Strange But True Story

My strange but true story starts twenty-five years ago, when I was sixteen. I had just hitched a ride back out to Interstate 90 as the sun was setting. The previous night I had been caught alone in the back country on the northern edge of Yellowstone National Park, in a freak May blizzard. A grizzly bear pawed the ground outside my tent in the middle of the night, scaring me half to death. That, however, is another story.

This strange-but-true-story starts with me standing on the side of the freeway ramp, with my thumb out. Even here in the valley near Livingston there was snow on the lilac flowers, and my tennis shoes were still wet from stumbling (lost) through the mountains earlier in the day. After an hour or two, a car finally pulled over, and this is how I met Violet.

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It was tough to determine her age, but from the stories she told, I guessed she was in her fifties. She was on her way home from her brother's trial in Bozeman. When I asked her what he was on trial for, she told me "He killed his girlfriend," and in case I doubted her, she flipped over the newspaper on the seat. There she was on the front page, with the headline, "Sister Says He Should Be Hanged."

Strange But True Story

"He just cut her up for no good reason," she explained. Not knowing what to say, I said nothing. Although she seemed perfectly comfortable talking about it, she graciously changed the subject.

"Having a hard time getting rides here?" she asked. I told her I had waited a while. "That's because a few years back a man was killed by a hitchhiker right on that highway down to Yellowstone," she explained. "They found the hitchhiker in the woods near the road, roasting the man's heart over a fire."

"I guess that explains why it's hard to get rides," I agreed.

Violet had only had trouble with a hitchhiker once, she told me. "He was even younger than you, and he pulled a knife on me and tried to rob me." When I asked her what she did, she replied casually, "Well, I just pulled out my gun on him and told him he better behave if he wanted a ride." That seemed fair, I agreed.

She told me about the last time she was camping in Yellowstone, back in the fifties, when her husband was still alive. They and others saw a missile come out of the sky and hit a mountain, triggering an earthquake. Army officials came and told everyone in the area that it was a matter of national security, and they couldn't say a word about it. I nodded and asked for a few more details.

Then there was the story about the UFO. An alien spacecraft had hovered over them during another camping trip, picking up their trailer in a "tractor beam" and lifting it off the hitch on the car, into the sky. It was dropped in a field nearby, and the sheriff, who was driving behind them at the moment, saw the whole thing.

Violet let me spend the night at her house, in her brothers room. In the morning, before driving me back out to the freeway, she even offered to let me take any of her brothers clothes or cowboy boots, since, "He won't be needing them anymore." I declined.

Later in the year, safely home in Michigan, I got a letter from Violet, wishing me a Merry Christmas. She had drawn a picture at the top of a dog in a spacesuit, which she labeled "Space Dog." In the meantime, I had discovered that there had been an earthquake in the Yellowstone area when she claimed they saw the missile, and it had been strong enough to form a new lake.

I still was assuming that the killer hitchhiker was at least an exaggeration. It wasn't. Years later I heard all the grizzly details in the news because they were letting the killer go free now that he was sane. Amidst the publicity, the authorities were having a hard time finding a town to place him in.

To this day, I still haven't read or heard anything about an alien spacecraft that picks up camping trailers, but I'm waiting. Who knows? Montana is full of strange but true stories.

Strange But True Story

Steve Gillman hit the road at sixteen, and traveled the U.S. and Mexico alone at 17. Now 40, he travels with his wife Ana, whom he met in Ecuador. For travel stories, tips and a free e-book, visit: http://www.EverythingAboutTravel.com

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Hooking Skimmers and Scanners

We all do it. With the onslaught of information coming at us every day, we have to filter it. We skim for a quick overview of the message in a communication. We scan for the specific information we're looking for.

When we're sorting through potential reading material, making our A pile (read now) B pile (read later if I get around to it) and C pile (recycle), we are not yet committed to a printed piece. We're casual readers. So what is it that turns a casual reader into a serious reader? What gets your document into your prospect's A, or at least the B pile?

