Articles written by John Stall

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About me - John Stall

I live in the Philippines. I used to live in America. I like it better here, but sometimes that's because I have to.

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Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Finding bugs in the house: 1 of 75
The amazing biodiversity of the Greater Chicago area did not, in hindsight, adequately prepare me for the wonders of nature I was to encounter once I arrived in the Philippines. There were some things, of course, that were familiar to me. The rats and stray cats looked just like the ones back home and there were a handful of ... More..
Creative Writing > Memoirs Testimonies: Living in hurricane country: 1 of 20
I grew up in the Midwest, so it was not until I was well into my adult years that I first experienced a hurricane firsthand. I knew, of course, that hurricanes were dangerous and destructive, but to my flat-lander's way of thinking, any storm that gave a week's advance warning of its arrival and moved so slowly should be rela... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Ghosts & Paranormal Phenomena Facts surrounding the Amityville horror house: 1 of 13
The most famous haunted house in America, and well-known around the world, the 1920's-vintage Dutch Colonial at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York was the setting for a best-selling novel and at least nine bad movies about the terrifying supernatural events that afflicted the family of George and Kathy Lutz between Dece... More..
Arts & Humanities > Citizen Journalism Are online citizen journalists free of traditional restraints?: 1 of 12
Citizen journalists are free of some of the restraints of more traditional forms of journalism, but it is important to remember that the definition of "citizen journalist" is not "an opinionated malcontent airing views developed on the basis of things he read one time in Wikipedia." That, unfortunately, is the form taken by m... More..
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Tips for unpublished writers: 1 of 11
"Unpublished writer." I like that. Give me a moment to write that down on the list, just below "predicted anomaly" and "jumbo shrimp." Face it, kids, you're not a writer if everything you've got is paper-clipped together in a stack on the corner of your desk, or trapped somewhere on your hard drive. If your words are not in p... More..
Arts & Humanities > 19th Century US History The worst Confederate general of the Civil War: 1 of 8
The armies on both sides in the Civil War suffered from a lack of available command talent. The prewar army was small, and most officers with formal training from West Point were better small-unit leaders than they were general commanders. When the army divided itself according to individual loyalties at the outset of the war... More..
Arts & Humanities > 19th Century US History The worst Union general of the Civil War: 1 of 8
There are several good candidates for the dubious title of "Worst General" in the Union armies during the Civil War. Ambrose Burnside, whose best contribution to history was being the source of the term "sideburns," was an uninspiring alcoholic whose lack of tactical imagination was first revealed at Antietam, where his idea ... More..
Personal Finance > Personal Loans Are payday loans consistent with the free market?: 1 of 8

A free market is by definition one that is unregulated by any factors other than supply and demand, so in that sense, payday loans are indeed consistent with the free market. There is a demand for short-term loans that carry few credit restrictions; payday loan companies supply the loans to meet that demand. The implication o... More..
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: My first job: 3 of 21
As shocking as it may sound to today's indolent youth, most of us my generation had a pretty good idea that receiving money for our own personal use usually required at least a little effort. Like most kids, I went through a normal introduction to the working world; I had a paper route for a little while, mowed lawns and shov... More..
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Pain from love: 1 of 7
Love causes many people pain, and my brother and his wife were no exception. They had always had a stormy relationship, almost from the minute they first met. To the rest of us in the family, it was like watching a soap opera, a never-ending drama of fights, break-ups, make-ups, more fights, illicit affairs, making up again, ... More..