Ryan McCombs
Bio
Stories (7/0)
"All of the Children are Welcome to go South."
This morning, I received a message on Instagram from someone I had not heard from in years. In a moment of curiosity, I made the productivity-killing mistake of scrolling down my feed when I came across a post by President Biden regarding peace between Israel and Palestine. At that time, there were over 17,000 comments, and I couldn’t resist the urge to read through a few of them, despite knowing that it might lead to an endless rabbit hole. Among those comments, a top one by Rosy Pirani caught my attention: “Then why did you approve the ground assault? Gaza is over 50% children.” The responses that followed were not what I expected.
By Ryan McCombs2 months ago in Humans
Whispers of Wonder and Wisdom
In the captivating cavalcade of Colombian culture and its monumental figures, one name sparkles like a jewel — Gabriel García Márquez. A guiding star in the literary galaxy, García Márquez etched an indelible mark in the grand narrative of literature with his spellbinding tales, mesmerizing audiences far and wide.
By Ryan McCombs6 months ago in Humans
Yoga in the Classroom
As a teacher who has worked with children in the classroom and online, I know a thing or two about the behavior of kids in a learning environment. Some give you their undivided attention no matter the lesson you teach, a few will focus only when you’re teaching a topic they have an interest in, and then there’s the group that wiggle in their chairs just itching to go outside or play a video game. It can be quite difficult to manage this mix of students, but we do the best we can.
By Ryan McCombsabout a year ago in Education
Mr. Claims
He had been in Claims so long he couldn't remember his real name anymore. He introduced himself as Mr. Claims and no one questioned the tackiness of it all. Very few asked him questions about himself anyway and he seldom gave any name. He understood they needed their own reassurances and that's one of the services he provided.
By Ryan McCombsabout a year ago in Fiction
Girls Without Fear
On the outskirts of Bogota, Colombia lies a small town known as Soacha. The population is around 82,000, nearly 50 percent of which are displaced persons. The displaced persons come from all over Colombia. They are often escaping areas controlled by the rebel groups, FARC and ELN. These groups send their guerillas to collect what Colombians call vacunas (vaccines), these are fees they pay for “protection” and showing support for the groups. The support is involuntary if you’re poor and can only afford to live in a certain area. Mostly it is full of hardworking individuals and families who are doing their best, but it is still riddled with problems we often associate with poverty.
By Ryan McCombsabout a year ago in Humans
- Top Story - October 2022
NuggetsTop Story - October 2022
I’m a proud Tokyoite and have been for my 5 years living here. The alley I live on provides cozy spots to curl up for a nap, a variety of delicious scraps, and sometimes a passerby will give me a nice scratch on my back. I purr and rub against their leg and they might even give me a bit of their tuna sandwich. Unlike my alley-mates, I’m not scared of people. I’m the only one who knows my human given name, Takeo. When I was very young I lived with some folks and they were kind to me, but they were an elderly couple. They passed away a year apart from each other. The lady of the house fed me well and let me do as I please for the last year of her life. I had been mostly an indoor cat but I think she sensed my desire for the great outdoors. I was out roaming the streets when she took her last breath. I mourned her passing, but I expected it and we cats accept death better than humans.
By Ryan McCombsabout a year ago in Petlife
Jellyfish and the End of the World
They may be brainless, but jellyfish could wipe us out if they had one particularly fruitful breeding season. With fewer and fewer predators, jellyfish are thriving. This is because of overfishing and hunting of the creatures who help maintain balance in the ocean. These stinging blobs could eliminate humans and other species without laying a single jellied tentacle on us.
By Ryan McCombsabout a year ago in Earth
