This is the next installment of the Birthright Series that began in 2009 in collaboration with the late Carl Macek.

By Mark Aragona from an original idea by Stan Slavutsky
Edited by Stan Slavutsky

Ethan11309 sank into his chair and tried to ignore the patrons trickling out of the computer rental shop. Waiting always made him antsy. As his hands skittered over the keyboard, he wondered for t ... read more>>>

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©COPYRIGHT – WRITTEN BY JEANNETTE GARDNER (SEPTEMBER, 2011)

I was inspired by an amazing woman that I just had to write about. She lives alone in her trailer in a trailer park for 6 months, from April to October for the full season.

In 2010, my Husband and I decided to buy a trailer in this park. We happened to buy it the last week before the park’s closing date, Oct. 15. We did get to mee ... read more>>>

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This story was contributed by Oscar N. Registered Nurse who was working in New York on September 11, 2001.

A Day That Changed The World........

When September comes, it brings with it the sweet breeze of fall. The
exhilarating sniff of fresh air. But this September will prove to be life-changing to
many, especially to the many who lost a loved one.

I work the night shift at the New ... read more>>>

Article views: 292

Before I even start I want to make sure I clarify something. Not all children/adults with autism are the same. They have different experiences and different personalities just like someone who is neurotypical (someone that is not on the autism spectrum)

My son is 7 years old. He loves music. He's very mischievous. Loves to climb and run. He has the most infectious laugh and boy is he adorable. ... read more>>>

Article views: 336

1 comments |

When my gaze came across the man-sized raven I thought my heart would stop. It walked through the death shrouded streets as if the Grim Reaper could not touch it. A wide brimmed black hat adorned its head, the ensemble filled out with black cloak, black leggings, a touch of white at the cuffs and a ruffle around his neck. Its glassy, oversized eyes stared at everything around it, its long beak as ... read more>>>

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yesterday i cried
i cried because i was sad
ashamed and distraught
i cried because there is more lie
than truth
because these malicious moments and people took my youth
i cried because my inner child is lost and afraid
i cried because i am a prisoner of my own inner thoughts
yes, yesterday i cried
i submerged myself in the tub and had myself a good cry
i cried because i no longer have m ... read more>>>

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This is a continuation of my story.

Today was a doctor's appointment. It went well. Don't ever let a person with Dementia go into see the doctor by themselves, they will come out telling you everything is fine. Trust me on this.
Even with me going in there, she tried to tell the doctor she was fine, although he kept shooting me glances.
For the most part everything was fine.

He didn't like ... read more>>>

Article views: 654

Cedar Fever has it Texas. Especially around the Austin area. I know, because I have it. My teeth hurt, my eyes bulge, my nose turns red and in general I look like someone who has just stepped out of spaceship. I feel like it too. My head feels as big as a football field, and my eyes are crossed. I am cold. Today is the first day there hasn't been any wind to the extent of being blown away when yo ... read more>>>

Article views: 662

2 comments |

How do you pray? How do you know that your prayer got answered? When you see someone who has millions, and you are living on ramen noodles, are you grateful for those noodles? When your world goes array and things get really tough, do the tough really get going? What is really tough? Is it not being able to get to work because of transportation? Is it being discriminated against because of a disfi ... read more>>>

Article views: 648

I dreamt about Obama...It seems like I was in Washington or President Obama was here in Ottawa but I went to see him. Apparently one of my friends knew Barak and was going to try and arrange for me to meet him. I was sitting out in the courtyard texting my friends when Barak walked in. He seemed like he was trying to steal away into a quiet place for some time alone or for a smoke. I approached h ... read more>>>

Article views: 707

The ever-ending something that sends one over the edge. The final straw. It breaks ones spirit, leaving the human entity grasping at every little shred of evidence available just to stay afloat, or keep their feet on the ground.

I can't count the number of times I have thought the same thing. This is the final straw. And yet, I am still here, still grasping, still believing that justice will e ... read more>>>

Article views: 717

Raymond a bachelor of 32 was walking the isles of his local grocery store. He was a very handsome man, intelligent and well educated. He had a great job, good health, and a house in the suburbs. He had everything a man could want, but he was still single. It wasn’t because he wanted to be alone; it was because women would only date him a few times, and then never answer his phone calls again. ... read more>>>

Article views: 726

2 comments |

I’m sitting in my car. It’s about 11 O’clock at night. There’s a warm breeze blowing out of the south. I’m listening to a favorite CD…Goapele. It reminds me of that night in late summer when I was sitting in that big black SUV in the parking lot of my hotel in Aibonito, Puerto Rico.

