Original Sins?
There are two basic aspects to any problem that an intelligent person should consider: (1) the cause of the problem and (2) the most practical solution. The first aspect is a good idea so that you...
View ArticleUnderstanding and UNDERSTANDING
Over past years, I tried to explain what my wife the voice and opera professor does, day in and day out, and why what she does is so brutally exhausting. I’ve largely given that up, because no amount...
View ArticleAmerican ISIS
Over the past several months, ISIS elements have either been in the headlines and news shows, particularly for their use of force, violence, and media savvy in getting across the point that nothing is...
View ArticleNot So Special
It’s now approaching the halfway mark of the fall semester at the university, and certain all too predictable things are happening. A significant percentage of students, especially first year students,...
View ArticleAssessment Mania
Enough of the surveys! Enough of rating everything! And especially enough of tests and studies conducted or designed by “impartial outsiders.” Today it seems as though any business or institution of...
View ArticleJust One Thing
The other day I went to the grocery store for just one thing. Now, I’ll admit that, since I was there, I did pick up several other items, but I wouldn’t have gone if I hadn’t wanted to pick up that one...
View ArticleOutsiders
In the United States, the “outsiders” continue to dominate the Republican presidential nomination contests, and even among the Democrats, outsiders are gaining ground. What makes this all so surreal is...
View ArticleSimplifying Laws
More than a few people have asked the question “Why can’t Congress simplify the laws, rather than making them more complex?” Similar questions are asked about federal regulations all the time as well....
View ArticleOctober Question
In seeing that Solar Express is about to be published, I realized that I only see SF books by you every few years. Why don’t you write more science fiction? Unfortunately, the answer is simple and...
View ArticleArticle 0
For some reason, a lot more of what I’ve been reading lately has been non-fiction, including two books by David McCullough — The Wright Brothers and The Johnstown Flood, both of which I found most...
View ArticleContra-Trend
Depending on who’s taking the survey and when, between forty and fifty percent of recent college graduates are underemployed, meaning that they’re working in a job that doesn’t require a college...
View ArticleCellphones
One of the most regrettable trends I’ve seen in recent years is how many acquaintances and friends have given up landlines entirely for their cellphones. Included in this trend are several of our grown...
View ArticleAll Too Casual
A week or so ago my wife and I went out to dinner at our favorite local Italian restaurant, a modestly upscale establishment, and as such, one of perhaps three in our entire geographic area. We enjoyed...
View ArticleEducation Is Not a Right
In all the hassles and kerfuffles involving the issue of education, it seems to me that one critical aspect of the problem has been totally overlooked, and that is the difference between the “right” to...
View ArticleRight-to-Live?
Economics has been called the “dismal science” by many people for many reasons. Personally, I’d like to think that it’s because, when employed properly, it reveals the aspects of human behavior very...
View ArticleArticle 3
Just before I left for World Fantasy Convention, I turned in another Imager Portfolio book, this one entitled Assassin’s Price. It will be a bit before it’s scheduled, but Teachery’s Tools is now...
View ArticleArticle 2
I just read the advance bound manuscript of fun YA novel from Carrie Vaughn entitled Study Abroad, but it won’t be published until January 2017 [from TOR]. I also just finished an ARC by a new author,...
View ArticleSpecial Ebook Offer from Shelfie
Over the past several years, a number of my readers have asked me why they had to pay a lot extra to get an ebook if they already owned a paper copy of that same book. Now, if you’re one of them, you...
View ArticleRun… or Wait Forever?
Most of the past week I spent at the World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs, New York, not only attending panels, but also meeting with my editors, and my publisher, as well as being a panelist...
View ArticleThe Sins of the Parents?
Just a little over a week ago, the regional theocracy more widely known as the LDS Church announced changes to Handbook 1, the guide for its lay leaders, not that the LDS Church has any other kind,...
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