Articles written by Doug Stephens

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About me - Doug Stephens

I am a partner in a Houston-wide full service vending company. Formerly I was restaurant general manager and a reporter at a small-town newspaper in Kansas. In 2003 I received an honorable mention for business news reporting by the Kansas Press Association,

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Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Fear: 16 of 283

The howl of an owl, the scream of a snake, All hell's creatures are gathered in wake. The goblins, the gooks, the gross and the giddy, The yahoos, the yikes, the yokes and the yeti. All evil creatures of man's ancient lore- Ten thousand of them, no less and then more. A sinister purpose has drawn them all here, This god-awfu...
Arts & Humanities > Ancient History Who was Coriolanus in ancient Rome?: 1 of 12

Coriolanus was a legendary Roman general, whose exploits in the 5th century B.C.E., served to bolster the Romans' faith in their own power and superiority in military affairs. Whether the general actually existed, or if his story is a compilation of others' deeds and a morality tale is secondary to the power his legend held ...
Autos > Driving & Safety Road rage: What to do about inconsiderate drivers: 5 of 31

Believe it or not, sometimes your own driving may be the cause of road rage. The best way to avoid becoming the focus of another driver's ire is to drive well yourself, and to pay attention to the other cars on the road. Driving amongst the vehicular hoodlums of my own city, I have carefully developed the following methods t...
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: Does anybody buy cigarettes any more: 10 of 33

I smoke. I hate it when people ask to bum a smoke. I used to ride the city bus regularly. These three do not a good combination make. The mere appearance of a pack of smokes in a shirt pocket, or the outline of one through a pant pocket is enough to bring out every free-ridin', cheapskate in the metro area. It got so I would...
Arts & Humanities > Ancient History Romulus and Remus: The beginnings of Roman civilization: 5 of 16

The traditional and legendary founders of Rome were Romulus and Remus, twin brothers said to be the sons of Mars, the god of War, and a vestal virgin named Rhea Silvia. The brothers agreed to found a city of outcasts and criminals, and then fell to fighting on its precise location resulting in Romulus killing Remus in a fit ...
Sciences > Physical Science (Other) The history of the atomic bomb: 1 of 3

Advancements in science do not happen in a vacuum. Creating the atomic bomb was the work of large amounts of scientists drawing their inspiration from all sorts of sources, but perhaps the most important influence was a piece of science fiction by H.G. Wells. The physicist Leo Szilard, who was instrumental in harnessing nucl...
Hobbies & Games > Card Games Poker: How to play five-card draw: 3 of 6

Often, when people hear the word "poker," they picture different things. There are numerous variations of the game, ranging from common draw and stud games to more exotic versions like Tic-Tac-Toe; Chicago; and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. One of the most popular variations, and one of the simplest to play, is Five Card ...
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: The snoring bear: 1 of 2

"I'm hungry." That was Mikey, of course. He was always hungry that winter. It was understandable - after all, food was scarce. Still, the constant complaints did no one any good. Especially me. "Ok. Fine. You're hungry. What the heck do you expect me to do about it?" He looked at me with those big brown eyes. I melted. I alw...
Business > Entrepreneurship Should private companies be allowed to compete with the United States postal service: 4 of 7

The price of stamps has gone up again. Two pennies this time, from 39 to 41 cents. It won't break me. I personally only use about 20 stamps a month, so the increase will cost me an extra $4.80 a year. Other people might have to pay more than I do. The price of post cards goes up all the time. Priority and express mail, certi...
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Apologies: 84 of 98

The Apology It's not for everything I did, Although it might should be. It's for what I never did And now will never be.