Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
Another View of Immigration
I recently ran across a more positive way to look at immigration. Viewing this from the perspective of the individuals who are making the journey, many are girls and young women who are vulnerable to exploitation along the way. But there is an organization that’s trying to protect them. The Tahirih Justice Center, named after
Top Four Questions About Tornadoes
Spring is always a bad time for tornadoes in the Midwest. I remember the devastating storm that hit Xenia, Ohio in the 1970s. Which is why a feature in the May 19th edition of EarthSky News caught my eye. I’m copying the basic information here. The complete article can be found at http://earthsky.org/earth/4-basic-questions-about-tornadoes? The photo
Admirable Poems
Occasionally I post some original poetry. I don’t write as much poetry as I once did, but I’m interested enough to subscribe to a “Poem of the Day” from The Poetry Foundation. I’ll admit I’m something of a purist; poetry to me should rhyme, and a lot of what I see today is the freest
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