Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
Language Families and Japanese
Did you know languages can be grouped into “families”? For example, English is a Germanic language, and the Romance Family includes Latin and all its derivatives, including Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian. I was thinking about this during my recent trip to Japan. To a Westerner like me, the writing systems in Asia all look
An Original Poem — Home Repairs
Home Repairs I have a dead-bolt lock that sticks. It doesn’t want to open from the outside. So I squirted oil into the keyhole from the outside. That made it worst. I squirted oil into the keyhole from the inside. No change. I squirted oil into every crack and
Checking the Politicians
I hope you’re not as tired as politics as I am. Our system is so long and drawn out, I’m already wishing the election was over. But this is the system the Founding Fathers gave us, so we’d all better pay attention, because we’re going to need the best possible leadership in the years ahead.
The Snow Monkeys of Nagano
During a recent trip to Japan, I got to visit a colony of snow monkeys which live in a national park in the Nagano area. Their species name is actually the Japanese macaque, and their range is through much of Japan. I was expecting white fur, but they actually have light brown fur; the name comes
Are You Satisfied With Our Calendar?
This may come as a shock, but not everyone is satisfied with our current calendar. We presently use the Gregorian Calendar, which was first established in 1582. But everyone is familiar with its quirks, like months with either 28, 30, or 31 days. What if it there were no leap years, holidays fell on the day day
When Clothing and Biology Meet
Would you wear a garment that was alive? You may get a chance. According to the March 2016 issue of Smithsonian magazine (page 18), MIT Media Lab researchers have found a way to incorporate live bacteria into a synthetic fabric. They’ve chosen a bacteria that quickly changes shape in response to moisture. With such a
Thank You, Tokyo — 2016 Tokyo Marathon
My running strategy can best be described as Hope over Experience, and in Tokyo on February 28, Hope lost again. (It’s never won; I guess I have a very shallow learning curve.) Tokyo is one of six major marathons, the others being Chicago, New York, Boston, Berlin and London. In September, 2015, I’d gone with Marathon
The Magic of Disneyland
I thought this would be a good time to share some Disneyland memories. This piece was originally published on LaughingPlace.com on June 10, 2004. The photo is from Google Images. The Magic of Disneyland We all know Disneyland is a magical place. That’s especially true for those of us who live on the opposite side
The Correct Response to a Sneeze
What is your favorite response to a sneeze? Many reflexively say “Gesundheit” without even knowing what this word means. According to An Uncommon History of Common Things (National Geographic, 2009, p 73), this is German for “healthiness” or “good health”. (It can also be used as a drinking salute.) Many other cultures have their own
Woman Pioneer — Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell
This month, February 3rd to be exact, marks the anniversary of the first woman to graduate from medical school. Her name was Elizabeth Blackwell, and she was born in Bristol, England in 1821. Dr. Blackwell wrote in her book Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women (1895) that she was initially repelled by the