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Ten surefire ways to pull in a casual reader:

Hooking Skimmers and Scanners

Select strong headlines (an article unto itself!) Use a subhead to lead in from headline to body copy For print, consider an oversized initial cap for the first paragraph Place subheads within the story (more on subheads below) Use color to tie related elements together and help readers navigate Add photos with captions, illustrations, tables, graphs Pull quotes from the story to stand, oversized, on their own (more on pull quotes below) Place emphasis on key paragraphs Place related (but tangential) information in sidebars (more on sidebars below) Use relative size, placement, boldness, color, etc. to indicate relative importance of information
Three Kinds of Subheads:

Centered subheads, also known as crossheads, are useful for full justified text where left and right margins are aligned. This is a more formal style. A flush left, also known as a sidehead, works with both left justified and centered text. Informal. A boldface lead-in or run-in head works with both alignments. These can also be used as 'sub-subheads' under centered or flush-left subheads but should be in smaller or less emphasized type to clarify hierarchy.
Five Functions of Pull Quotes:

Provide essential information to skimmers and scanners Generate interest in the subject Break up large blocks of copy, creating breathing room for the reader Fill space when you are short on copy Add white space and visual interest to a page dense with copy
Six Kinds of Sidebars

Readership sidebars prompt the casual page turner to actually read your copy. Examples: a table of contents, a drop quote, or a teaser that urges the reader on. Biography sidebars lend credibility. Examples: credentials, publications, a client list. Benefit sidebars detail a compelling benefit of the offer. Examples: fulfilling a dream, solving a problem, easing a fear. Credibility sidebars help convince the reader that your claims are valid and that they will get the benefits promised. Examples; customer or expert testimonials, media endorsements. Proof sidebars offer hard data to support your premise or the value of your offer. Examples: statistics, charts, tables. Sales-closing sidebars are placed to remove final roadblocks toward the end of your sales message. Examples: bump up perceived value, offer a premium, relieve risk with guarantees, devices to prompt action.

Hooking Skimmers and Scanners

Linda Pizzitola is principal of Kauai Design Graphics, Inc., a graphic design, copywriting and marketing firm on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Subscribers to her quarterly e-zine, The Graphics Grapevine, receive short articles and tips on design, persuasive writing and small business marketing. To see her online portfolio and a client list, or to subscribe to The Graphics Grapevine or access back issues, visit http://www.kauaidesign.com

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A Concentration on Greed Makes Everyone Bleed

For the thirty-plus years of my adult life I have watched, read, and learned - albeit somewhat passively - about our national and world economy, the politics of big business, the exclusive world of money, and how it all fits together to affect each of us. But a few days ago, while watching more economic bad news on the television, my teen looked at me with an inquisitive voice and said: "I don't understand...if all this is based on confidence, perception of value, and speculation...why are we in this mess and how does it all fit together? Can't we just print more money?" Oh boy, thought I, where do I start? Explaining the complicated components of the economy - in fact the world of money - and why we are in a recession and our economy is failing is not such a simple task.

Rather than fumbling around with a lengthy dissertation on macro and microeconomics, I thought better of it and stopped. I wanted to somehow give her an answer that she could get her brain around quickly. So I spoke about the underlying reason for our national and international financial perils: greed. I explained to her that it is the concentration of greed, and the want that we all have to live beyond our means, that has hurt us all. We are picking up the tab for our greed. I explained to her that I personally want to blame the big corporate CEO's, the super rich, and the Wall Street executives. But the foundation of greed upon which our woes are set extends all the way to each and every consumer; we have lived beyond our incomes through the invention of credit.

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Coincidentally, following this conversation with my daughter, I picked up the September 29th issue of Time magazine - that I still hadn't been able to get to - and there, on page 32, began an article entitled: "The Price of Greed." The article confirms the point: "...in the end, almost all of us, collectively, are going to pay for the consequences." And a bit later on the same page: "When greed exceeds fear, trouble follows." The article goes into strong detail as to the specific details that contribute to our economic troubles (and I will ask my daughter to read this fine article).

A Concentration on Greed Makes Everyone Bleed

The news story we watched that prompted my daughter's questions was about the American automakers asking for some of the bail out funds. I admit to a bit of extra angst on this matter. The auto industry is like the deliberately rebellious son who commits a crime, then finds religion and repentance too late. For decades we have been warned about pollution, the damages to our environment, and the need to migrate away from fossil fuels...but greed determined decisions; it was short-sighted greed that kept the American car makers from taking the lead by making better cars than Toyota, and new, environmentally conscious products. No fear; the auto makers have always been confident that consumers will buy (and trust) whatever they make.

