Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
Our World is Being Altered by Earthworms
You don’t have to be big or technologically sophisticated to alter the environment. Recently I ran across a science piece about the impact of earthworms in North American forests. I have always thought earthworms were good — they aerate and enrich the soil. But according to a new study published September 3, 2016 in the
Unsung Role Models — Ruth Shellhorn
If anyone is looking for a female role model, I have a suggestion — Ruth Shellhorn. Ruth Patricia Shellhorn was born in Los Angeles, CA on September 21, 1909, to parents who valued education and encouraged their daughter to develop her interests. So Ruth grew up believing she could enter any field she wanted and,
How Important is Art Education?
When schools have budget shortfalls, one of the first programs to be cut is art. Granted, art is not as critical as reading at grade level, but it still is important. How important? A struggling school in a tough neighborhood of Bridgeport, Connecticut credits music, dance and painting for a significant academic improvement. Not that
The Ins and Outs of Donation Bins
You’ve seen them in parking lots — donation bins. It’s a great way to dispose of old clothes. Especially with the holidays coming up, it’s also a good way to donate to charity. Or is it? The BBB Wise Giving Alliance, an organization that rates charities (http://www.give.org/), has some useful information in the cover story
Football and Justice
I know crazy things can happen during football season, but this study really surprised me — Two economists at Louisiana State University (LSU) have analyzed juvenile court decisions made between 1996 and 2012. They found that for judges who attended LSU as undergraduates, a football loss led to disproportionately stiffer sentences. If the loss was
Happy Birthday, Tarzan
A belated birthday greeting to Tarzan, who debuted on August 27, 1912 in the pages of All-Story Magazine. The title was Tarzan, King of the Apes, and the story was written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who had failed at a whole list of occupations before he tried writing. His inspiration came from the pulp magazines
Slavery and the Law in the Old South
There are many unusual angles to history. At certain key times, the weather, disease, or a simple personality quirk can make a profound difference in the outcomes of critical events. (Was Robert E. Lee having a heart attack during the Army of Virginia’s invasion of Maryland?) So it’s always fun to explore the niches and
The Shortest Geological Epoch on Record
Have you heard the latest from the world of science? We are entering a new epoch. For some 12,000 years, we have been living in the Holocene era, a stable and relative warm climate that has allowed the present world to develop. But on August 29, a working group of scientists at a meeting of
Half-Peace in Our Time?
Just before World War II, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain talked about “peace in our time.” He was wrong, of course. But maybe now we’re halfway there. August 29, 2016 was the official start of a ceasefire in Colombia between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, better known as the FARC. Thus
A Good-News Story About Refugees
I’ve been reading a book entitled The Greatest War Stories Never Told by Rick Beyer and I came across something worth sharing. In September, 1943, Adolf Hitler ordered Denmark’s Jewish population to be deported to the death camps. The logistics were put in place and more than a thousand German police and Gestapo moved into