Ornery ramblings of a former political science professor turned author
This post is me putting on my ornery professor hat for a bit. Please note, some of this will be a quick and dirty run-down and missing many details. If, for some unknown reason, you feel compelled to go and dig through all the academic literature, I am happy to point you in that direction. I am NOT going to go into those details her and now. This is the “I’m explaining this to Aunt Martha at Thanksgiving” version.
Continue reading “Hard Power vs. Soft Power”
I missed my prompt for last week and didn’t get one sent in on time so I’ve picked up one of the spares this week. It’s was an interesting week and I will have more information to share in a few days. It’s exciting and good, but stressful as well and my writing has suffered (well, it’s disappeared) because of that stress. But, I think I have a handle on things now, and I’m back to writing.
Continue reading “Arcane Veterinary Care”
A late entry for Week 40 here in 2021 of More Odds Than Ends prompts. Been an interesting week. Stressful, insightful, decision-filled, yet without forward motion. At least the writing is going forward. This is just a bit of flash fiction that is a day late, but I hope not a dollar short.
Continue reading “Antiques”
This report is maybe 12 years old. Parliament buried it, and it stayed buried ’til River dug it up.
This is what they feared she knew. And they were right to fear ’cause there’s a whole universe of folk who’re gonna know it, too. They’re gonna see it.
Somebody has to speak for these people.
Y‘all got on this boat for different reasons, but y’all come to the same place. So now I’m askin’ more of you than I have before. Maybe all.
As sure as I know anything, I know this: They will try again. Maybe on another world. Maybe on this very ground swept clean. A year from now, 10, they’ll swing back to the belief that they can make people…better. And I do not hold to that.
So no more runnin’.
I aim to misbehave.
– Mal Reynolds, Captain, Spaceboat Serenity
Continue reading “I Aim to Misbehave”
The debate over putting pineapple on pizza has been blamed for starting online flame wars, ending friendships, destroying marriages, and all sorts of other general mayhem. Full confession here: I like pineapple on pizza. There. I said it. I like it. I also like a number of other toppings, but I’m generally old school in my first choice. Pepperoni and mushrooms is my usual go-to for toppings. Bell peppers and onions are absolute no-gos for me. So, what happens when you open the pizza box to find something completely unexpected and absolutely unknown?
Continue reading “Pizza”
Michelle Lauden always wanted to be a pilot and go to space, but that didn’t happen. Piloting sub-orbital planes, known as ballistics, got her closer to space than most people. Then on a routine flight leg she, her plane, and her passengers became pawns in the life-threatening political games playing out between two planet-spanning governments.
Continue reading “Book Review: Going Ballistic”
I’m going with stupidly evil or evil stupidity. Or simply, yes. The Biden Administration is stupid AND evil. Joe Biden is suffering from dementia/Alzheimer’s; take your pick – he’s not in his right mind. And even when he was in his right mind he lied like a rug, enabled his son’s hookers and blow habit, took cuts from dubious, illegal deals created by that same son, and covered for him. Jill Biden (notice how she’s not been in public for a while) thinks that she’s queen of the U.S. She insists that people outside of academia and academic settings call her “doctor.” That’s laughable and only arrogant assholes insist on that one. These are the people you voted for if you voted for Biden.
Continue reading “Stupidity or Evil?”