A compendium of fifty-one short stories ranging from politics and travels to tales of adventure and romance. Their topics vary exuberantly from the 9/11 origins of the croissant and the bagel pastries over three-hundred years ago to what life in the universe will be like a thousand years from now. But they also tell of beloved pets and of broken hearts. They make you laugh and may move you to tears. They make you think and see things you never knew or overlooked before. Life in all its nakedness, vicissitudes, and mysteries.A compendium of fifty-one short stories ranging from politics and travels to tales of adventure and romance. Their topics vary exuberantly from the 9/11 origins of the croissant and the bagel pastries over three-hundred years ago to what life in the universe will be like a thousand years from now. But they also tell of beloved pets and of broken hearts. They make you laugh and may move you to tears. They make you think and see things you never knew or overlooked before. Life in all its nakedness, vicissitudes, and mysteries.