Newspaper columnist, author, blogger, cabinetmaker, home inspector, and Certified Old Guy Stephen Elder holds forth on a wide range of topics: education in America, worries about English, rants on Congress, why young women talk funny, myth correction, and string theory.Elder calls 'em as he sees 'em. Written under the influence (i.e. of Mark Twain and Dave Barry with an occasional dark detour into Ambrose Bierce), there is plenty of food for thought. Though his dry wit may be an acquired taste, it is also addictive.One critic has praised Elder's essays as "full of enlightened observations" about the past, the present, and the future. Another has maligned them as "suppurating with snarkiness, but sometimes justifiably so." The author recommends that you show initiative. Buy a copy and judge for yourself.