The Latest Stories from Walter Rhein

It’s absurd that our police receive more funding than the Russian military — Everybody used to tell me I was crazy for living in Peru. “It’s so dangerous down there!” they’d say. “Aren’t you afraid? You might be kidnapped or even killed!” I did lose my wallet to a pickpocket on one occasion. I had fifty dollars in it, a credit card, and…

How maturity and evolving social perceptions can change your impression of a novel — I just finished rewatching the 1973 version of The Three Musketeers with my kids. That, along with its sequel, The Four Musketeers, has long been among my favorite films. The 1973 version stands out for being one of the most faithful adaptations of the book. It also features Oliver Reed…

Clear the way of obstacles so that fortune might show you its favor. — As my wife headed out the door on Wednesday, I noticed that she looked sad. She lacked the usual spring in her step. There was no sign of the typical twinkle in her eyes. “Are you okay?” I asked. “I’m just tired, Wednesday always makes me tired,” she said. I…

A review of ‘Sonder: Janie’s Story’ by Maureen Morrisey — I was in the middle of a nap when my phone buzzed indicating the arrival of Sonder: Janie’s Story by Maureen Morrissey. That gave me a good excuse not to get out of bed. I needed that excuse because I’m having a low energy day (but, in fairness, I probably…

It’s easier to believe a sanitized version of history, but that only sets your children up for enduring future abuse — I woke up this morning to an almost 800 word comment on my article 5 Facts That Expose Thomas Jefferson’s Horrific Abuse of Sally Hemings. I didn’t read it. I could tell that it was one of those long-winded, bullying, and entitled lectures that I get almost every day. There’s…

The party of “family values” memorializes an assassin who murdered a father — Scrolling through the comments on my articles, I often make discoveries as to just how racist the United States of America truly is. There are people in this country who are not just racist, they are sick. There’s something wrong with them. …

There’s a reason it’s called a grammar “Nazi” — Yeah, I know, bad grammar annoys me too. It seems like every day I scroll by a hundred memes that misuse “it’s, their, or you’re.” People sprinkle around apostrophes like they’re decorating donuts. “Apostrophes are like chocolate chips, you can’t have too many!” Possessives, plurals, and contractions are the stumbling…

Imagine if you could turn that powerful mental energy to your benefit — Don’t mistake me for being flippant. Depression is a serious issue. I know it’s a serious issue. But I want to talk about depression in a new way because nothing I’ve read about it up until now has been very helpful. Let’s consider depression from another angle. Perhaps it would…

In a bleak world, it’s nice to see some color every now and then — I grew up reading the comic section of the newspaper. Even then, many artists complained about how the comic section was constantly shrinking. Today, my kids have never even seen a daily newspaper. But I distinctly remember reading the comics every morning. There were maybe twenty or so strips. The…