I was there for hurricane Jeanne. It was the fall of 2004. We’d all been down to one of our favorite cantinas all ... read more>>>

Article views: 704

2 comments |

Olympic soccer semi finals
Argentina vs Brazil

How exciting it was to learn that 2 of my favorite teams were going to meet in the match that I had tickets to! It created a day full of slowly building adrenaline, all the way until it was time to enter the stadium. As I approached the entrance, there were tons of people, some squeezing their way through the gate, some milling about, and others j ... read more>>>

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I looked out the window of my dorm room, thinking it was going to be such a beautiful day. If I got up, took a quick shower I could follow the trail from Giant Forest over to Lodgepole and be there in plenty of time for work. As I gathered my backpack and put on some regular clothes, I set my camera out beside my pack then realized I needed a couple of extra batteries. I grabbed them, backpack alr ... read more>>>

Article views: 977

I met a man. He is younger than me and a writer like I am. We started talking at an online dating site. He lives in Los Angeles and is working on some television scripts for the pilot of a new TV show.

He needs help with the writing and was drawn to my profile. He said I sounded creative, fun, sexy. He read a few of the things I've written and said he liked my writing style too.

I was drawn ... read more>>>

Article views: 919

Even today, 30 years after the terrifying visits ended, I become fearful about telling anyone what happened in that house or discussing it in too much detail. I think, “What if my speaking or thinking about it brings it back?” But, here I am telling you about it, taking my chances. As Mark Twain said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.” And so, I’ll share my sto ... read more>>>

Article views: 1557

JENNAH REMEMBERED A TIME SHE HAD WONDERED ABOUT FROM THE PAST. WHAT WAS THE REASON THAT PARTICULAR THING HAD HAPPENED? WAS IT TO MAKE HER MORE AWARE? TO MAKE HER MORE CAUTIOUS, BECAUSE CAUTION WAS WHAT SHE WAS DEFINITELY PRACTICING NOW.

SHE WAS NOT ONE TO BE PRONE TO OVERLY CAUTION. USUALLY IF SHE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING, SHE JUST DID IT. INSTINCT, THIS TIME THO WAS SENDING OUT QUESTION MARKS T ... read more>>>

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The Blue Line



This wasn’t part of the tour. This side of San Diego wasn’t featured in any of the scenic brochures, and the concierge at the Marriot forgot to mention it. Traveling the Blue Line trolley at night must be San Diego’s secret mode of transportation, available to only the most elite tourists. Or, perhaps the Department of Tourism just wants to keep its visitors alive during their ... read more>>>

Article views: 1569

1 comments |

The first thing thought that passed through my head when I woke up that morning was, “Here we are, the last day.” I rose from bed and began to dress, preparing to gather the things I would need.

We had all known for some time what was coming. Our scientists had seen it, predicted what might happen, what would probably happen. There had been time for mourning, time for panicking, and then tim ... read more>>>

Article views: 901

2 comments |

Days gone by
Days once lost
Days once remembered
Days once forgotten
Long since past

Days yet to come
Days soon to be
Days yet to be remembered
Days longed for
Are still to come

With this years gone past
Many more are still to come
With memories for us to hold
And days to never be forgotten. ... read more>>>

Article views: 937

The weight of the world
Sits on his shoulders
The days of tomorrow
Float about his head.
Fears of what waits to come
Tear at his mind.

He looks for an answer
By drowning his sorrows.
The quest for a reason
Waits before him.
The never-ending toil of life
Is all he has to look forward to.

But without regret,
He continues on his way.
Without remorse,
He chooses his purposes.
And ... read more>>>

Article views: 868

During the morning of last Sunday, an eerie, uncomfortable feeling came over me. I walked outside of my house, which is deep in the forest of Julian and looked around. The skies were clear. Nothing seemed to be amiss. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

I went inside and asked my wife and children to get dressed. My wife dressed our two year old, and my son, after some ... read more>>>

Article views: 1522