Sunday Newscape Magazine

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction. -  E. F. Schumacker

Dozens of cell phone services. Hundreds of TV channels. Thousands of products. Millions of opinions. Life today is as complex as the Internal Revenue Service tax code. And tomorrow promises to make today look like child's play. Don't you just want to grab your sleeping bag and escape to the hills?

Recently I witnessed something truly amazing while observing nature at work and I came up with a great metaphor for all of us to live by.

Many of you who read my columns know that I have an office in the basement of my home. On this day I saw a little spider web off to my right. This was not just any spider web, this one was moving! As I approached I observed a large beetle shaking wildly as his leg was stuck in this little web.

As a Vietnam War era veteran, I received most of my higher education using the (”old”) G.I. Bill - with extensions - and with the help of other military educational programs and assistance.

So, on Monday, I was delighted to hear President Obama welcome the extension of GI Bill education benefits to our post-9/11 veterans with these words:

I can tell the people who have been through their own personal hell. They are the ones who don't criticize, offer unsolicited advice, or judge those who suddenly find their own world ripped apart. You see, you can't know how you will behave when your life is suddenly turned upside down. Your actions may be completely out of character, you may do things you once swore you would never do.

Cambridge, Massachusets - The first results are in from the Kepler orbiting observatory, the world's most powerful planet-searching telescope, and according to MIT planetary scientist Sara Seager they show that the instrument should have no trouble detecting "alien Earths" -- planets that are about the size of our own.