You are a fifth-grade girl who comes home from school to find a doll on your front porch. The doll looks like you, is dressed like you, and there is something about the eyes. Who left it? Why is it here? And what makes this doll so special?
Jim Jenkins is an ace detective who solves the most difficult crimes. Yet he always works alone. Or does he?
Learning how to wiggle your ears is really hard. But you can do it if you keep trying. And if you learn to keep trying, no problem is too big. So if you can wiggle your ears, you can do anything!
Do you have a dog? Then you might be interested in a Yale University study that has shown that dogs are so smart, they will ignore your bad directions. In the study, a treat was placed inside a puzzle. Solving the puzzle involved one step — lifting the lid — but the researchers added one
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted an original short story. This was published on the Bewildering Stories website in issue #635 (http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue635/last_chance.html) It does contain a bit of adult language. One Last Chance Jake had been in nicer hospitals than this. His mother had passed away in a new facility, big and
This piece combines two of my favorite interests — the English language and Disney. In 1950, Disney produced a Goofy cartoon entitled Motor Mania, in which a mild-mannered “Mr. Walker” transforms into a manic “Mr. Wheeler” every time he gets behind the wheel of his car. (There are multiple uploads on YouTube.) It’s a great
Every so often I see a questions that brings me up short. For example, we need words to talk, but why do we need words to think? Durham University psychologist Charles Fernyhough has been studying this. Fernyhough thinks approximately 20 to 25 percent of our waking time is spent with language directed at ourselves. Why?
What is it like to be caught between two cultures, not completely identifying with either and not completely being accepted by either? I’ve met people who are the offspring of mixed-race marriages, but two distinct cultures? If you’re wondering, too, one insight into a European-Middle Eastern dichotomy is a published series of comic strips entitled
The fatal shooting of an unarmed black man in Tulsa, Oklahoma on September 30th and the resultant community reaction triggered a historical flashback for me. There are many events that get forgotten in the shadows of history, many of them intentionally. This is one such event (I just read about it a few years ago),
I’ve noticed two things about this presidential election I’ve never seen before. First, so few people have yard signs or expressions of support for a candidate. Second, there is a very unusual yard sign in my neighborhood. The American flag serves as the background, but the the top line simply says “Civilize It”. The fine
I’ve been reading about the recently released movie Sully about how Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and his crew landed that Airbus A320 full of passengers on the Hudson River after their engines were disabled by a flock of geese. It’s always nice to see a story with a happy ending. I’m proud that Captain Sullenberger
I have an interest in poetry, but usually don’t understand much of what’s considered good contemporary verse. I’ve just found an exception. The September 23, 2016 edition of The Writers’ Almanac published a poem that I think is very thought-provoking about the definition of feminism, and I’m copying it here. Clara: In the Post
During this political silly season, it’s easy to think this country is in serious trouble, that we’re not great anymore, that we have serious problems, especially with crime and race relations. Well, I lived through the 1960s and 1970s, which means I saw firsthand the civil rights struggles and the Vietnam protests, and anecdotally I
