Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
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
Mysteries of a Virus
With all the debate and turmoil over COVID-19, there is one thing we all can agree on: the virus isn’t cooperating. Worse, the virus is deliberately making things as difficult as it can. It’s not behaving in predictable ways. It has kept us off-guard throughout the entire pandemic. I was made aware of all the
My Olympic Moment — Finish of the Men’s Marathon
As the barricades came down and traffic was restored, Ken, Ellen and I said goodbye to the mile chief. We were off to the nine-mile mark, at the point where the course came back to follow the beach along Ocean Avenue. It was only about a mile and a half away. When we got there,
My Olympic Moment — The Start of the Men’s Marathon
The women’s marathon had been new territory. We all had been tentative and unsure. But the men’s marathon would be different. Everyone knew exactly what to expect. Also, we would be wide awake. The plan was about the same, only we allowed an extra hour for traffic. We shouldn’t have worried; we arrived at the
My Olympic Moment — Finish of the Women’s Marathon
Almost immediately, a truck appeared to begin collecting barricades. Traffic was flowing freely again within five minutes. Workmen appeared to reset gates and take down decorations. They would be needed again next Sunday for the Men’s Marathon. The marshals gathered for a round of self-congratulations and to wait for transportation back to the RAND Corporation.