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Yearly Archives: 2026
School Drones: Another Chapter in the Book of Insanity
I can picture it now: you beseech your local Congressman, “please lift the age for buying an AR-15.” After reminding the pleading parent about the Second Amendment, he casually notes that “your child should be okay. Your school has a drone system. “ Before getting to the drone specifics, let me wander a bit, helps […]
The Circle of Life
The Circle of Life, 2026 In the country I still on occasion refer to as “home,” even though my entire life is now thousands of miles away and I have no immediate desire to return, we have something that could be called a “Toxic Stew.” It is the unhealthy combination of power, money, drugs, and […]
1938
This essay was inspired by a brilliant book with a quirky, but accurate title: “One Day, Everyone will have always been against this.” Published in 2025, the author is Omar El Akkad. ** Lacking the requisite skills, I have made no attempt to differentiate speech patterns among the various participants in this essay. The setting […]
Vodka Anyone?
*According to the “Uvalde Leader-News,” 37 of the 64 local law enforcement officers who responded to the May 24, 2022 Robb Elementary massacre are still working locally; at least nine have been promoted. *On January 5, former Uvalde school district officer Adrian Gonzales goes on trial in Corpus Christi, Texas, accused of child endangerment and […]
Beth Macy
To Beth Macy: This is a fan letter, inclusive of a number of touchpoints, some trivial but fun, others close to being substantive — all prompted by reading “Paper Girl.” I grew up in West Henrietta, New York, a one traffic light town a few miles from where your photographer is a professor, RIT. […]
A Bit of Fiction: Fade to Black
Midafternoon on a chilly November Saturday, it was this close to being strike three, finito to the low probability fantasy of a somewhat addled brain, when a young guy rode his undersized bike into the playground at Locust and York streets in Towanda, tossed his backpack to the ground, and proceeded to swing like a […]