The Two Lead Stories this week (the “asthma stories”) were by far the most-suggested stories by readers recently. I think every one of them just suggested one or the other, and they probably didn’t know about the other. The two stories, which happened about a week apart, and about 165 miles apart, are pretty amazing together. Let’s start with the two stories, in True’s 24 January 2016 issue:
Medical
Sometimes You Lose One
I was taking Kit to a medical appointment in town (in the next county), and there was an ambulance call. Not for us, so we continued on. Then there was a second call. Also not for us, but that meant both ambulances are now out.
The Very, VERY Beginning
My buddy “Jawn” from my NASA days is one of those natural social networkers. I don’t mean on Facebook, I mean in real life, and throughout his whole life. Several of his friends are on a mailing list together; I know them all in Real Life myself, and they’re all great guys. One, Hy, sent out a joke to the group today about men and power tools.
“I Was Not In an Accident”
Another story that really needs the photo to drive it home (or to work).
A reader sent me the story, and I said “Eh, kind of humdrum” — until I saw what the driver said, which made the story worth telling. And then I saw the photo, and knew it was truly True fodder.
Psychic Pay
I write True to make a living, yes, and it’s gratifying that enough people support the publication to make that happen. But there’s another reason, too: I want to change the world just a little bit, on both a micro and a macro scale.
Lessons from a Strange Death
Odd deaths are a staple story type in True, sometimes as a cautionary tale about what not to do, and sometimes as a way to point out how horribly we can treat others. This is one such case, with an update.
Swine Flu
Yeah: Looks Like I Got It!
Honest to Goodness Good Stuff
Something fairly profound happened to my wife and me Sunday. I have a group of friends that I communicate with regularly via an email list, and Sunday afternoon I shared what happened with them. One asked, “Great story. Will you be sharing it with your readers?”
Weird News Video #20 — Listen to Disco
Episode #20: “Listen to Disco, Save a Life”, from True’s 19 October 2008 issue.
Weird News Video #17 — Politically Incorrect
Episode #17: “Politically Incorrect”, from True’s 28 September 2008 issue.
Missing In Action
There was no free edition on Friday, August 22. There were definitely reasons for that, and at first I decided I wasn’t going to say all the reasons why. But after thinking about it, and recovering from the problem I’m about to tell you about, I decided I owed you an explanation.
Health in China: Another Angle
I’m back after being offline for several days while cruising down the Yangtze on a riverboat (more on that in a few days). Meanwhile, a few observations on some things the Chinese are really doing right, healthcare-wise.
Health Care, Chinese Style
A previous post mentioned Hong Kong’s terrible smog (a word the Chinese don’t seem to know, but they understand “air pollution.” Another reader says there’s another term for it that’s spreading like the smog: the “Asian Brown Cloud“).
Cops Confirm: He Was Nailed!
Sometimes the story just isn’t complete without a photo …or two. From True’s 30 May 2004 issue:
Hold Your Breath
Last week, I ran this in the Author’s Notes area:
The Argument Every Man Has Been Looking For
Sometimes I think of a funnier tagline after I publish an issue. Sometimes I think of a funnier tagline before I publish it, but I don’t use it — usually because it’s just too nasty. This is one of those cases, so if you don’t like crude, you’ve been warned. Otherwise, on with the story, from the 21 July 2002 column:
Your Source for Medical Info…?
A U.S. doctor who reads True was distressed over the story on “exploding head syndrome”.