Curmudgeons Corner
Random thoughts on politics, current events, popular culture, and whatever else interests me.
Monday, March 16, 2026
I read two books at the tender age of 13 that influenced my thinking in subsequent years. One was The Diary of Anne Frank which informed my knowledge of the human cost of the Holocaust and led, recently, to my alternate history story, The further adventures of Anne Frank: An alternate history of a life uninterrupted.
The other book was The Population Bomb by Paul Ehrlich, the premise of which was that overpopulation would outstrip the world's ability to sustain human life, resulting in catastrophe. My thinking was that instead of drastic limits on growth we should seek resources beyond the Earth.
In any case, as I note in Paul Ehrlich proves the prophets of doom are wrong once again, The Population Bomb has turned into a population fizzle, with human ingenuity making up the slack of resources. Ehrlich inspired a lot of unwise policies, including China's one child policy.
in any case, Ehrlich has finally done his bit to reduced the Earth's population and has died.
Sunday, March 15, 2026
How Congress became NASA’s partner for the Artemis return to the moon
The NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026 has passed the Senate Commerce Committee, chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). When one looks over its contents, one has to wonder what a difference 16 years makes.
Saturday, March 14, 2026
Children of Apollo (3 book series) #CommissionEarned
From Book 1: July, 1969, the crew of Apollo 11 has triumphantly returned to Earth. In this alternate history thriller, President Richard Nixon puts into a motion a scheme to ramp up the space race to pressure the Soviets into making diplomatic and military concessions. Thus begins a story of high adventure on the final frontier and of low intrigue in the corridors of power back on Earth. It will prove to be the fulfillment of a dream for Wendy Pendleton to be the first woman to walk on the moon. It will be a nightmare for Cal Lauren, a political operative determined to stop the space race at all costs to fund the social programs he holds dear.
Children of Apollo: The Space Race Gambit continues with Children of Apollo: The Hard Road to the Stars and concludes with Children of Apollo: The First Woman on the Moon.
Friday, March 13, 2026
A Brother on the Moon #CommissionEarned
On a December day in 1967, a pilot whose jet fighter is in the process of cracking up ejects a moment sooner and therefore lives when he otherwise might have died. A life that would have ended on the tarmac at Edwards Air Force Base continues on. Six years later, Major Robert Lawrence, United States Air Force, becomes the first black American to walk on the Moon.
Patton in Palestine #CommissionEarned
Having survived World War II and returned to America, General George S. Patton is given a new assignment by President Harry Truman. He is to travel to the British Mandate of Palestine, where a bloody war is brewing between Jews and Arabs, and give his evaluation to the President. But Patton's tendency to exceed his orders may prove a problem for the United States government. Moreover, a dark secret from his past will threaten to derail his mission entirely.
A stunning work of alternate history that places one of the 20th Century's greatest soldiers in the midst of the founding of the State of Israel.
The further adventures of Anne Frank: An alternate history of a life uninterrupted #CommissionEarned
Tom Fischer thought he had seen every horror imaginable while covering the war in Europe. Embedded with British and Canadian troops, he had seen the effects of battle from Normandy to the abortive Operation Market-Garden to the final assault on Nazi Germany.
But when he entered the newly liberated Bergen Belsen concentration camp, Fischer knew that he had come to a new kind of man-made hell that was unimaginable in the history of the world. Thousands of people had been left to die of starvation and disease. Despite the best efforts of the allies, thousands more would die during the days after the liberation. A month later, Fischer decided to interview one of the survivors of Bergen Belsen, a young, teenage girl who had been found on the brink of death but was now on the road to recovery.
Her name was Anne Frank.
In this work of alternate history, the girl whose diary gave a voice to the Holocaust survives to put her mark on history from war-torn Europe to an ancient land convulsed in the birth pangs of a nation both ancient and modern called Israel.
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
William Shatner To Undergo Surgery After Horrific Fall Off Horse All prayers for William Shatner. He was great in Boston Legal, not to mention that now little known space opera franchise that I'm sure everyone has forgotten about.
Why is America Going Back to the Moon (How America went to the moon, stopped, and is returning again) #CommissionEarned
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Monday, March 09, 2026
Sunday, March 08, 2026
Isaacman makes his mark by revamping the Artemis return to the moon
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman recently announced a revamping of the Artemis program that will take Americans back to the moon. The new plan includes a new mission to take place between the upcoming Artemis II voyage around the moon and the eventual first crewed moon landing in over 55 years.
Saturday, March 07, 2026
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