An Introduction

     Welcome to Big Meaning! My name is John Dowd, and this is a collection of my adventures, and the articles I have written. I hope you enjoy, and possibly find a deeper meaning in life after you read some of them, and possibly get a chance to see more of the world, and if you have a story you want told, go ahead and email me here.

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American Craftsman: The old Gunsmith

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     There certainly is something to be said of the unassuming; the people whom you would never expect something from, and there are few who personify this more than a Chicago born Italian named Dan Cooper. Standing just over 5’3’’ with a lazy eye and in his 70s, Dan appears of humble stature but lives a life on many fronts. Through his worn hands one can see that Dan is, at heart a true craftsman, and a master in his trade.      In 1966 Dan was drafted into the military and was to go to Vietnam. He wanted to go but says that God had other plans. Because of his eye he was sent home, much to his dissatisfaction. His father had been in the military, and he was eager to serve his country. Dan found another life in construction, and anything he could do with his hands, and though he never went into the military he followed his passion of guns and gunwork. He and his family moved from Chicago in 1975, to Boaz, Alabama to escape from the crim...
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Gone in an Hour: The Tornado in Jacksonville

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     Last night, at around 8:45 pm, Jacksonville State University, and the surrounding apartments, and houses, were hit by a massive tornado. Ranging at least an F3, possibly an F4 on the Fujita scale, many were lucky to survive. As of yet, only two major injuries, and no deaths, have been reported and confirmed. The devastation started near the Jacksonville Dollar General, north west of the campus, and ended among the houses to the north east of the campus. At the moment the scale of the total damage is still yet unknown, as brave men and women, both city employees and volunteers, search among the wreckage.      Buildings effected include: Numerous homes sustaining a wide variety of damage. Apartments “Gamecock Village” and “The Reserve” sustaining some of the heaviest damage, being declared unsafe to enter by former residents. One Jacksonville City police officer who was on scene late last night described how he assisted personally wit...
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American Craftsman: Carving a Wave

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      As soon as the ancient Polynesians hopped on to pieces of driftwood and rode them into shore, man became fascinated with the art of surfing. Not long after that they started carving that wood, and later numerous other mediums, into something that could tame those waves. Humans began to explore the spiritual connection they have to the waves. Thousands of cultures, including that of the native Hawaiians, even based much of their deeply ingrained cosmology on surfing. As time went on man mastered the creation of those things we call surf boards. It has been many decades since those past Hawaiians passed that trade onto the rest of the world, and the world has taken the hobby by storm. Today there are over twenty-three million people who consider themselves avid surfers, and many more boards that are being sold every year. Surfing has become a major industry and has spread far from those sandy Hawaiian shores to the farthest reaches of the earth, inc...
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