Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
Casualty Notification From The Inside
Listening to the media coverage of the Iraq withdrawal, one of the most heartbreaking stories was the interview with the widow of the last servicemember killed. This had an special impact on me because twice in my military career, I had to tell families that they’d lost a loved one. When a death or injury
Could You Live To Be 150?
What is the upper limit of human lifespan? At one time, reaching the age of 100 was considered to be a remarkable achievement. Yet by 2050, the United Nations estimates there could be as many as 3.7 million centenarians in the world, a major increase from just under 600,000 today. (I hope I’m included; I would be
More Evidence of Political Polarization
Do you need more evidence of how polarized the country is? I have just read that political works currently hold the top spots on the New York Times best-seller list of hardcover nonfiction books. At the very top is American Marxism by the Fox News host Mark Levin. According to the description on Amazon.com, “In American
Back to School in 2021
Although yesterday was the first day of school, I wasn’t quite ready for my summer to end. But when I saw a friend in community-based learning was going to be out today, it was “Uh-oh, I’d better take this.” Things are closer to what passes for normal this year. We’re back to seven periods a
Which Game Are You Playing?
It’s fun to play games, and much of that fun can come from winning. If it’s a simple game, like checkers, it’s easy to keep score. For every checker you capture, your opponent loses one. Simple! This straight-forward approach is called a zero-sum game: “an advantage that is won by one of two sides is
Moving Toward a Synthetic Brain
There’s a lot about our brains we don’t understand, but one fact is for sure — our grey matter is very efficient. According to an article on the Live Science website, the human brain can run all day on just the energy in two bananas. Wouldn’t it be great if our computers were that efficient? There just
Time To Hug Your… Rice?
Of all the adaptations forced on us by the pandemic, I’ve found one that really takes the cake… er, prize. Perhaps the worst part of the pandemic is the cutoff from human contact. From routine family visits to special events like weddings and graduations, we haven’t been able to get together. The worst is when
Book Review — “On The House” by John Boehner
You may remember John Boehner as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015. His political resume also includes being the Representative for Ohio’s 8th congressional district from 1991 to 2015, the House Minority Leader from 2007 until 2011, and House Majority Leader from 2006 until 2007. During his time in government service, Boehner was more
An Unlikely Savior
When you think of those who can save the human race, who do you put on the list? Superman, the X-Men, the Avengers, oysters… Oysters? Actually, these humble bivalves are now being recognized as an important part of the ecosystem. We know sea levels are rising, and sea coasts must either adapt or drown. Enter
Did You Hear About The New Memorial?
Occasionally you see something that causes you to sit up and take notice. Today (August 3, 2021) the Army’s Fort Benning, GA is dedicating a memorial to the memory of Felix Hall. A war hero? Sort of. Felix Hall was a 19-year-old soldier who was lynched on the fort’s grounds. He was an African-American who