Have you ever had a Medium story go viral online, but were only paid pennies for it? — Have you ever felt the pain of a Medium article going viral or ending up as a top result on a Google search, yet making little to no money because most of your reads were external? This has happened to me more than once. I’ve had stories do very well…

My Newsbreak journey: 10K followers and over 400 stories in under 2 years — I began writing on NewsBreak from a tip from a Medium writer in December 2020, and I’m so glad I gave it a shot. My 10K followers aren’t even that many for NewsBreak. There is potential to go viral on stories there, and when you do, you can pick up…

The Kansas abortion vote shows how extreme and out of touch the Supreme Court has become. — The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, Toto, wheat fields, and tornadoes are some of the things that come to mind when people think of Kansas. I know this because I grew up there, and when I moved away, these are the things people would ask me about, with a smile on…

After 40 years, Klondike called it quits on the Choco Taco — If you love Klondike Choco Tacos, you will surely be disappointed by the news that the taco-shaped frozen treat will no longer be made. However, they are now for sale at astoundingly ridiculous prices on eBay. You can find the beloved taco-shaped ice cream treat ranging from $3.25 …

Still in beta form, you can set up your tip jar today. — Scrolling through my Medium feed this morning, I discovered many writers are talking about the new tipping feature that has recently been added to Medium. Starting now, you can head over to your settings page and see Tipping under Audience Development.

The Hindu temple, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir of Chicago is open to visitors — Although Chicago is a city known for its architecture, visitors may not expect to see a palace made of Turkish limestone and Italian marble sitting in the suburbs. Head west of downtown Chicago for about 45 minutes to find the suburb of Bartlett and the incredible Hindu temple, BAPS Shri…

The Couch Tomb at the south end of the Chicago attraction is a reminder that Lincoln Park was once a cemetery — I took a stroll through Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood recently. It was a perfect summer day. Clear skies, but not too hot, thanks to the cool breeze blowing in from the lake. Crowds of people were milling around. …

There is a lot more to libraries than books — How do you provide a fun, entertaining, and maybe even educational summer to your kids home from school when inflation has reached levels we haven’t seen since 1981? It’s not my imagination that our monthly budget has gone out of whack. Inflation in the U.S. rose 9.1% in June from…

After all, it worked on mudbugs, slimeheads, and toothfish — Asian carp were imported to American waterways in the 1970s to control harmful algae blooms. However, as we know from Jurassic Park, this kind of thing never works out. The carp escaped the waterways and treatment plants within a decade and quickly spread to the Mississippi River. …