Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
Free Speech and Higher Education
I’m a poor choice to write on the implications of free speech at colleges and universities. Both my undergraduate and graduate degrees were earned at military schools, and I didn’t get onto a “real” college campus until age 57, when I retrained for my teaching license. But I do know that colleges have become coveted
On Kitchen Gadgets
Have you ever heard of the Miracle Slicer? I thought it was great until it took a chunk out of a little finger (anyone for red cucumbers?). Cooking the right way is hard and it seems like there are so many gadgets marketed to make it easier. But if you’re like me, all they do
The Importance of Piano Lessons
I never took piano lessons; my instrument was a tenor saxophone. But I know music lessons are an important part of growing up — at the least it’s a sneaky way to teach kids math, especially fractions. My opinion has been reinforced by a new study, involving Mandarin-speaking Chinese kindergarteners, that claims the piano can
Documenting Children and War
Keeping up with the news can be sobering, even depressing, especially when children are involved. But every once in a while, a story grabs your attention like a slap across the face. Like tonight. I don’t know how many watch PBS’s “News Hour” ( https://www.pbs.org/newshour/ ), but a story late in tonight’s broadcast really brought home
Why Many Civil War Monuments Look The Same
In these polarized times, I try to avoid controversy. But the history nerd in me demands I write about this. With all the conflict about removing Civil War monuments, has anyone realized many of them look alike? North or South doesn’t even matter, a similarity runs through the entire country. And yes, there is a
Why We Procrastinate
Do you ever have a list of jobs to do and find yourself doing the less-important ones first? I know I do. So I was relieved to read there is a scientific explanation — the urgency effect. According to the article “Why Your Brain Tricks You Into Doing Less Important Tasks” by Tim Herrera, “Our
Endangered Species — The Middle Child
If my occasionally reliable memory is correct, there was a “Simpsons” episode in which a family crisis caused Lisa’s birthday to be forgotten. She ended up celebrating by herself: “Happy birthday, overlooked middle child….” I was reminded of that by an article, “The Extinction of the Middle Child: They’re becoming an American rarity, just when
Trying Not To Be A Surplus Human
Automated check-outs. Self-driving vehicles. And those are only the obvious jobs being automated. Lots of people’s livelihoods are in jeopardy, so many that I’ve discovered a new term — surplus human. “Are You a ‘Surplus Human’? These Are the Jobs Robots Are Coming After Next” by Alissa Quart is an article that explores this in
Presidents and the Supreme Court
Today we tiptoe into the minefield of politics. Recently much has been made about presidential appointments to the Supreme Court, and with good reason. Our highest court has the final say on what the law of the land actually means. Within a year and a half of taking office, President Trump gets to appoint two
Be Like Eisenhower
Dwight Eisenhower was a five-star general and 34th President of the United States. He helped win, then stop, hot wars (World War II and Korea), and navigated the country through eight years of the Cold War. He is also know for his domestic accomplishments, like the Interstate Highway System. One poll I found rates him