On April 1, 2001, a U.S. Navy EP-3 patrol plane was conducting a reconnaissance flight over the South China Sea and being shadowed by two Chinese Army F-811 jet fighters. One of the Chinese pilots was Commander Wang Wei. Wang had harassed U.S. aircraft before, coming dangerously close and executing threating fly-bys. His name was […]

Teenagers living near Boston, Ohio, known locally by its spooky alias as Helltown, used to indoctrinate younger students in their school by taking them on a 2 a.m. drive thru this abandoned village. The tour guide was usually an older ghost story narrator. Helltown, also known as Mutane or Mutant Town was reportedly a Government […]

A As a crusader for cliché-free creative writing, I challenge those violators to abandoned overused expressions, use their imagination, and invent new similes and metaphors. But alas they argue, A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. And they insist their character’s actions speak louder than words. Oh, no, I insist. It’s as […]

In 1948 it was another move, another state, and another school. This time my father’s annual transfer was taking us from Nebraska to Connecticut. As a ten-year-old, I had become so accustomed to these yearly moves that when meeting classmates at the new school, I would tell them, “Don’t get too friendly; I won’t be […]

James B. Longley One of the most unforgettable persons I ever met was James B. Longley. I worked in Jim’s insurance agency in Maine after I was separated from the Navy. Jim had pure blue eyes that riveted whomever he was speaking in his hypnotic focus. Maybe that was the secret of his renown success […]