Check Out These Blog Posts From Steve McEllistrem

Good news – medicine is making tremendous progress. We still have a few problems, of course. The Covid-19 pandemic is currently creating havoc around the world. Although we can’t know exactly when it will pass, it will eventually pass. In the meantime, we have to be smart – practice social distancing, self-isolate if we suspect we might have the disease, wash our hands and clothing more often. At some point we’ll beat it. Then we’ll be able to focus on ...

You tease us with warmth Like a belly dancer Swaying nearer Then pulling away Veils keeping us from seeing you clearly Music pulsating Audience edging forward in their seats Eager to grasp the beauty you promise While you skirt the edges of the stage Bare feet gliding sideways As you study us Watching to see how much you can torment us Before you recede once again Into the distance But only for a spell While we, entranced, Call for your ...

You might not believe this but I found a gold doubloon the other day – an old Spanish coin dated 1537. It had been dented by a musket ball fired at Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. How do I know that? Well, again, this is somewhat unbelievable, but the doubloon was sitting atop a document detailing its provenance. This coin is priceless. And I just happened to stumble across it in a wealthy neighborhood a few blocks away from ...

We like to think we’re special, we’re different than the rest of the animal kingdom. We can reason and communicate and imagine and empathize and manipulate our world in a way no other creature can. We have consciousness, self-awareness. All these attributes allegedly make us human. But what does that mean? Other animals, like dolphins and elephants, are self-aware. They communicate and reason and empathize and even occasionally manipulate their habitat. Do they imagine? Probably. So what makes us special? ...