These short stories are works of fiction, so to speak. Some of the characters were actual living beings, but I have changed their names and have changed the circumstances surrounding them. Their names and the places associated with them do not represent any living or deceased person accurately. They have been fictionalized in much the same way someone copies a Picasso. Most of the characters are people I have known at some level and to some degree, but I must emphasize that in the story, these are fictional characters based loosely on people I have actually known. Some characters are totally fictitious, including narrators. Time wise, the relevant events primarily take place within a 50 year period, 1953 to 2003. Facts are actually alternate facts associated with the characters, and are included for dramatic embellishment. Accuracy of some facts may sometimes be subjective and not meant to be absolute. Artistic freedom is to be understood and accepted by the reader.