Articles written by Daniel Sisk

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About me - Daniel Sisk

I was born, raised, and still live in the modest Eastern Washington town of Richland. Unlike the folks on the west side of the Cascade Mountains, we get just enough rain to fatten the sagebrush and cheat grass for fire season. (Not all Washington is "evergreen.")

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Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Shopping at the grocery store: 4 of 49
I've been harboring a terrorist and it's time to come clean. Too many troubling mornings at the breakfast table silently fretting over the scheming and planning. Countless uneasy sidelong glances at meticulous target lists. Numerous sleepless nights tossing and turning over the carnage. The nation, nay world, teeters on the b... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Thoughts on God Is God an invention of man's mind or true being?: 11 of 121
The fact that man exists to invent precludes the invention of God by man. The natural world provides the best evidence. Referred to simply as Nature, the world around us, curiously, has been given a godlike persona even by atheists. We came to this logically after millennia of observing the balance and order imposed on life s... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Politics, News & Issues (Other) Voter apathy and its effect on democracy in the U.S.: 5 of 49
Voter apathy and its impact on democracy and many other things we old dear has cast a dark shadow. We see this as Christmas 2008 recedes into the past. Boxes and wrapping paper lay scattered over the landfills or stuffed into recycle bins. Christmas trees stacked in piles await the mulcher. And like a farewell to an old frien... More..
Travel > Travel Diaries & Adventures (Other) Reflections: It's not the destination, it's the journey: 5 of 43
Big mosquitoes are better than small mosquitoes, my son concluded at our camp outside Custer, S.D. He found it easier to track and swat the larger blood suckers. Logical, but I had hoped for more profound wisdom when our trip began three days before. Imagined as an educational retreat into the heart of our great nation, I exp... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Social Values & Norms Problems with the world today: 10 of 77
While my teenager and I struggled to interest any fish along the Deschutes River one morning, an osprey plunged into the water in front of us and lifted out a 14-inch rainbow squirming in its talons. I looked at Jason, and he at me, and we shook our heads. It seemed a fiberglass fly rod, synthetic fishing line, and a fake gra... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Social Values & Norms What it takes to wake a generation: 6 of 30
I almost died last summer. We had backpacked in several rugged miles from the car, starting out late in the afternoon. We started out in shorts, in the sun, but as we climbed the sky grew darker and the breeze colder. By the time we reached our first campsite, several thousand feed above the trail head, my hands were clubs, f... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Football People love to watch football because...?: 12 of 59
The end of another football season prompts a new tally of my teenage sons' gridiron injuries: bruised ribs, two broken ankles, broken leg, assorted concussions. Financially, besides the insurance deductibles, I count outlays for buckets of Muscle Milk, a dietary supplement for building bulk - and egos - and its corresponding ... More..
Personal Finance > Taxes The lighter side of income taxes: 3 of 12
I recently traveled to the Baltimore area on business. My first experience navigating an eastern turnpike had me thrown into the evening rush hour. The rental car agent warned about the toll for the Harbor Tunnel ("you have to pay for tunnels, too?"), so I had two dollars at the ready. Entering the toll plaza, I veered over t... More..
Sports & Recreation > Recreational & Youth Why parents should set a good example to kids in sports: 6 of 20
School sports are well underway, and I want to see a Hollywood coach. You know, a coach like Gene Hackman in "Hoosiers", Matthew McConaughey in "We are Marshall", or Denzel Washington in "Remember the Titans". These coaches built character, inspired, molded. They were tough but positive, stern but fair. And at half time, afte... More..
Education > Secondary School Issues Sex education in schools: 11 of 32
Sex education finally reared its ugly head, catching me by surprise. Maybe part of me was hoping I'd already told them enough, or maybe I just didn't want to tell them any more. Besides, they're not even thirteen. What's the hurry?Apparently, their school thought it was time, and so they organized an after-school session for ... More..