The Skinny Lumberjack

A large, well established, Canadian lumber camp advertised that they were looking for a good Lumberjack. The very next day, a skinny little man showed up at the camp with his axe, and knocked on the head lumberjacks’ door. The head lumberjack took one look at the little man and told him to leave. “Just … Read more

Beneath Her Station

The woman applying for a job in a Florida lemon grove seemed way too qualified for the job. “Look Miss,” said the foreman, “have you any actual experience in picking lemons ?” “Well… as a matter if fact, Yes !” she replied. “I’ve been divorced three times.”

On the Homestead

When Ma & Pa first arrived on the homestead Pa installed a bell on the front porch and told Ma if trouble comes while I’m out in the field a plowin’ then you just ring that bell and I’ll come a running. The next day Pa hears the bell and takes off for home. When … Read more

The Maple Tree’s Role in Abolishing Slavery

After the Revolution, Americans looked at the maple tree in a new light. To the eminent Philadelphia patriot and physician Benjamin Rush, maple sugar seemed perfectly tailored to the new republic. Here was a commodity that could compete in a global market, bolstering the independence of yeoman farmers, and demonstrating the superiority of free labor. … Read more

On the Best Way to Study

Testing yourself repeatedly before an exam teaches the brain to retrieve and apply knowledge from memory. The method is more effective than re-reading a textbook, says Jeffrey Karpicke, an assistant professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University. If you are facing a test on the digestive system, he says, practice explaining how it works from … Read more

Declining Memories

An elderly couple were experiencing declining memories, so they decided to take a power memory class, where they teach you to remember things by association. Later, the man was talking to a neighbor about how much the class helped him. “Who was the instructor?” asked the neighbor. “Oh, let’s see,” pondered the man. “Umm…what’s that … Read more

Really Short Books

1) A Guide to Arab Democracies 2) A Journey through the Mind of Dennis Rodman 3) Amelia Earhart’s Guide to the Pacific Ocean 4) Career Opportunities for History Majors 5) Contraception by Pope John Paul II 6) Detroit – A Travel Guide (with a forward by H. Mainhardt) 7) Different Ways to Spell “BOB” 8) … Read more

Ask the Park Ranger

Questions that people actually asked of Park Rangers around the USA.   Grand Canyon National Park ————————————- Was this man-made? Do you light it up at night? I bought tickets for the elevator to the bottom-where is it? Is the mule train air conditioned? So where are the faces of the presidents?   Everglades National … Read more