My Inner Author

Much has been made in the news the past few days about the pending budget cuts in the Leon County School System. Sadly, it appears the effects of these cuts may already be taking place. Apparently, the school can no longer afford e-mail or letters to parents. How do I know? Well, here you go. A member of the staff at Swift Creek Middle School solicited sex from a student of the school. When the student reported this to the administration, the person was removed from the grounds while the investigation continued. This happened on May 6th. Some 11 days later, when the investigation revealed sufficient evidence to arrest the perpetrator, the Leon County School Board terminated the staff member's employment. So far, so good. However, even as I type this note, over a week after his arrest on the charges of soliciting sex from a student, the school STILL has not notified the parents in any way. This honestly isn't even vaguely excusable. This isn't the CIA covering ...

Monday night at 9pm EDT Stargate Universe will end it's two year run on the SciFi Network. As the third Stargate series in the franchise, a fair number of fans also considered it the weakest of the Stargate shows. But they really missed out on a good show with some great stories in the making. Alas, the very reason I love the show, is likely the biggest reason it got canned: it is a darker show than most. Which is why I really did enjoy it. I love SciFi as a genre. It allows for such a wide canvas of story telling, but the shows and stories which really call to me are the darker ones. You can keep the Love Boat in space, we are all one big happy family in space stories. Some of those can be alright at times, but the real payoff in Science Fiction (indeed most genres) for me, is in the struggle to stay true to yourself, despite all the temptations and reasons to cross that line. Deep Space Nine remains my all-time favorite Trek show, and I loathed it in the first season an...

I have seen so many varied reactions since the news broke on Sunday evening that UBL (or OBL) had been killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan. In Philadelphia, the crowd watching an extra innings game between the Phillies and Mets began to get Tweets, texts and emails about the news. Spontaneously the crowd began chanting," USA! USA!" I am sure there were some very confused players on the field at that moment. Until, they heard the news, then the chills broke out. Outside the White House and in other key areas in several cities, parties broke out. People waved flags and danced in the streets. Surely some, in the quiet and privacy of their homes, cried. To those who lost loved ones on that horrific day of 9/11, perhaps it provided a sense of closure. For me personally, I did not dance. I did not cry. I simply prayed once again for those who have suffered as a result of the pure evil and hatred that man spewed forth into the world. I prayed for those who have spent year...

Okay, I sat out a good few topics over the past couple of months, trying to turn some ideas for short stories or more into just that (short stories or more). I have found writing fiction is not as easy as it looks. But, I am making progress. ;-) However, this week I have seen news headlines talking about the looming shutdown of the federal government and the contentious talks going nowhere. Well, I sure wish the populace of our great country could spare 300 seconds of their lives to educate themselves on the topic and tell ALL of these clowns in Washington to get a freaking clue! I have seen 2, yes two, as in a pair of people out of 535, who get it when it comes to our massive spending problem and the deficit. (Okay, Ron and Rand Paul probably do too, but I have not seen them speaking out on it in the press of late). Congrats Marco Rubio and Paul Ryan, you should get a prize for understanding the sheer scope of the problem. Alright, I will do my part to help people stop for...

To those who have not been to Universal's Island of Adventure, and Harry Potter's World of Wizardry portion of the park yet, it is very cool. They have done a good job, and the attention to detail is noteworthy. However, you should stay at one of the hotels that gives you early admission to the park and go to Harry's area first. See what you want, enjoy the experience and then venture into the rest of the park. If you just go during normal hours, be there when it opens, or be prepared to wait hours just to see the Potter part of the park. It is well worth the trip and truly the park is a good balance between coasters and motion simulators. Now, to Universal. You did a great job. However, it is obvious this got rushed a bit and you had no real grasp of the reach this would have. You merely recycled a portion of the Islands park, and it is not nearly enough to meet the demand. You should seriously consider expanding the area, and if you decide to build Potter park...

To those who follow college football in general, surely the name Cam Newton rings a bell. He is considered the Heisman Trophy front-runner and the starting quarterback for an undefeated and #2-ranked Auburn Tigers team. Jerrod Johnson, you may not know. He is the backup quarterback at Texas A&M University. Johnson had been the starter for several years, but had struggled lately and has been relegated to backup status. Cam Newton began his college football career at the University of Florida. In 2007, he actually beat out current UF starting QB John Brantley to be the primary backup to Tim Tebow. In 2008, he actually played in the season opener against Hawaii, but hurt his ankle and took a redshirt since he would have not played much anyhow. In November of 2008, he was arrested on felony charges of burglary, larceny and obstruction of justice after allegedly purchasing a stolen laptop from a student at the University of Florida. He was suspended from the team after his arr...

Well, I last wrote about Lost, one of the greatest shows to have ever graced the small screen. So, next up on my "Love of SciFi" series is Battlestar Galactica (or BSG as it is commonly referred to online). BSG first aired as a show in the 1970s. Given the times, the cast, the shallow plots, and cheesy storylines and effects, it should have been called "Bonanza In Space". It did have a majestic feel at first, but in short order, it stooped to become standard 1970s TV. However, in 2001, a daring writer from the Star Trek: The Next Generation series (a great group of very talented writers by the way) named Ronald Moore, pitched a "re-imagined" version of the show. This would not be Bonanza In Space, but more along the lines of Survival Skills and Dilemmas While Facing Extermination. It would not feature a cute kid with a robot dog; it would have characters seriously questioning their morality, and mankind's too. Even the sets would be darker, g...