In our society there is a new class warfare emerging. It's no longer only "rich versus poor." It is already a "thinking class" versus a "scrolling class", a "reading class" versus a "streaming class", a "writing class" versus an "ai-prompting class." ~ Cheyenne L. Hunt, executive director of Gen Z for Change The photo is of Will Teague, and his cat. He a professor teaching at a university in the United States. (Teague that is, not the cat.) In his essay, which I have linked below, he emphasizes, "Students are not just undermining their ability to learn, but to someday lead." To that I'll add my own addendum: Students are not just undermining their ability … [Read more...]
Current Situation
November 20, 2025 I have been out of the United States since October 1, on a "quest," if you will. It's part business, part personal, and high on the reflective scale. Watching what's happening in the USA from afar is absolutely gut-wrenching. Everything I value - a free media, education, libraries, intellectual property rights, civil liberties, COMPASSION, and so much more - is all being devoured. And of the close to 350 million people who are citizens there, 70 plus million are terrified, 70 plus million are elated, and the the other 210 plus million don't know, or don't care. The Thing Is By Ellen Bass to love life, to love it … [Read more...]
Nero
I have been trying for months, even years now, to carry on as though the United States is not going the way of Ancient Rome. It's saddest because of my age group. We were the group that clawed our way to so many civil rights. And then some of us forgot about that, once we got a little security and money of our own. And now.... We are all Nero while Rome burns. … [Read more...]
Every Wednesday
It's a true challenge to go against the grain of societal norms. Yet, I have been doing so all my life. This year, I had my author website rebuilt (long overdue), and moved my posts from Facebook, which is the bastion of purposeful and poisonous misinformation, vicious corporate greed, and planet-decimating AI. I came back here, to my roots of online writing: a blog, on one of the oldest platforms, WordPress. It's a tough transition. I'm still getting my bearings, still trying to decide if I truly want to continue sharing my soul with a humanity that has little real compassion for...well...humanity. I promised myself I'd write here every Wednesday. I've kept that discipline, but … [Read more...]
I wonder if anyone else has noticed…
With the Legislative Branch of USA government essentially gone, and the Supreme Court firmly and consistently overruling any pushback on the overreach and lawlessness of Donald Trump's administration, the United States officially has only the Executive Branch in operation. Only the Executive Branch. And no one, it seems, has figured out what that means. … [Read more...]
The Secret Spice Cafe Aboard the RMS Queen Mary
The magnificent, historic Royal Mail Steamer, the Queen Mary, inspired my trilogy of novels, The Secret Spice Cafe. Once a luxurious ocean liner frequented for Atlantic crossing by A-list celebrities and royalty, she, the fastest ship of her time, was utilized to transport Allied troops during World War II. Her illustrious career did not end there, however, as she eventually "retired", but only from the sea, and is now permanently docked in Long Beach, California as a hotel and museum, where her storied history, (with a mysterious, unique element to it) is on display, alive and lively, for the education and enjoyment of her thousands of yearly visitors. I'm thrilled to announce … [Read more...]
A Reminder About You
Hacking and Extortion
Does the twenty-year-old pictured above deserve to go to prison? . (Read the story here) Maybe he does. But then, if he goes to jail for stealing identities and money, why do the folks at Anthropic, who are behind this act of thievery and identity theft get to settle out of court? Could it be because Antghropic is backed by some of the richest men in the world? What do you think? … [Read more...]
Harvest Moon
"The Harvest Supermoon rises in all its golden glory, marking the closest and brightest full moon of the season. The term “Harvest Moon” comes from ancient farming traditions — it’s the full moon closest to the autumn equinox, when its extended evening light helped farmers gather their last crops before winter. This year’s Harvest Moon is also a Supermoon, appearing about fifteen percent larger and thirty percent brighter than usual as it comes closer to Earth in its orbit. Look east shortly after sunset, and you’ll see the golden disk lifting above the horizon — a breathtaking symbol of change, reflection, and gratitude for nature’s cycles." … [Read more...]
Niko and Patricia’s Excellent Adventure
Between the ages of four and eight, my son was enthralled by the adventures of Bill and Ted, one excellent, one, as in 1980s American lingo, 'bogus', like so: These comedy/adventure/sci-fi films were the YA cult favorites of their time, and Niko was so onboard with them too. Can't remember how many times we watched those films together, nor how many times he repeated the dialogue, mimicked the air guitar playing of the two lead characters, and declared pretty much everything in his life, from his grandmother's pastitsio to his but-I'm-not-sleepy bedtime, as either, "excellent!" or "bogus," just as those characters would. "Bill" S. Preston Esq., and Ted "Theodore" Logan … [Read more...]
Sooper Sekret
TELEGRAM It's time to change strategies. STOP. An inquiring mind, an open heart, a spiritual soul, a sure and steadfast will. STOP. Off on a very important mission. STOP. See you soon. … [Read more...]
Nepal
Nepal is in the midst of what appears to be a genuine revolution against a corrupt government. Gen-Z Nepalese have chosen their new leader via a poll on a Discord server. Their new leader is expected to meet the Army Chief to form a new interim government to hold new elections. Whether this will work or become a tragedy remains to be seen, but the crucial thinh here is that the young people there put aside their differences and banded together. Something to think about. … [Read more...]
Today, It All Got to Me.
My resolution is to write here once a week, every Wednesday. I'm doing this in response to the class action suits against AI, in which many authors, including myself, are involved. (If you have an interest in what those entail, you can read the details on the Authors Guild website here.) And, since one of the suits includes Meta, apart from wishing people "happy birthday," or sharing fact-checked posts and videos about the inexoriable march to a dictatorship the United States is on, a march which too many people don't seem to realize is taking place even though they're being pushed right along, I'm here instead of on Fartfacebook, here, on my good old-fashioned Wordpress blog, set … [Read more...]