Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
Revenge of the Goldfish
In my younger years when I was a Boy Scout, my small hometown had a street fair for a weekend one year. Our scout troop, in a moment of temporary insanity, decided to offer a goldfish booth as a fundraiser. I’m sure you’ve seen these somewhere before — toss a Ping-Pong ball at a table
This isn’t our only Age of Acrimony
If you think the current political period is divisive, consider the era following the Civil War. It was a time when some thought our very democracy was broken. The trauma of war was followed by economic and technological disruption, and many turned to extreme partisanship. The result was an increased voter turnout in the closest,
Now The Fish Could Be Addicts
I’ve just run across another unusual way our civilization is affecting the environment. Our prolific drug habits may be addicting fish. According to a recent laboratory study, published July 6th, 2021 in the Journal of Experimental Biology, freshwater fish can get hooked on methamphetamine that washes into the waterways to the point that they actively seek
Another View of the 4th of July
Happy 4th of July Monday, the day my community is celebrating! These celebrations of parades, cookouts and fireworks have become de rigueur for us, but did you know this was all predicted? The day after the Continental Congress passed the Declaration of Independence, founding father and second president John Adams wrote a letter to his
Happy 4th of July!
Happy 4th of July! Again this year, I’m reprising my poem which expresses my thoughts about patriotism. It’s in my book Some Poems About Life, available on this website and Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/Some-Poems-About-Life-Actually-ebook/dp/B01FIE2LV8/ref=sr_1_7?). It’s a 99¢ download for Kindle! The Patriot Jerry is a patriot,he loves his country dear.He waves the flag on July 4th,he makes his
Declared Insane For Speaking Up
Nancy Pelosi needs help fast! There is either something wrong with her “upstairs,” or she just plain doesn’t like our great Country. She had a total meltdown in the White House today. It was very sad to watch. Pray for her, she is a very sick person! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2019
Another Take on Reparations
History always has a way of surprising me. In the turmoil of the Black Lives Matter movement and the widespread revelation of the details of the 1921 Tulsa Riot, one topic that comes up semi-regularly is reparations for the formerly enslaved. No matter what your viewpoint, you may be surprised to learn (as I was)
An Important Veteran Milestone
On June 22, 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, more commonly known as the G.I. Bill of Rights. It was one of the most farsighted accomplishments in our history. The act is most remembered for allowing veterans to go to college and providing job training. But in addition, it
How To Make Your Own Sun
The Italian town of Viganella had a problem — the sun would disappear from November 11th until February 2nd every winter. Normally this only occurs to communities inside the Artic and Antarctic Circles, but Viganella is unique in that respect — it sits at the bottom of a steep, v-shaped valley at the border with
The Only National Historic Landmark Outside the U.S.
The United States has over 2600 National Historic Landmarks. These special properties illustrate our heritage in many forms: buildings, sites, structures, objects, and districts. As one might expect, all are within the borders of the United States. Except one. Go back to 1777 and the earlier days of our Revolutionary War. As European countries debated