False News
At the time when the Founding Fathers codified freedom of speech, they had few illusions about the press or its truthfulness, but at that time, they were used to untruthfulness being applied more to...
View ArticleChilling Tales
Earlier today, I joined three other authors for a discussion of our latest books, sponsored by Tor and Firehouse Books, with a focus on the aspects of horror in those books. I discussed Isolate, which...
View ArticleLabor Shortages?
The so-called labor shortages facing the U.S. today are the result of a number of underlying factors, some of which have been ignored or dismissed. A study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis...
View ArticleFollow the Damned Numbers
Just because people feel strongly and voice those feelings persistently at high volume doesn’t mean that they’re right. It usually does mean than they’re feeling angry and frustrated. Sometimes, those...
View ArticleHot Off the Press
I was recently featured on Con-Tinual’s “Hot Off the Press” program, along with other authors. The Facebook version is live now at https://www.facebook.com/james.nettles/videos/6641981779153027 . The...
View ArticleDenial
The other day I read in the next-to-latest edition of BBC History about how the BBC was swamped with complaints about a program that depicted a Roman Legion Commander as dark-skinned. The facts – lots...
View ArticleElection Insanity?
Not all election insanity or power-grabs are national. Last Tuesday, Cedar City held an election for its mayor and for two city council seats. The city’s population is roughly 36,000, and the city’s...
View ArticleDying for Your Beliefs?
The fatality rates of diseases, at least in theory, shouldn’t have any connection with political beliefs. That’s in theory, but since this past June, that theory has been proven wrong. Since Delta...
View ArticleArrogance and Arrogance
In the United States of today, I’ve observed two types of arrogance manifested by those who have ability and power, usually but not exclusively by males. The first type of arrogance is that typical of...
View ArticleNaysayers
Now that Isolate is finally published, I’ll be interested to see if reader reviews follow a familiar pattern to that of my earlier books, a pattern, interestingly enough, that also occurs in the...
View ArticleThe Interface Problem
The first two definitions of “interface” are: (1) the point where two systems, subjects, organizations, etc. meet and interact and (2) a device or program enabling a user to communicate with a...
View ArticleThe Fragile Generation
This past semester, my wife, the voice and opera professor, has been faced with the most fragile and unprepared group of incoming students that she’s seen in more than fifty years of teaching, although...
View ArticleTubby & Coo’s Interview
For those who are interested, here’s the link for the interview I did with the New Orleans book store, Tubby & Coo’s Mid-City Book Shop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBRgqanr-bc
View ArticleCompetence
I recently discovered that a number of readers have decided that my books fall into a category that I’d heard in passing over the last several years – “competence porn.” I don’t have a problem with...
View ArticlePublic Appearance?
I happen to like vests, but it’s clear that, except occasionally with three-piece suits, vests are not currently popular or fashionable in most parts of the United States. But what is fashionable...
View ArticleThe Liars/Hypocrites Party
According to recent polls, roughly 60% of registered Republicans and Republican office-holders have now endorsed the lie that Trump had the election stolen from him by fraud. In addition, the...
View ArticleThe Slippery Slope
In the previous post, I lamented the massive lack of honesty among Republicans, especially among elected office-holders, who are getting to the point where at least some of them will literally do...
View ArticleChristmas and Planned Obsolescence
We have a long-standing Christmas tradition. Actually, we have quite a few, and I suspect all couples who’ve been married (or together) thirty years have long-standing holiday traditions. But the...
View ArticleA “Christian Nation” ?
Lately, especially over the last few years, there’s been a great deal of rhetoric from largely conservative sources about the need to stop “the war on Christian America,” a “war” supposedly being waged...
View ArticleFor the People?
I can understand that Republicans feel Democrats spend too much and want to spend even more. I can understand that they feel the “wild left” is pushing gender/sexual politics beyond the law. I can...
View Article