Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
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
Some Thoughts on Our Education System.
I’ve previously mentioned I’ve been a high school aide for a new Middle Eastern student for two days this week. I tried to help him as much as I could, including taking notes for him in addition to pushing his wheelchair. One thing I noticed was he was frequently asking me “Is this right? Is
Which is Better: Lord of the Flies or The Hunger Games?
Having been a substitute teacher for nine-plus years now, I’m reasonably familiar with the curriculum in many subjects, especially English. Two of the books studied every year are To Kill a Mockingbird (as close as anyone has come to The Great American Novel) and Lord of the Flies. Yesterday I learned there has been a
What is National Identity Anymore?
One of the reasons I was really looking forward to my recent trip to Germany was to absorb some of the unique culture. Maybe get some authentic German food like sauerbraten. While I did find some German food, on the whole I was disappointed. Most of what I ate could’ve been found in any major
Respect the Classics: Phantom of the Opera
I have seen two stage productions of The Phantom of the Opera (and there have been at least four). As a result, I became curious about the original novel by Gaston Leroux. So during my recent trip to Germany I downloaded it to my Kindle and read it during the long plane rides. Of
Dental Giants
Next to dinosaurs, the saber-tooth tigers are the probably the most interesting prehistoric creatures. I found some facts about them in the October 2015 issue of Smithsonian magazine. Young tigers grew their trademark fangs at the rate of six millimeters a month, almost twice as fast as human fignernails. But it still took at least
The Political Impact of Watergate
During a recent trip I read Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate by Bob Woodward, the reporter who was instrumental in investigating the original Watergate scandal under President Nixon. This book analyzes the impact of that scandal on Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Clinton. Of course, we should demand the
Some Thoughts About Berlin
Did anyone miss me? I have been traveling for two weeks — to Berlin, Germany to run a marathon and on the Los Angeles for a Disneyana Fan Club special event. I didn’t mention this beforehand because I don’t like to publicize my travel plans. I’m going to share most of my travel stories on
Thank You, Bewildering Stories
The nice people at BewilderingStories.com have included my story “One Last Chance” in their 2015 Third Quarterly Review. It’s included in the “Order of the Hot Potato” which I consider an honor and means discussions are welcome. http://www.bewilderingstories.com/anthol…/625-636_antho.html