Alva Review-Courier -

The news articles are rich with the stories of electric vehicles – those with familiar names such as Tesla, and startups like Lucid and Lordstown. Do we need more brands? It was General Motors that...

Hearing the rooster crow to start the morning was common in the early days. Chickens were a main course in many homes when I was growing up and many Alvans raised their own in backyard pens. I’m...

One of the world’s favorite billionaires, Richard Branson, recently returned from space. During his suborbital flight, pilots, along with their other responsibilities, had to be aware of space...

Earth is spinning ever closer to climate change. Whether we agree that human influence is a contributing factor or not, time is of the essence to prepare for the inevitable: global warming. The world...

A two-page spread in Time Magazine shows a huge wafer, the size of a 12-inch pizza, soon to be cut into an assortment of chips. Not corn or potato but silicon. Each of them is specific to a product....

Resting in the corner of our guest house is an old hoe that my mother used for over 50 years. I guess she didn’t do much leaning on it as it has the original worn and weathered handle. Its blade,...

Alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of death in this country. “Alcohol was involved” has been a universal excuse for bad decisions since before Beowulf. Edward Slingerland, in the Wall...

Scientific dating places the production of alcohol, which originated in China in 7000 B.C., when farmers were concocting a brew of rice, grapes, hawthorn berries, and honey in clay jars. Sipping rice...

America is entering a new wave of vehicle manufacturing. While we are familiar with the “Big Three” – General Motors, Ford and Stellantis (Dodge, Ram, Jeep) – a whole slew of newcomers are...

The flu season was mild this year. Could it be related to widespread mask-wearing, social distancing, reduced social contact, or a higher-than-normal flu vaccination rate? The answer is all of the...

Light amplification by stimulation of electromagnetic radiation. My first exposure to lasers, no play on words, was the laser pointer for the classroom. Consumer laser tools have replaced contractor...

Conspiracy is defined as “Two or more people plotting in secret to gain an immoral/illegal advantage over someone else,” Conspiracies are everywhere and have been a part of the human experience...

You may remember Cabbage Patch Kids, My Little Ponies, and the ubiquitous Beanie Babies. According to their ads, “Squishmallows plush toys are here to fill your hearts with love and affection....

Shorts have become a year-round fashion trend but pants are the preferred Winter wear for most. Trousers are available in flannel, wool, corduroy, chino and, the perennial favorite, jeans. When it...

One of the most famous monuments in Washington, D.C. is the tomb of the unknown soldier. It will be good to review how this memorial came to be and why it carries such significance in the history of...

What sound should an electric car make? Hybrids have an onboard gas engine that idles and revs but plug-in electrics, the wave of the future, lack internal combustion and are eerily silent. Now that...

Bartering has gone on for millennia and it is even more fascinating today as the internet furnishes values for almost any item you can name. The late Lee Haley said, “Do your homework.” It is...

“Who loves you Oklahoma,” and my favorite, “We won’t mess you over a few dollars,” are advertising slogans that catch your attention. Discovering what works and what doesn’t is the job of...

After a 29-year career teaching science in the public schools, I had come to terms with the Creation vs. Science dilemma and when Covid-19 struck, I was convinced that it would be “Science to the...

The manufacturing strength of a country was once measured in its use of sulfuric acid. The measure today is in lithium. Increasing in use as the core ingredient in rechargeable batteries, it is found...

It would seem obvious that due to Covid there would be more bankruptcies in 2020 than the year before. The American Bankruptcy Institute claims there were 35% fewer. Was it stimulus money or the...

Social security is a subject that always ends with thoughts about when it will run out. That time has come. Starting this year, the costs will exceed the income. It’s a fairly simple program of...

Tax season was extended last year due to the pandemic and the deadline postponed. If you waited on a refund, it may not have come until November but this year things are back on schedule. There are...

When you watch network television, and thanks to Covid and weather, we’re watching a lot more, you know it is fueled by commercials. Love them or hate them, they make it all possible with the Super...

Beer choices were once limited to Budweiser, Coors, Miller and Pabst Blue Ribbon. That’s what you found on the shelf at convenience stores 50 years ago. Now we have all sorts of craft beers but...