Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
Book Review — Nothing To Fear
As a history nerd, my problem with your average history book is it will tell you what happened, but not how it happened. To get the real story, you have to find books like Nothing To Fear: FDR’s Inner Circle and the Hundred Days That Created Modern America by Adam Cohen. We all know the
Happy Birthday to Railroads
According to The Writer’s Almanac, September 27, 1825 was the beginning of the first steam-powered passenger railway service in England — “It brought together the work of George Stephenson, builder of coal mine steam engines, and Edward Pease, who wanted to build a delivery system to bring coal to the market towns of Darlington and
What Is A Dementia Village?
We’re living longer and longer. This is true of the entire Western world, where taking care of the elderly is becoming a major concern. When I was in Japan a few years ago, I noticed all the elevators had places to sit. This care is compounded by the decline in mental function among many. According
The Many Ways We Get Zapped In Our Modern World
Lately I’ve been mentioning books I haven’t read myself, but would like to. This is another: Zapped: From Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light by Bob Berman. There’s a lot in our universe we just can’t see. I’m sure you’ve heard of dark matter; I’ve never heard of “dark light”, but the
Happy Fall Equinox
Today is the official start of Fall (or Autumn), because it’s the Equinox. Google says the Autumn Equinox comes at exactly 4:02 pm EDT on September 22nd. Equinox, since it’s derived from the word “equal”, means daylight and nighttime are exactly the same. But like everything in this world, it’s complicated. According to EarthSky, there
On Resolving Two Contradictory Thoughts
F. Scott Fitzgerald once said “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” I think he’s onto something. Here is a good example. First, The Carter Center (President Jimmy Carter’s organization) has been working very hard
As If We Didn’t Have Enough To Worry About Already
I ran across a news item that reminds me of an old joke, which I will make generic because I’ve already offended my quota of people this year — Q: What do you have when three (fill in the blank) are buried up to their necks in sand? A: A shortage of sand! I thought
Looking For The Truth Through Fiction
Question — how do you teach high school students about recent historical events when they are skeptical, distrustful, and inclined to believe any conspiracy theory that pops up on social media? Perhaps with a good fictional story (based on fact) that examines an issue from every angle? So how this for a novel’s storyline? —
Why Do Newborn Babies Smell Good?
You’ve heard of the “new car smell”? There is also a new baby smell, especially around the head area. Many friends and family members have talked about how they love to smell newborn babies. The experience is so universal that it makes you wonder, could there be a reason for it? Yes, there could. The
A Lesson From The Great Sausage Duel
Have you ever heard about The Great Sausage Duel of 1865? It’s not completely obscure, with 426 hits on Google. The incident is described in a 2014 article on the “Skulls in the Stars” website (https://skullsinthestars.com/2014/11/01/the-great-sausage-duel-of-1865/ ). The two protagonists are the Minister President of Prussia Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) and Rudolf Virchow (1821-1902), who