Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
The Lighter Side of Death
“Show me your cemeteries, and I will tell you what kind of people you have.” –Benjamin Franklin If you’d like to start the new year in a light-hearted way, today I heard of a cemetery in Key West, Florida that’s famous for funny and quirky epitaphs. There is the oft-quoted “I told You I was
Finding a Way to Un-radicalize Youth
We seem conditioned to read the emotions of people we come in contact with, then respond in kind. If they smile, we smile. Or if they are angry, we get angry. Our reaction usually controls our response, kind of like the dogs in the photo. This is called complementary behavior. It is perfectly natural
History of the New Year’s Eve Ball Drop
It’s become traditional to drop some sort of ball to signal the entrance of the new year. Our tradition of the Times Square, New York ball drop goes back to the early 20th Century. But the basic idea is much older. According to Alexis McCrossen, author of Marking Modern Times: A History of Clocks, Watches,
The Second Great London Fire
I recently ran across a news item that on December 29, 1940, the German Luftwaffe bombed London on the 114th straight night of “The Blitz” during World War II. The results were devastating, setting off what some called the “Second Great London Fire” (the first being in 1666). Almost a third of the city was
The Scottish Rebel in “Hail to the Chief”
When this nation was founded, everything started at zero, including a personal song for the president. George Washington was partial to “Hail, Columbia”, probably because it included the lines “Let Washington’s great name/ring through the world with loud applause”, but that never caught on. Thomas Jefferson tried “Jefferson and Liberty”, but it didn’t survive past
A Muslim Registry? It’s Already Been Tried
During the recent presidential campaign, there was talk of establishing a Muslim Registry as an anti-terrorism tool. Some may be surprised to learn that’s already been tried. On September 10, 2002, the Bush Administration implemented the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), also known as INS Special Registration, to register non-citizens like students, workers, and
Do Clothes Really Make the Man?
When I was in high school, I remember reading a short story entitled “Clothes Make the Man” by Henri Duvernois. (It can be found at http://www.valorchristian.org/devnet/data/databases/valorteachweb_01/widgets/class_resource_documents/00/00/01/65/pdf/original.pdf .) The story relates how a gang of thieves is burglarizing a house, and they put their muscle man in a policeman’s uniform to patrol the sidewalk so as
What Else is Christmas Famous For?
I hope everyone had a joyous Christmas. Of course, life goes on during a holiday season, and I started wondering what else has happened at Christmas throughout history. Here are seven noteworthy events. Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne “emperor of the Romans” during a ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica (800). This event restored the Western
Is It Christmas?
I can’t resist bring this up again this year. The fun part of the internet is when the creative meets the whimsical. An excellent example is the website “Is it Christmas?” at https://isitchristmas.com/. I’ve known about this site for several years now, and it is still active. Be sure to check it tomorrow (although you
Memorializing the Unthinkable
One of the most profound parts of my visit to Berlin in September, 2015 was seeing the “Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe”. At first glance it seems like a great expanse of concrete blocks. But start walking, and the smaller blocks on the periphery become larger and larger as you find yourself descending