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There's a HS in Michigan that had a rebel mascot. That damn flag was all over the building until sometime around 2015/16? Whenever they started tearing down Confederate soldier statues. Nice, right?
There xar at least 2 high schools on Native reservations that call their teams the Redskins.
 
An unfinished series is less of a catastrophe than people make it out to be.
I've written a cliff-hanger on one of my stories, and on another website, it was widely criticized as an unfinished series. The site even posted some label on the story as an unfinished story? It has over 300K views.
 
a cover that takes a strong divergence from the original often wins me over
In 1963, Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote a song. The actor Richard Chamberlain "sang" it. It went nowhere. They gave it to Dionne Warwick. The formula. A few sales, not much. A couple of other singers tried it. Nope.

Bacharach was frustrated. He was sure it was a good song that should be a hit.

Bacharach was with A&M Records and the A was Herb Alpert (yes, of the Tijuana Brass.) Burt was expressing his frustration about this song to Herb one day. Alpert said to him "I have these kids I just signed; they won the Battle of the Bands at the Hollywood Bowl. I think they could do great with your song." Why not give it a shot, Bacharach figured.

Alpert told them not to listen to any of the previous versions, but to come up with a brand-new arrangement. They did. The female lead singer's voice and the arrangement crafted for hr were just what the song had waited seven years for. And they finally had their hit.

The song was called "Close to You" and it made those "kids" stars. They were a brother and sister act known simply as Carpenters.
 
And just because the Winter story contest kicked off today, and there is major controversy each year in my household ... I never decorate for Christmas until after the American Thanksgiving.
I consider it improper to do so, but then I'm the founder and President of the National Society for Only One Holiday at a Time.
 
It's too much. The song that makes me want to go on a killing rampage is the Paul McCartney tune, "Simply having a wonderful Christmas time."
Mine is The Little Drummer Boy, which Dave Barry once described as "a bunch of people standing around saying 'Pum.'"
 
Maybe you've never read O Henry.
Or maybe you don't understand what the word "many" means.

"The Gift of the Magi" is a decent story; it's a bit twee but that was the fashion, and it doesn't run long enough to wear out its welcome. Unfortunately, most of the people trying to write twist endings aren't O. Henry.
 
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