Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
And a Child Shall Lead Them – The Churchill Club of World War II
There are many unusual stories about World War II; I’ve just stumbled across another one. In April 1940, Denmark fell under Nazi domination. It was a time a great frustration for the Danish people, and their options were limited since they were Germany’s neighbor. But while the adults did nothing but curse, there was one
Wild Animals and Cities
We invented cities thousands of years ago, but they have become the focal points of our civilization in only the past 150 or so years. As cities get larger and more complex, how do the animals that normally live in those areas adapt? We’re just getting to the point where animals have had a chance
Life Without Cars
I’ve just learned of a city of 80,000 people that is safe, quiet and full of open space. What’s the secret? They banned cars. The city is Pontevedra in northwest Spain. Its transformation was the brainchild of its mayor since 1999, Miguel Anxo Fernández Lores: “Before I became mayor 14,000 cars passed along this street
Who is Really in Control?
Have you ever pushed a button and wondered if anything really happened? You may be onto something. There are 1000 “Walk” buttons at intersections in New York City, but only about 100 are actually functional. Pushing the “door close” button in an elevator probably doesn’t make the door close any faster. And if you’ve ever
Panhandlers and the Cashless Society
One trend I’m following with great interest is the move toward a cashless society. This would certainly be a significant change with, as usual, many unintended consequences. For example, one of the most common replies to panhandling is “I don’t have change.” Today that might not be just an excuse. So is this cashless trend
Profile In Courage — Percy Dale East
There have been many heroes in the civil rights movement. Recently, I’ve learned of another. Percy Dale (P.D.) East was a white native of Mississippi who developed a refined sense of racial justice while being raised in sawmill camps in the southern part of the state by a blacksmith father and a mother who ran
Another Reminder of the Folly of Limits
In case you haven’t heard, we’ve had another amazing athletic performance. On Sunday, September 16, Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya (of course) set a new marathon record in Berlin — 26.2 miles in 2:01:39. That lowers the men’s record by 78 seconds. That means Kipchoge averaged 4:38 per mile. (For comparison, the world’s record for ONE
Some Thoughts on Teaching
Time magazine’s cover story this week is “The Life of the American Teacher.” (Shown is one of the three cover photos.) Since teaching is my third and current career, this issue got my immediate attention. While I haven’t had time to read it yet, I thought this would be a good opportunity to share my
Secrets of Happiness
You have probably heard of the United Nations’ World Happiness Report and how the Scandinavian countries, especially Denmark, score so well every year. If you’ve ever been curious about how Denmark ranks so highly, and if they have something we should try to copy, I’d like to recommend a podcast that explores this very issue.
A History of Congressional Violence
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” — Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities We think we are living in turbulent political times. Well, we are. But the past has been worse. Much worse. Your high school history books probably mentioned how Senator Charles Sumner was beaten to within