Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
Animals and Their Personalities
Any pet owner can tell you that animals have personalities. Now there’s a book that takes this one step further. Mousy Cats and Sheepish Coyotes: The Science of Animal Personalities is by John Shivik, a wildlife expert in the development, testing, and application of non-lethal techniques for predator management. This project traces back to when
Can Your Dog Help You Live Longer?
We all know there can be a special bond between dog owners and their pets. But can there be health benefits, too? A study from Sweden, published November 7, 2017 in the journal Scientific Reports, suggests a correlation between dog ownership and a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and other causes. Research like this
The Language of Songbirds and Us
Remember the song “Let’s All Sing Like the Birdies Sing”? There may be some truth to it. Could there be a link between human speech and music, and birdsongs? Is there a connecting biological process? Recently published research provides evidence that there is a common hardwiring in how songbirds and humans produce and understand sounds.
Original Poetry — Communication
Here’s a quick poem while I try to think of something better to write about. The Art of Communication We don‘t always say what we mean and language is our co-conspirator. “It’s all good” usually isn’t. “Yeah, right” is usually wrong. A double negative is positive. “I’m okay” means you’re not. “Nothing’s wrong” is
Celebrating Failure
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. ” — Sir Winston Churchill Do you remember the Sony Betamax? (I still have one.) How about coffee-flavored Coca-Cola? These are obvious failures most people would like to forget. But according to an article in the December 2017 issue
Original Story — Thanks, Santa
Since this is now officially the Christmas season, I’m repeating my Santa Claus story as my holiday contribution — Thanks, Santa I guess I shouldn’t complain. I live in a nice house on a street with nice houses. I think our house is the nicest, two stories with a pool in back and a
How To Sell A Car
Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be car salesmen. Okay, that’s not how the original song lyrics went. But that’s what I thought of while listening to a podcast from National Public Radio’s This American Life. This episode is entitled “129 Cars” and originally aired December 13, 2013; it was recently rebroadcast. “We
Honoring Childhood Victims Of Cancer
In 2009, Rik Zortman lost his three-year-old son Armstrong to brain cancer. How can you honor a child who dies so young? As a 44-year-old runner from Avoca, Iowa, Rik thought of a novel way — he would trace his son’s name in the streets during his next run. “Armstrong” appeared on September 1st, beginning
Happy Birthday Charles de Gaulle
On November 22, 1890, Charles de Gaulle was born in Lille, France. He is best known for leading Free France against the Nazi occupation in World War II, then becoming the symbol of post-war France by organizing the Fifth Republic in 1958 and serving as president until 1969. He was also a decorated officer in
Looking For The Truth Through Fiction, Revisited
About a month ago, I wrote about the book Truthers by Geoffrey Girard. Mr. Girard is the author of several books, and he currently chairs the English department at a private boys’ high school. He wrote this story to help his students critically analyze the conspiracy theories they were so fond of discussing, especially the