Why drills and training actually save lives
It is easy to roll your eyes at another fire drill. The alarm goes off, you file outside, you stand around, you go back in. What is the point? Ask the…
Author: Rick Good
Rick Good publishes The Smart Reader, a practical general-interest article library from SGME Software, LLC.
NATIONAL SAFETY MONTH Safety is a team sport
Nobody knows the hazards of your job better than the people doing it every day. That is why shared responsibility is one of the most powerful tools in…
The Midwestern millionaire: The guy next door plans his moves
You probably know someone like this. They are not flashy. They pack a lunch. They wait for fruit to go on sale. When their kids ask to stop for fast food,…
What parents (and grandparents) need to know about child tax credits in 2026
If you have children in your household, two federal tax credits could put real money back in your pocket, and both have changed enough in 2026 to be worth…
The SALT deduction: a bigger break for homeowners
If you pay significant state income taxes or property taxes, a change in federal tax law probably made you plenty happy with 2025 taxes and your luck will…
The Patron Saint of Wi-Fi
The Catholic Church officially has a millennial saint. Carlo Acutis, canonized by Pope Leo XIV in September 2025, is believed to be the first saint born…
Couch Potato turns 50 in 2026
“Couch potato” was coined on July 15, 1976, when Tom Iacino, a member of the tongue-in-cheek California group the Boob Tubers, called his friend,…
Colin Jost versus the bobsled
Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost, reporting from the 2026 Winter Olympics for NBC, agreed to ride in a bobsled. It did not go well. “I thought my back was…
Ben Franklin missed the Declaration because of gout
Benjamin Franklin was appointed to the Committee of Five tasked with drafting the Declaration of Independence in June 1776. He barely participated. Laid…
The Declaration’s missing 168 words
In June 1776, Thomas Jefferson included a fiery 168-word passage in his draft of the Declaration of Independence that condemned slavery as “piratical…