The same goes for "the environment" (which is related in many ways). I put this in quotes because we speak about the very air we breathe, our sky, and the ground we are pulled to as if it is a possession, like "the house" or "the television" or something detached from our person. Sure, I know that it's just a label, a common term, a way to address an issue...but in my mind, it's so much more than "the environment"...it is our very lives, the reason we are alive...it is us, more than us. Anyway, as I said, the same goes for the environment; we have been warned and known for decades about the effects of pollution, the impact we humans are having on our planet, and the need to migrate away from fossil fuels...but greed determined our decisions. It was easier to not incite fears in the masses, and largely ignore this exponentially growing problem in favor of greedy consumerism, and the intrinsic pollution of our disposable economy.

Perhaps between the Time article and the assistance of her parents, our daughter may come to understand a bit more about our collective condition. But understanding is only the start. As she prepares for a successful adulthood, my hope is that she will act in responsible ways and seek to promote responsibility in others.

The (September 29th) Time magazine article I aptly concluded: "Coping in this new world will require adjustments by millions of Americans. We all will have to start living within our means - or preferably below them." To this I would add that unregulated Capitalism must be tempered by lessons of the past; we humans have a responsibility to our planet and to each other to heed the warning signs, shy away from allowing greed to determine action, and take consistent action based upon (and within) that responsibility.

A Concentration on Greed Makes Everyone Bleed

http://www.kissoftruth.com

http://www.KissOfTruth.com / Kurt Turrell

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Michelangelo - The Secrets, The Facts & The Story You Never Knew About

Michelangelo

The man, the art, the sonnets, the architect

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Artists come in many forms, as Michelangelo showed, even in architect. But when you mix a man with the talent of sculpture, drawings, paintings, poetry, and architect you have the unmistakably brilliant and sometimes fascinating life of Michelangelo.

Michelangelo - The Secrets, The Facts & The Story You Never Knew About

There has not been one celebrated in so many different fields in all history. You will easily find other brilliant and just as famous painters, as Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Picasso, etc. and you will also find poetic geniuses like, Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allan Poe, etc, and you will also find noble and talented sculptures and architects. Michelangelo excelled in all four, which if you take into account the amount of time it takes to master just one talent or career, leaving his name in literary books, art museums, architectural structures and pencil drawings.

Michelangelo was undoubtedly the greatest marble sculptor during that era, and beyond. He preferred marble sculpting and fresco painting above all other forms, which are two of the hardest style to create in each field. It was perhaps, many have speculated, the physical, intellectual and artistic challenges that provided him the desire for these forms. Even in painting Michelangelo choose the most difficult poses and he continuously layered his work with multiple meanings in reference to religion, mythology, and a number of other subjects.

His love for male beauty has shown meticulously in his sculptures, his love rooted deep on both the physical and emotional levels. His greatest male love was Tommaso dei Cavalieri who, along with many other youths, posed for Michelangelo for his work.

It wasn't a guess that Michelangelo was destined to be an artist, even his father's scolding could not keep young Michelangelo from drawing instead of schoolwork. In fact his father was heard to have beat Michelangelo on numerous occasions, attempting to persuade him into another profession. Most modern commentaries speculated that this was merely a platonic relationship these words written by Cavalieri speak volumes for the bond, "I swear to return your love. Never have I loved a man more then you, never have I wished for a friend more than I wish for you." During his lifetime Michelangelo never married

With Michelangelo's persistent love for art and dedication to painting his father soon caved in and allowed him to be an apprentice at the age of 13 with Domenico Ghirlandia, who paid Michelangelo for his apprenticeship. The process was very uncommon for the 16th century, normally the apprentice paid to learn from the master while learning and working odd labor in the master's home, but a conflict forced him out after a year.

He was then invited to stay at the home of Lorenzo de' Medici, the Magnificent. Where Michelangelo would continue his art studies as well as learn anatomy. By the time Michelangelo was 16 he completed two medium sized sculptures. Michelangelo would go on to complete 30 completed and famous sculptors and 7 paintings. Although there is no precious number, when Michelangelo died in 1556 he still had a large number of sculptors and paintings incomplete.

