Category: military
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Putin and Christian Nationalism
Whether or not you are a follower of Jesus and publicly profess “Christianity” as your faith, it’s important to pay attention what many “Conservative Christians” have been saying and continue to say about Vladimir Putin and his cultural / political agenda. I want to recommend two recent articles and OpEds on these topics. First, check…
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The Fragility of Democratic Institutions – Memories of Cairo in November 2017
On November 16, 2017, I had the privilege of dining in my Cairo hotel restaurant with Ahmed Ragheb, a long-time friend of my parents who I first met in 1978 when we lived in Columbus, Mississippi, and my dad was a T-37 squadron commander. Ahmed had an amazing military career in the USAF as a…
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Interactive Google Earth Updates and Map Tools: Solar System Exploration and Nuclear War
In this week’s EdTech Situation Room podcast (tomorrow/Wednesday evening at 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain) I’m going to share several new space related features in Google Earth as well as some new Google Maps mashups (at least new to me) that can be used in the classroom to interactively explore and discuss current…
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Reflections on Comancheria, Identity and Frontier Terrorism
I never thought much about my own family bloodlines and ancestry until we moved to Oklahoma in 2006. As I got to know teachers and school staff members in my role (at the time) working as an “education advocate” for AT&T, I learned that all public schools in Oklahoma have “Indian Education” programs and students…
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Using 8 Bit Games and Humor to Present Serious Political Messages
The website and political game project “GOP Arcade” (@GOParcade) offers telling insights into not only the issues of the 2016 election in the United States, but also the ways media and gaming can be used to influence voters and communicate serious political messages. The site features 8 bit online games (that means they have very…
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Batting 1-1 With Three More Pitches Coming
I’ve been wanting (and perhaps even NEEDING, as other bloggers might be able to understand) to write about our son’s college application journey for a long time. This isn’t just his journey, although it certainly is principally his decision to make and entirely HIS life to live. It’s also a journey for our family, and…
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Cautiously Optimistic About Iran and United States Relations
I’m cautiously optimistic about Iranian and United States relations in the wake of the July 14th announcement by President Obama of the Iranian Nuclear deal and his hour long press conference yesterday focusing primarily on that accord. We live in the day of 140 character information bites, but I encourage you to fully watch both these…
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Podcast426: Civil War History at Harpers Ferry
This podcast features an audio recording of a presentation by U.S. Park Ranger Creighton Waters on July 1, 2015, at the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Creighton mainly tells the story of the brief capture of Harpers Ferry in 1862 by Confederate forces led by General Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson. 12,419 Federal troops surrendered to Jackson, which made this…
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Inspired by the First All-Female USAF Boeing E-3 Sentry Air Crew
(cross-posted from Learning Signs, our family learning blog) Rachel and Sarah had a wonderful opportunity yesterday to visit Tinker Air Force Base by Oklahoma City and tour a Boeing E-3 Sentry (AWACS) aircraft with the first all-female crew in the history of the US Air Force. The girls spent about ten minutes in the cockpit…
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Gangnam Style Videos: USNA vs USAFA vs Westpoint
I’m a bit embarrased to admit a recent lack of YouTube cultural literacy: I didn’t follow or know about the “Gangnam Style” song and video sensation until a few weeks ago. I remember hearing the song in early October when our family went to “FrightFest” at Frontier City (our local amusement park in Oklahoma City)…