Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
Are We In Crisis Overload?
Following politics can be very depressing these days because we seem to be suffering one crisis after another. I’m old enough to remember when approximately a third of the savings and loan associations failed between 1986 and 1995. Then there was terrorism and 9/11, a major economic downturn, and COVID, all against a backdrop of fentanyl
America: What’s in a Name?
In my second year of college (at the USAF Academy), I decided to declare Latin American Studies as my major to capitalize on my high school Spanish. It was a unique opportunity to learn about a part of the world that was both exotic and close to home. The faculty was excellent. In addition to
Can Animals Name Names?
Recently I saw a headline that really got my attention: Do any animals call each other by name? It’s quite possible. Scientists have discovered that young bottlenose dolphins create signature whistles that are individually distinctive. They use the whistles to find each other and can recognize other dolphins from the frequency and “shape” of the whistle. Also, researchers
Available Again — Sunny and Victor
Bears and rabbits are not supposed to be friends, but the story of how Sunny Bunny and Victor Bear became “best friends forever” is a tale of friendship, cooperation, and overcoming stereotypes. Sunny and Victor: Best Friends Forever, the children’s book that started my writing career, is available again on Amazon Kindle. https://www.amazon.com/Sunny-Victor-Best-Friends-Forever-ebook/dp/B0HCMP2JT6/ref=sr_1_1?
Your Next Job Won’t Be Any of These
When I substitute teach, I like to tell the kids that during their lifetimes they will probably have more than one career, and at least one of those careers will be a job that hasn’t been invented yet (solar-collector repair on Mars?). The converse of this is the professions that do not have much of
The Hidden Toll of Mass Shootings
The sad fact is mass shootings are all too common in this country. Each one takes a horrific toll on the victims, their families, and anyone close by. But is the impact even broader than that? I recently ran across an article that explores this in more detail: “The Death Toll of a Mass Shooting
What Are Your Favorite Weird Words?
Slang: a type of language that consists of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal, are more common in speech than writing, and are typically restricted to a particular context or group of people. — Yahoo We’ve all used informal words that sound nonsensical. And yet they really are words that can be
Dinosaur Fossils on the Moon?
There are many natural wonders in the universe. Start with the sheer size — estimates of the total number of galaxies range from 200 billion to two trillion, with each galaxy containing anywhere from 100 million to 400 billion stars. And then there are the mysteries. Just what are dark matter and dark energy? How
What’s the Oldest Weapon?
I’m sure everyone is familiar with what claims to be the world’s oldest profession, so I won’t mention it. My question is what could be the second oldest? I would vote for the forces of arms — militias, paramilitary, military, whatever label works. I was reminded of this by a recent article, “What’s the Oldest
How Many Are Ready For School?
Suddenly it’s August, and school starts (for me) in 12 days. This year I’m telling myself I’ll slow down, and will not be substituting as much as in the past. At least that’s the plan, but I’ve said that before. Being a history nerd, I originally wanted to teach social studies. It took me two