Michelangelo - The Secrets, The Facts & The Story You Never Knew About

Chris Jacob is an individual who just can't seem to help himself and try everything. Last Year he was in IT, yesterday he was in China and today he is an artist....well at least helping artists paint beautiful paintings just for you. See amazing free video demonstrations and get free advice frm the experts (Jive Oil Painting Forums [http://forum.jiveexchange.com]). Also as a new release he wants the generally short of money artist to be financially secure so he also recently set up (Credit Card Assist). to help you live a lifestyle you desire and deserve.

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Short Story On Family And Values

Growing up in a place like New York was very interesting. No, not New York City, but very close. I grew up in a small city in Westchester County. Most of you more than likely never heard of Mount Vernon, NY. It is a small town that boarders Yonkers, New Rochelle and the Bronx. As a young boy growing up in the late 1970s and early 1980s was interesting an interesting time. I, like many of you, have many stories. This story is just one of them.

One day, when I was about 13, I was walking with couple of my friends. Not really doing anything special, just doing what teenagers do on a nice hot summer afternoon. This day we where just coming back from walking on the Avenue looking around and seeing what we could see. We had something to eat and maybe picked up a few things in the stores. I was what you would have called a Projects kid. The Projects is five apartment buildings, each about 10 stories high and setup in a circular configuration with a park in the middle and one small and one large playground area. The large area was where the basketball courts where and most of the bigger kids hung out.

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Anyway back to the story. This day we were walking through one of the parking lots coming up Third Street just talking when my younger brother, Mark, come running up to us at full speed. A few seconds later I saw a man running behind him. At the time I did not think anything of it, thinking that they where both just running at the same time. Knowing Mark, I figure he is just acting like a younger brother and being silly. Then I looked at his face. When he got to me I could see he was out of breath. He was also talking at a mile a minute, so I did not really understand all that he was saying. Then the next thing I know this man was in front of me and reaching for him. Mark moved behind me, and I then realized that he was scared. Trying to figure out what was going on I asked the man what the problem was. The man said he wanted my little brother in a bad way. At that time I told the man that I did not know what was going on but I could not let him have my brother. The man got more and more upset. I told the man that my parents would be home later and if he wanted he could speak with them. At that time the man looked at me like he could not believe he was explaining to a child. He reached for my brother again and again I blocked him. He then punched me in the chest. I was more shocked than hurt and could not believe that this man had not only hit me, but he was going to do it again. I found that I now had to defend myself.

Short Story On Family And Values

Little did my newly-met adult friend know that I had been training in Karate for the last four years and was very good, if I say so myself. Now I was raised by my parents to respect all adults, however this man had crossed the line. First, he was trying to hurt my younger brother; second, he redirected his anger at me with a physical attack on me. But a funny thing happened and, much to his surprise, he found that he now had taken on a bit more then he had bargained for and was now in a bit of trouble himself. So the man stopped his attack, ran up 9th Avenue and disappeared from view. I turned to my brother to find out what had started all this craziness.

While Mark was telling me his story, I looked up the street and saw the man was coming back. Then I noticed that he now had a combination hammer/hatchet he was planning to use this combination tool on me. Now, I was a child of the old martial arts movies like Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon and Jim Kelly in Three the Hard Way. But, I knew it was time to find another way to deal with this man. I noticed there was some new construction going on right cross the street. I moved to that side of the street and started throwing bricks at the man who was coming to hit me with either an axe or hammer. I am also happy to say that the man, after seeing that I could also throw pretty well, changed his mind and he returned to his home.

About 10 minutes later the police showed up. I was asked what happened. They spoke with me and several witnesses and then went to visit the gentlemen at his home. Someone said they heard that the gentleman was affected more by me defending myself with my hands then by anything else. The bricks did not hit the man as they were only thrown to scare him. I also heard they found the story to be funny.

Later I found out from Mark that he and the man's daughter, who was 12 years old, had a disagreement. So this whole thing was over a simple disagreement among children. This man had wildly overreacted and did things without finding out the facts or using any reason. I am just happy that no one was hurt badly and that everything worked out okay.

You see, it is all about family for me. It is up to each of us to protect the ones we care about the best way we can. I was not going to let anything happen to my brother or anyone if I can help it. In the case of my brother, it was one for all and all for one.

