Do we know how to vote in our own best interests? The easy answer is, “Yes, of course.” But isn’t that lackadaisical answer, born of the desire for ever more facile and rapid solutions, at the root of our problems? For instance, does a fictional “Bob Smith,” a more qualified and more responsive candidate for […]
Recap: On an otherwise unremarkable spring night, in a pretty Boston neighborhood, a massive residential blaze sparks a blackout. As Ricky and his mother hunker down, they’re shaken by the sound of automatic gunfire down the street. Then, unbelievably… firefighters wounded… or dead?.. on the pavement in front of Mr. Skandowski’s burning house. Why? The […]
Recap: John Q. Private, Sr. completed his second term as governor of Mississippi. His son Johnny immediately succeeded him, and everyone got to stay in the governor’s mansion! On his first day in office, he was whisked away to an expensive, liquid lunch by “Wild” Wanda Watkins. Too much wine, too much champagne. And Johnny’s […]
A spring evening in Boston takes a turn Seventeen-year-old Ricky lay on his bed on a Friday evening before dinner. He was mentally exhausted from a tough week at school. Ricky, you see, is what they call a gifted student—a high-achiever. As he waited for the familiar call from his mom downstairs, he stared at […]
“Jeez, Wanda…” said Johnny Q. Private, the new governor of Mississippi. He felt he ought to say something, but that’s as much as he could come up with. In the back of that black limo, with the fractionally dressed Wild Wanda Watkins, in broad daylight—let’s face it—Johnny didn’t stand a chance, not by a longshot. […]
On days when conditions—water, nourishment, heat, lions—permitted, the woman, her mate, and the boy would gather great bunches of the fragrant plant known as “parfum d’Ethiopia.” Artemisia arborescens was a most useful tool in the survival of this “family.” You see, it provided cover. More specifically, it provided reliable cover for the entrance of the […]
The Man Who Represented Himself (Part II) John Q. “Johnny” Private, Jr. felt a bit strange on the morning of January 20th. He was now the governor of this great state, but he had awakened in his parents’ house! Well… it was complicated. You see, John Sr., his father, preceded him as governor, and they […]
Aboard the International Space Station, an eerie quiet and a wholly unexpected perspective In the opinion of some of the most talented scientists ever gathered, there were now more living human beings in their midst, in space, on this space station, than anywhere else in the galaxy. There were six aboard. On Earth, perhaps half […]
On the droughted Ethiopian savanna, a little boy clings to his mother for protection, and her mate tries to guide them to safety At dawn, the boy awoke belly-down, head nestled into his sleeping mother’s bosom. He thought she was the most comfortable place to sleep in the world. Briefly, he felt a euphoria, breathing […]
His career became much more lucrative when he whittled his constituency down to one Imagine the unimaginable: an elected official who never even thinks about the people who elected him. Instead, he—let’s call him John Q. Private, Jr.—works for the highest bidder. Every vote he casts is bought and paid for by special interests. “Special” […]