Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.  (Seen in a church bulletin.)

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Coming soon! Rogue Planet.  Hidden away from near-Earth planets in remote spiral arms of the Galaxy are Human worlds that have lost contact with more progressive worlds and reverted to strange and primitive customs and traditions, their leaders using religion, superstition, and imported technologies to rule in tyranny.  Survey ships explored and catalogued these planets as suitable for future colonization centuries earlier, but groups with a special interest in ensuring a homogeneous and often despotic society didn’t bother applying for permission to colonize.

Following the ITUIP (Interstellar Trade Union of Independent Planets) Protocol, ships are restricted to observe and maintain a hands-off policy for these rogue planets, even when there is great temptation to intervene.  Eden, where a theocracy rules with an iron fist, is such a planet.  A group of rebels struggles to end the oppressive regime to forge a new future.

Set in the same universe as the “Chaos Chronicles Trilogy” and the Dr. Carlos stories, this saga, mixing the best of hard sci-fi and swashbuckling fantasy, once again explores the never-ending battle between good and evil so prominent in the my works.  It’s another surprising and entertaining addition to his already extensive collection of sci-fi, mystery, and thriller tales.

In libris libertas….

Don’t go on automatic when listening to a fanatic.  The bet’s on the horse with thoughtful discourse.

Find a nook and read a book.  It’s active time for your mind.  (Not a plug for B&N’s Nook, by the way…but Nook users can take it that way if they like.)

Happy Leap Day!

In libris libertas….

Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.  (Seen in a church bulletin.  Husbands take note if you forgot Valentine’s Day.)

Don’t be a jerk on the way to work.  Even if late, don’t spread hate.

In libris libertas…

Late for a date with fate?  Leave people alive.  Don’t text and drive!

In libris libertas….

Those in the know can deal with snow, but move with care with black ice there.

The Oscar nominee list and many other horrific and egregious examples show we still have a long ways to go to realize Dr. King’s dream, so let’s resolve to continue working for equal opportunity and fair play for all Americans.  That’s the best thing we can do to celebrate his birthday!

It seems unfair that there’s only one day to honor them.  No matter your political proclivities, these men and women have fought bravely for this country to preserve our freedoms, including those freedoms to have and express our opinions freely.

We’ve made some progress.  During and after the Vietnam War, veterans got a bum rap.  I hate to use the trite phrase, but we now recognize their service and thank them for it.  Animosity in the Vietnam era always seemed odd to me; it was the time of the draft and the lottery.  Most had no choice about it.  Now all our service men and women are volunteers, skilled in what they do, and dedicated to keeping our country safe.

Let’s recognize their dedicated service, make sure they and their families are taken care of when they return to us, and applaud all those still in the service to this country today.  Do this each and every day, but especially today.

Maureen Dowd, NY Times columnist, recently quoted James Gleick, author, historian, and chronicler of how technology affects our lives.  (I remember him for his bio on Feynman.)  The quote: “Running for president is the new selfie.”  Considering the context in Ms. Dowd’s column, she was using it to refer to that most irascible and narcissistic of GOP candidates, Donald Trump, last seen in a revival-style meeting in the South (he even referred to Billy Graham).  But this post isn’t about Trump or even politics.  Instead, I’ll use the quote to explore the topic in the title.

One of the reasons I’m not active on Facebook anymore (there are many) is that I became tired of how incredibly narcissistic many FB users are.  People mounting internet soapboxes to send their harangues out to the world about myriads of causes from politics and religion to personal food choices is the least of it.  Zuckerberg and friends, super-narcissists in their own right, have tapped into a new 21^st century phenomenon (yeah, it started in the late 20^th): people are incredible narcissists, and it spans all generations, from Baby Boomers to Gen-Xers and Millennials.  Maybe they can’t have Warhol’s fifteen minutes of fame, but they can sure have their fifteen second chunks of it on FB—or so they think.

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