Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
A Poem For What Is Coming — Collateral Damage
Yes, it’s a bit early to think about winter. But then again, it will be here before you know it. Collateral Damage Once they were strong, solid, dependable, upright. Now they are angled in different crazy directions. Some can barely stand. Here’s one almost on the ground. They are mailboxes
European Day of Languages
September 26th was the European Day of Languages, an event this country would never think to have. But in Europe it’s an annual event which started in 2001. According to The Writer’s Almanac, it s purpose is “to celebrate human language, encourage language learning, and bring attention to the importance of being multilingual in a
A Halloween Story
During a recent trip to Los Angeles, I had stayed for three nights at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. It was an older hotel, but nice, and conveniently located on Hollywood Boulevard. Everything was fine until the van ride to the airport Sunday night, when the van driver casually asked if I’d seen any ghosts. Excuse
Why More Women Aren’t Scientists
While I was out running today, I was listening to NPR and I happened to catch an interview with Eileen Pollack, author of The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science is Still a Boy’s Club. The author grew up in the 1960s and ’70s dreaming of a career as a theoretical astrophysicist. Although she got
Some Thoughts About Helen Keller
Every once in a while, something piques your curiosity. I saw the stage play The Miracle Worker at Wright State University in September 2012. It was billed as the true story of Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan. Personally I can’t imagine navigating the world without sight or hearing, and I know certain compromises/adjustments
The Truth About State Flowers
What is you state flower? Ours in Ohio is the scarlet carnation. But maybe the more pertinent question is where did your state flower come from? I just ran across an article entitled “State Flowers’ Dirty Little Secret” in the October 19, 2015 issue of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly. Most states choose native species
For the Advancement of Science
On September 20, 1848, the American Association for the Advancement of Science was founded in Philadelphia. (http://www.aaas.org/) Its purpose was to “procure for the labors of scientific men increased facilities and a wider usefulness.” This was actually a new concept, the term “scientist” having been used in England for the first time in 1833. Of course,
The Story of Otto Weidt
When we think of the Holocaust, we tend to focus on the number dead. But there were a surprising number of resisters. They were brave individuals who normally get forgotten by the history books. It’s our duty to make sure they’re remembered. I’m sure you’ve heard of Oskar Schlindler and Raoul Wallenberg. Their cases have been
Can Dishwashing Improve Mental Health?
I receive a daily email from the publishers of Time magazine, and this article caught my eye. It reports on a new study that claims dishwashing can improve mental health by lowering stress levels… if done “mindfully”. According to the report — In the study, researchers at Florida State University had 51 students wash
The Medical Difference Between Men and Women
I’m not a health-care professional, but in trying to keep up with what’s happening in the world, I’m running across more and more evidence that men and women are physiologically more different than anyone realizes. The latest evidence is a TED talk by Dr. Alyson McGregor, who explains how women have been at a disadvantage