Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
How To Get People To Tell The Truth
You may have heard of the legend of Diogenes of Sinope, who supposedly wandered around ancient Greece, carrying a lantern and searching for an honest man ( https://www.ancient.eu/Diogenes_of_Sinope/). And the search continues today. So how do you make sure people are telling you the truth? Science says it simply depends on how you ask the question.
Arranged Marriage as a Game
It’s always interesting to watch what happens when cultures combine. For example, arranged marriages are common in some parts of the world. If you were from Pakistan and wanted to explain how marriages usually happen, how would you go about it? How about a board game? Nashra Balagamwala was from Pakistan originally and now works
Economic Benefits of Endangered Species
When you read about the Endangered Species Act, it’s usually within two contexts — a specific species that’s recovering, or the economic costs of adhering to the law. So I was a bit surprised to see the headline “The Endangered Species Act Is Criticized for Its Costs. But It Generates More than $1 Trillion a
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