Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
“Do You Eat Like a Republican or a Democrat?”
When I saw the musical Annie, I remember Daddy Warbucks inviting President Roosevelt to dinner, then ordering his staff to “Find out what Democrats eat.” Cute line, but apparently there’s some truth to it. In an article “Do You Eat Like a Republican or a Democrat?”, Chris Wilson reports that members of the two main
When Should You Eat Your Halloween Candy?
While checking my email this afternoon, I ran across an interesting item on the Time News Brief: “Why You Should Eat Your Halloween Candy All At Once ” by Jamie Ducharme is the most counterintutive headline I’ve seen in a long time. It’s definitely the opposite of what my mother preached. Of course, no one
A Poem For Halloween
I’m reposting this from last year in honor of Halloween. Halloween Fun Halloween can be fun for adults, too. I like to hold out a bowl of candy — a nice assortment — and simply say “You may take one of your choice.” and watch the little wheels turn. Which one should I pick?
Dazzle Them With Camouflage
Having had a career in the military, I know something about camouflage. A common opinion is good camouflage is supposed to make you disappear into the background (which has led to a lot of jokes, particularly about stealth technology). Actually all camouflage has to do is make a recognizable shape unrecognizable, if only for a
Six Jobs Everyone Will Want in the Future
I know predicting the future is difficult (even today, our smart phones can do so much more than the fabled Stark Trek Communicators), especially when things are progressing so rapidly (when I was growing up we still had a telephone party line and got two TV channels in black and white). But if you think
Who Do You Run For?
“You can run for me anytime!” In past posts, I’ve written about the sport of running. Of all the sports I’ve played, it fits me best. It’s solitary, but I consider that an advantage — no teammates messing up or referees blowing calls — it’s all up to you. And so far (knock wood) I’ve
Can Money Really Buy Happiness?
You’ve always heard the mantra “money can’t buy happiness.” Well, maybe it can. According to a new paperback from the editors of Time magazine entitled The Science of Happiness: New Discoveries for a More Joyful Life, (and yes, It’s on Amazon.com), “Money can help you find more happiness, so long as you know just what you
Original(?) Writing — The Hook
Don’t you just hate a story that begins, “You’ve probably heard this before.” ? Well, that’s what we’re dealing with here. This is my version of a story we used to tell around the campfire when I was a boy scout. I posted it on a writing website several years ago, and the comments I
The Moral Dilemmas of Self-Driving Vehicles
If you could save five lives for the cost of one person’s life, would you? What about saving five lives by murdering one person? These are thought-provoking moral dilemmas explored in the podcast “Driverless Dilemma” on the National Public Radio show Radiolab, which was originally broadcast on September 26, 2017. Most people say “yes” to
Happy Birthday — Transistor Radio
When I was in high school in the 1960s, I often wondered how that era would be remembered — would it be the Atomic Age or the Space Age? Now it appears the best label would be the Transistor Age. I was reminded of that when I read that October 18, 1954, was the first