Thank you for letting me share my story. This event was a lesson for me. Sometimes you have to stop, be aware and resume control. Hope that you enjoyed it.

Short Story On Family And Values

By Zurriane Bennett

San Yama Bushi & Combination GoJu
School of Self Defense
http://www.sybcg.com

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Various Types of Short Stories

As there are varieties of subjects, themes and art, there are various types of a short story. Some of the types are ancient tales, humor, satire, fantasy, biography, education, local color, and history. Lets us have a glimpse on each one of them in this article.

1. Ancient Tales

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It is the power of the utilization of the ancient form of the tale in the modern short story. Italian writer Giovanni Verga's The She-Wolf (1880), and Chinese writer Yeh Shao-Chun's Mrs. Li's Hair are remarkable examples.

Various Types of Short Stories

2. Fantasy

Fantasy stories are nothing but the fair combination of the old tales tradition and the supernatural details. The fine examples of such stories are British writer John Collier's horror fantasy Bottle Party (1939), Irish author Elizabeth Bowen's The Demon Lover (1941), and British author Saki's Tobermory (1911).

3. Humor

These types of stories are meant for producing surprise and delight. You will see that the most famous humorous tales and fables were written by the Americans. Mark Twain's The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (1865), and Joel Chandler Harris's The Wonderful Tar-Baby Story (1894) are remarkable. There is serious humor in the works of Americans like Eudora Welty's Petrified Man (1939) and Dorothy Parker's The Custard Heart (1939).

4. Satire

The main purpose of satire is to attack the evils of society. There are writers who wrote stories of sober satire. Austrian author Arthur Schnitzler's Fate of the Baron (1923), and American Mary McCarthy's The Man in the Brooks Brothers Shirt (1941) are known for their somber satire.

5. Education Story

Such stories revolve around the education of the main character. The good example is American educator Lionel Trilling's Of This Time, of That Place (1944).

6. History

History types deal with a life story or historical event. Welty's A Still Moment (a 1943 story about naturalist John James Audubon) is fine example of story dealing with history event.

7. Local Color

These types of stories deal with the customs and traditions of rural and small-town life. You can enjoy the local color in the stories of George Washington Cable, Maria Edgeworth, Sarah Orne Jewett, and Mary Wilkins Freeman.

These are some of the types you may find in sort story genre. In recent times, stories have more local color, diversities in the representations, making use of dialects, and vernacular impressions. The story writes have been taking somewhat flexibility in writing stories as they wish.

Various Types of Short Stories

Rakesh Patel is an aspiring poet, freelance writer, self-published author and teacher. To learn about various types of poetry and English literature, read my blog http://EnglishLiterature99.wordpress.com

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The Story of Aladdin

The story of Aladdin is an old Arabic story, with unknown origins. Its first appearance in print was in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights - a compendium of Arabic, Persian and Indian myths and legends, and the same book that gave us Ali Baba and Sinbad. The name 'Aladdin' is actually 'Ala ad-Din', and the story probably came from Syria.

The version of Aladdin that was written down in 1709 is largely the one that we know today, although there are a few key differences. Aladdin, a poor young man, is sent by a sorcerer to get a magic lamp from a cave - but isn't told that it's protected by a curse. Angry at the lie, Aladdin keeps the lamp, and finds that a genie lives inside who can grant him wishes. He uses this power selfishly, to become rich and marry a princess, but his new wife, not knowing the lamp's power, gives it away to the sorcerer.

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When the sorcerer uses his new power to take Aladdin's wife and riches, Aladdin is reduced to nothing. However, he still has a ring that the sorcerer gave him before he went in the cave, and the ring is capable of summoning another, less powerful genie. With this new genie's help, Aladdin defeats the sorcerer.

The Story of Aladdin

As you can see, the start is familiar, but the ending is probably quite different to what you've heard. There are other elements that are left out entirely from modern re-tellings - Aladdin is cheated by a Jew and then helped by a Muslim at one point, for example, which is now seen as incredibly anti-semitic.

Regardless, the overall meaning of the story is clear. When Aladdin uses the lamp to get riches and marry the princess for the first time, he has not truly earned them. It is only once he has been through a struggle and proven his worth that he can be entitled to his new position.

The Story of Aladdin

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