morning's offshore wind at Homestead, Florida. The spectators around me applauded at the first Robotic Challenge Trials. Seventeen teem robots are competing for $34 million dollars to be divvied in $2 million grants to the winning college and private teams in each [...]
Right to Bear Horns
I get sick to my stomach when I see animals hunted to at an unfair advantage, having been in that position a few times. Dad took me pheasant hunting as a kid and I crawled through a fence and got an electric shock as a warning. Later, I fashioned a slingshot from a tree fork [...]
The Right to Bear Arms
These are my conclusions on the right to bear arms after traveling in 105 countries. Anyone who says No to guns in America has not been thrown into one of three OK Corrals around the world. The first is a war. The second is an anti-American nation. And the third is a country with a [...]
A Short Course in Court
A great experiences, better than Disneyland, is going into a court of law... as a spectator. It should be a requirement at every high school. It’s as simple as putting on your casual clothes. Go to the county, district or state courthouse: You walk through a metal detector and are suddenly in a long hallway [...]
Books as Peacemakers
There has been bad blood between the local librarian and me that was settled today as the smoke cleared the room. A high schooler I know from subbing walked up to the librarian to ask for for a good book to read. I shot across the room, "Try the three most useful books from my [...]
Severely Emotionally Disturbed Teacher
'Mr. Keeley, rush to the to the SED room! The students are throwing chairs at the teacher!' Weekly, at Blythe, CA High School through the 2000s, a frantic version of this blast over the school intercom for all to hear summoning me to put out another fire in the Severely Emotionally Disturbed classroom at the [...]