Bald and Bloviating

At the home stretch of finishing and publishing my second novel, I waxed nostalgic and sought eleventh hour inspiration in dusting off the short story that spawned it. Here I give a bit of background, and read the original post that has evolved to a fully rendered novel, first in a series, out on Amazon and Kindle soon... 

My short story on Medium:

https://medium.com/@mookiespitz/johnny-fazoolie-the-transfinite-reality-engine-9b2ee679b837?sk=ce18b77c905e6e729c584855841e80b4

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The "Multiverse" has become a science fiction cliche and science fact distraction -- but where did the idea come from, and what might it mean for our lives if the hypothesis were actually true? I'm soon to publish a sci fi novel with this theme, taking a new take on it as described in this solo episode. Hope you enjoy!

Here's an early draft of an early chapter from my sci fi novel as a teaser:

https://medium.com/@mookiespitz/johnny-fazoolie-the-transfinite-reality-engine-9b2ee679b837?sk=ce18b77c905e6e729c584855841e80b4

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How often do we hear the expression "Everything always happens for a reason"?

I think the reason is rationalizing failure, and trying to sugar coat the inherent unfairness and difficulties of life. 

Here I describe why this phrase embodies the worst aspects of our "self-help" obsessed culture, and propose a better way to realize goals. 

Eager to hear what you think! 

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What happens when a Democrat tries to articulate what he thinks is the "Trump Doctrine" to another Democrat, who isn't having it? You get this podcast! Listen as two liberals go mano-a-Mar-a-Lago over Trump's second term so far... Regardless which side you sit on, the conversation takes some unexpected turns!

The Debaters

Vince Parry is a Democrat who dislikes (stronger words?) all things Trump.

Mookie Spitz is the podcast host, who also voted for Harris but tries to espouse what he considers Trump's strategy, especially regarding foreign policy. 

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The Intent

Sitting down and trying to understand the Middle East, and doing so as objectively as possible -- what do you think? 

The Original Video (at 1.5x speed)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=866CL2WWd0M&t=239s

My Medium Posts

https://mookiespitz.medium.com/list/middle-east-war-peace-e8a9771a422e

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A voting Democrat shares his take on "The Trump Doctrine" and how it makes sense, and why understanding its intent and merits are vitally important even and especially if you don't agree with it.

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The Wright Brothers flew sixty years ago, and it's been almost as much time since the Apollo Moon landings -- yet humans haven't been back since, not even leaving Earth orbit. What's gone wrong with the space program, and what's gone right? I ask the best-informed space geek I know, Carl Alessi, and have a wonderful conversation about where we were, where we are, and where we could and should be going...

The Guest

Carl grew up in Orange County, California during a time when several of his family’s friends worked on the Apollo project. A life-long devotee of the manned space program, he has published articles on the history of NASA’s early attempts to piece together a strategy to land men on the moon by the end of the 1960s.

Several years ago, Carl was asked to write the screenplay for the documentary “Searching For Skylab”, which was America’s first space station and the follow-up to the Apollo moon landings. The film won several awards and had its premiere at the Kennedy Space Center. He’s now working on a book about the development of the Apollo Lunar Module that successfully culminated in Apollo 11’s landing in the Sea of Tranquility in 1969.

Links

https://searchingforskylab.com/

Links to my two-part article about NASA’s decision to use Lunar Orbit Rendezvous for Apollo to land on the moon:

The Space Review: “Do we want to get to the Moon or not?” (part 1)

https://www.thespacereview.com/article/3384/1

The Space Review: “Do we want to get to the Moon or not?” (part 2)

https://www.thespacereview.com/article/3388/1

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A solo chat where I share my excitement and learnings after going viral on TikTok, and figuring out how to transform my self-image as a writer and blogger to a video ranter and now podcaster... 

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The first month of Trump's second term is being slammed by Democrats as executive over-reach, and celebrated by Republicans as a return to how the Framers of the Constitution defined the role. 

Today's guest explains what he means by a "unitary executive," and how Trump is following an established tradition that has since been eroded by the legislature and courts, creating a corrupt and bloated bureaucracy. 

The Guest

Ed Powell received his PhD in Astrophysics (Plasma Physics and Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion) from Princeton University and has worked as a contractor for the Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and the Intelligence Community since graduating. Today he owns his own consulting company specializing in systems and simulation architecture and engineering.

Resources 

No discussion of US politics is complete without reading the United States Constitution, especially, in this case, Article 2, Section 1:

https://capitolhistory.org/us-capitol-history-for-teachers/united-states-constitution-annotated/

The constitution specifies a “unitary executive”. Read more about it here and in the links on this page:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/unitary_executive_theory_%28uet%29

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Old School Liberal HP and Libertarian Me both voted for Harris, but now that Trump is in office have different views of the administration's policies and where the nation is headed...

The End of American Exceptionalism

https://mookiespitz.medium.com/the-end-of-american-exceptionalism-415ae8e1b333

Eleventh Hour Election Debate

https://mookiespitz.medium.com/eleventh-hour-election-debate-d4c4f354ac95

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