Stories: Old West & Beyond 05.06.25
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“If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week.” —Charles Darwin
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Good morning. Today is Tuesday, May 6. One of today’s significant challenges is trying to listen to the stuff that matters. Not that everyone is bad at doing so, but because of the “noise” that bombards us each day, such as conversations, commercials, wireless phones, text messages, and traffic.
I ran across the thought-provoking quote this week about listening. It’s from André GidAndré Paul Guillaume Gide, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1947. He said:
“Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything must be said again.”
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1. THE OLD WEST: THE RAID AT NORTH BEND
On May 5, 1865, a band of guerrillas wrote a new chapter in American history by staging the first-ever peacetime train robbery in the United States. "America’s First Train Robbery.”
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2. THE OLD WEST: THROW DOWN THE BOX
Black Bart robbed his last stagecoach on the same mountain pass where he started his criminal career. The gentleman bandit robbed nearly thirty stagecoaches. "Throw Down the Box."
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3. TREE BARK SERVES AS CANVAS FOR A RUSSIAN ARTIST
Damaged trees serve as a canvas for Evgeniya Dudnikova, who describes her paintings as augmented reality. Dudnikova paints tiny, dreamlike scenes on tree bark that has been cut or stripped.
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4. A WEARABLE DEVICE AIMED AT DETECTING A HEART ATTACK IN REAL-TIME
A breakthrough in the rapid detection of a heart attack. Researchers at the University of Mississippi turned to artificial intelligence as part of a process to design a wearable heart attack detector.
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5. THE HIGHEST COURT IN THE LAND
A basketball court is situated above the US Supreme Court building. It’s referred to as the Highest Court in the Land.
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6. SOME NEW FILMS ARE ALREADY BEING TOUTED AS THE BEST OF 2025
This year's motion picture lineup includes science fiction, the supernatural, and art. According to the BBC, here are 10 of the best flicks 2025.
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7. REVIVING THE ART OF THE HANDWRITTEN LETTER
Although you’re probably not looking for a pen pal, handwritten letters are sometimes the next best thing to a human connection. Turning your back on emails and text messages may be difficult, but they can’t replace the special feeling of someone receiving a letter in the mail.
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8. EVER PLAY CHECKERS?
Here's a game of checkers you can play on your computer. It’s different than what you’re used to. And the ability to mount a strategy is limited.
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“A good friend will always stab you in the front.“ — Oscar Wilde
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