Is their sadistic story over? — The predatory pair held an extraordinary love for ordinary tools. Ice picks, pliers, and screwdrivers, found in most go-to toolboxes, were their preferred weapons. They used everyday instruments for evil purposes of rape, torture, and ultimately death, winning them the Toolbox Killer label. Nothing was ordinary about the partnership of…

Are bugs and worms trying to crawl out of your skin? — A baffled American mom, Mary Leitao, christened a horrifying new disease as Morgellons (MD) in 2002. She created the name based on a similar-sounding medical condition reported in the seventeenth century. That disease causes innocent children to suddenly sprout hairs on their backs. Leitao’s son was suffering from unexplained sores…

A rare walking corpse syndrome — During my senior year at the University of Missouri in the 1970s, I was required to complete an internship as part of my double major in sociology and psychology. My professor assigned me to a state-run Department of Mental Health (DMH) hospital for the mentally ill. He handed me the…

The platform is being used to encourage violence against women — Online subcultures with extremist beliefs have been using the internet for decades to spread their chosen ideologies, fueling the growth of hate speech and violence. On May 23, 2014, 22-year-old Elliot Rodger, the Isla Vista, California, shooter, and self-proclaimed incel, openly declared “war on women.” …

Did she really snub feminist icons like Gloria Steinem? — During and after her lifetime, famed American artist Georgia Totto O’Keeffe (1887–1986) has been heralded as an iconic feminist leader. But was she really, and how did O’Keeffe feel about that moniker? O’Keeffe was possibly one of the most prominent female modernist artists of the 20th century. Before her death…

Why Am I Having A Panic Attack At 3:00 In The Morning? — I was startled awake by grinding, gnawing, scurrying, scratching, and scuffing. My heart started racing as I listened intensely. Was I dreaming? Had Texas roof rats once again invaded the sanctuary of my home? My accelerating cardiac drumbeat was accompanied by terrifying sensations. Shortness of breath intensified the deep pain…

It only takes a few minutes and it means so much — Contrary to whispers, rumors, and innuendos, Medium editors aren’t a bunch of fat cats with hefty paychecks, expense accounts, free business-paid airline upgrades, espresso machines, or cushy offices. If a Medium editor happens to have access to any of those perks, it’s only because they labor away at a job…

Time, money, and freedom are factors — My goddaughter’s two-year-old child refuses to stay in her bed at night. Emma and Scott, Mia’s parents, are both chronically sleep-deprived, overworked, and over-extended. To make matters worse, Scott’s job in software requires him to travel two weeks every month. Like most toddlers her age, Mia is a boundary pusher…

Feminist fashion designer Elena Velez is getting down and dirty — As the hard-hitting industrial techno soundtrack blared, the fashion show’s traditional finale march began. At that moment, a handful of sour-faced, lank-haired “anti-heroine” models appeared. They suddenly dropped into a sizable rectangular mud pit in the catwalk’s center. The waifs rolled and thrashed in the quagmire, ruining their expensive clothes…