Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
Canada’s Rosa Parks
When we think of civil rights, we tend to focus on our own (considerable) struggles. But other countries have had periods of turmoil, too. Consider Canada. Viola Desmond was a businesswoman who owned a beauty salon and school. She was traveling across Canada, looking to expand her business, when her car broke down in New
It’s The People You Meet
In preparing for another major trip overseas this summer, I thought back to November 2012, when I was in Athens, Greece. This was a marathon trip, paying homage to where it all started by running on the Olympic course from the Plains of Marathon to the Olympic Stadium in the heart of Athens. Athens was
Reaching Autistic Children
There is a lot we don’t know about autism. I’ve been in classrooms with autistic kids many times and an as clueless as anyone. But every once in a while there’s a breakthrough story that gives us hope. One such story is Life, Animated, a documentary movie about Ron Suskind and his son Owen. At
Remembering Tiananmen Square
The Writer’s Almanac reminded me that what is remembered as the Tiananmen Square Massacre happened on June 4, 1989. On that day, Chinese troops stormed the square to end demonstrations that had actually begun months earlier. Thousands of supporters from three dozen universities staged hunger strikes and sit-ins in the name of democracy. The Chinese
You and Your Gut Bacteria
Did you ever think about how many of our common expressions involve our stomachs? We occasionally talk about “gut-wrenching decisions” and “butterflies in the stomach.” These thoughts are so prevalent that some are beginning to wonder if there isn’t a link between our guts — specifically the trillions of tiny organisms that live there —
A Novel Way To Feed The Homeless
Have you ever heard of the EAT Café? The clue is EAT stands for Everyone At the Table. This is a non-profit collaboration of organizations in West Philadelphia, PA, that operates a “pay-what-you-can café that nourishes, educates, and unites community in a welcoming environment.” Here the bill is a shock of a different sort —
Xenophobia — We’ve Been There Before
With the current concern about the security risks of immigrants and refugees, this is a good time to remind everyone that episodes of xenophobia (fear of foreigners) have happened periodically throughout our history. One example — when I was visiting Boston in April, I learned about NINA. It’s an acronym that means “No Irish Need
One Person Can Make a Difference
Have you ever heard of Henrietta Lacks? In many respects, she was an ordinary woman. Born on August 1, 1920, she gave birth to five children, but only lived 31 years. But she had a profound effect on modern science and, at least indirectly, has saved many lives. The remarkable part of her story began
Happy Birthday Dorothea Lange
May 26th, 1895 was the birthday of documentary photographer Dorothea Lange. She was born Dorothea Nutzhorn in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1895, and is best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration. Her most famous photo was “Migrant Mother” (left) in 1936, but took many more that were just as hauntingly beautiful.
What Are You Reading?
I guess we’re all supposed to read something this summer. I know it’s pretty much a given that high school students will have a summer reading list, but several of the news programs and publications I follow have been coming out with reading lists of their own. They must assume everyone gets a vacation with