Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
A Special Show Biz Talent — Candy Candido
If you’ve never heard of a performer named Candy Candido, it’s time I filled you in. Candy was born Jonathan Joseph Candido in New Orleans on December 25, 1913, and passed away on May 19, 1999 in Burbank, CA at the age of 85. He is remembered as a radio performer, bass player, vocalist and
Should We Be Eating Bugs Instead of Meat?
On April 20th, I wrote about the challenges of having to feed at least two billion more mouths by 2050 in “A Simple Way to Feed the World.” That way was cutting down on food waste. Here’s another. Granted, any topic dealing with eating bugs is a sure turn-off for most people, but an article
Naming Your Fears
Last time I wrote about the origins of Friday the 13th. This leads to another subject — fears, or phobias. Fear is actually a normal protection, to keep us from doing really dumb things. The Psychology Today website puts it this way — Fear is a vital response to physical and emotional danger—if we didn’t
Happy Friday the 13th
I trust everyone has survived Friday the 13th? I’ve never been very superstitious, but I’ve been wondering how we got to fear this particular day. So I dug out the book An Uncommon History of Common Things (National Geographic, 2009, page 118). As one might suspect, the answer isn’t very straightforward. First, the Friday component.
Some Poems About Life Now Available on Kindle
My poetry book, Some Poems About Life, is now available on Amazon.com in a Kindle edition for only 99 cents! The direct link is: https://www.amazon.com/Some-Poems-About-Life-Actually-ebook/dp/B01FIE2LV8?ie=UTF8&keywords=Bob%20Welbaum&qid=1463085597&ref_=sr_1_3&s=books&sr=1-3, or search “Bob Welbaum” under Books
Growing From Trauma
For the past several years, we’ve heard a lot about post-traumatic stress and how it has ruined many lives, especially service people who have been through combat. But have you ever heard of post-traumatic growth (PTG)? Yes, there is such a thing. Psychologists Richard G. Tedeschi and Lawrence G. Calhoun at the University of North
Happy Birthday, Niccolò Machiavelli
Somehow in this political year it seems fitting to write about Machiavelli, famously the author of The Prince. He was born in Florence, Italy, on May 3, 1469, into one of the prominent merchant families of this city-state. However, the family was not wealthy, and financial worries would dog Niccolo throughout his life. He became
The Most Popular Dog Breeds
Do you have a dog? If so, do you care about its ancestry? Actually, I don’t have any pets, but I do love dogs. So a blurb entitled “King of the Canines” recently caught my eye. It’s in the “Explore” section of the February 2016 National Geographic magazine and it lists the 10 most popular
Some Thoughts For An Approaching Election
I have always tried to avoid discussing politics on the Internet (although sometimes it’s difficult). But in an unusual (not to mention critical) year, I might as well try to make a contribution. To begin with, I am a history nerd and over the decades I have developed an interest in the political landscape. Plus
Humans Aren’t the Only Vaccinators
I suppose everyone knows about vaccination, but what I didn’t realize is that other species can practice a form of vaccination too. In the February 2016 issue of National Geographic, an “Explore Science” entry is entitled “Immunity For Insects”. Apparently vaccinations can also be passed from mother to young. We knew higher animals could do