Articles written by John Graham

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About me - John Graham

John Graham is somewhat of a renaissance man. He was born in Great Britain in 1933. He is a nuclear physicist by training and a writer by avocation. Having lived and worked in four countries, traveled extensively throughout the world and is now raising his

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Creative Writing > Novel Excerpts Novel excerpts: Adventure: 4 of 105
THE STORMThe weather had worsened in the past thirty minutes. The ketch sailed strongly and steadily into the channel and the waves increased in size as they went. Now they were so large that the ketch couldn't skip from one crest to the next. As it reached a crest the prow pitched forward and headed into the trough before lu... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Politics in Europe Assessing the United States' power and its paradox: 1 of 22
My goodness! Look around you.Have you noticed how some people have such big heads that they think they know everything and are much better than anyone else, whereas they really lack basic common sense?The United States of America is much like this and it is such a shame because the nation has the power to be the best in the w... More..
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Self awareness: 1 of 21
FailureI am not as old as Methuselah but I intend to be he was nine hundred and sixty nine so, like me, has was a bit of a failure. He couldn't hang out for his millenniumth.Anyway, with over nine hundred years to go, I have written my autobiography to date and cannot decide whether to make it chapter 1. On my expected time-s... More..
Arts & Humanities > Children's Literature How books affect children: 2 of 39
I was a child in an era blessed to be without the distractions of television, cell phones and computers. Our entertainment was what the family invented as games, the radio and, of course, reading.An early Christmas gift was a hard cover book about a small blue bear which because his growth had been stunted by the accidental w... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Christian Beliefs & Culture Priests should be permitted to marry: 5 of 90
Roman Catholic priests should not only be allowed to marry, no unmarried priest should ever be given the responsibility for advising parishioners.Unmarried, a priest knows very little about the life of members of his congregation and has no right to advise any of them. An organization composed of men who are not allowed to ta... More..
Relationships & Family > Communication Skills About Toastmasters: 1 of 16
When I arrived in this country I believed that I spoke well and that the ability helped my position in my company because I could explain what I was doing and the results that I was getting. I didn't think I had any speaking difficulties "after all," I told myself, "I'm British."However, I liked the idea of joining a social c... More..
Other What is the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?: 26 of 352
A CHINESE MYSTERYChina had opened its doors to foreign travelers only a few years before and we were a scientific group on a friendship and fact-finding mission. Our interest in new Chinese markets was matched by the Chinese interest in our science - the Cultural Revolution had been a ten-year hiatus in their own technology.H... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Spiritual Insights What makes your life alive?: 4 of 52
What constitutes an exciting life?The word exciting already refers to something that doesn't necessarily happen as a daily event. It is a surprise, an oddity, an infrequent event, and yet because it is an adjective to "life" it applies more often than not.That's a tough definition, for if you happen to experience freak of wea... More..
Sciences > Psychology Beyond IQ test ways to determining intelligence: 1 of 13
The Intelligence Quotient (IQ) does not measure intelligence it measures the ability of a small part of one's brain to solve puzzles.Furthermore, since intelligence is circular the more knowledgeable you are in one subject the closer you are to being an idiot in others (the idiot savant) the IQ is helpless to measure where yo... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Social Values & Norms Do individuals have a greater obligation to themselves or society?: 1 of 13
This article is written using a male as the prime example. Feel free to substitute her' for every him' and she' for every he'. The concepts apply equally well to women as to men.A person's obligations are entirely to himself.Doesn't that sound selfish?In reality, it is not because the person lives within a society and his lif... More..