A new Pledge of Allegiance — The Pledge of Allegiance. We all know it. Many of us had to recite it in school. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Oh dear! …

Sixty-five years ago — My junior-high P.E. teacher stands before an all-girl class waving a picture of a penis over our heads. On a previous day, she showed us a similar picture of the female apparatus. There’s a lecture that goes along with the picture: Boys have these. Girls have those. It is very…

What a one-time distribution of wealth could do — Wealth inequality has been around since people first began living in groups large enough to allow some to specialize in different kinds of work and others to take advantage of their work. Today, the distribution of wealth in the United States is more unequal than at any time since the…

Our biology aside — I was born in 1943 two months premature — no fingernails or toenails and almost no suck reflex. It would be 17 years before the first neonatal care unit was installed in a hospital. Preemies weren’t necessarily expected to live. The doctor spanked me, shrugged when I choked, handed me…

I knew it! I wrote it! It happened! I wrote an article titled “Trump’s Tearing Up Official Documents May Be His End” back in February. At the time, it was not yet known that he had carted documents off to Mar-a-Lago, so that information is missing from the article. However…

How to detect plagiarism and avoid getting sued (as an editor, you, too, can be sued) — Medium Support defines plagiarism as: “any act of taking the words and/or ideas of others and presenting them as original or without proper acknowledgement or permission. …

Better than having them comment on your submission guide — When someone requests in a comment to be added as a writer to your publication, the only information you usually have about them is their username. All well and good, if this is all you need. Not so well and good, however, if you need more information. Adding a writer…

Shyness is real and often painful, but you can overcome it more easily than you might think — About 40 percent of all the people in the United States are awkward and unsure in social situations. Millions suffer from painful shyness along with loneliness, anxiety, and depression. …