In Stores Now, Literary Liaisons

In Stores Now- The Girl On the Train

Today I’m not even going to bother with a preamble. There will be no smooth segue into our topic of interest. No this post will be jarring. And disconcerting. And hopefully will be an absolute pain to read. And still it will have more narrative cohesion than The Girl on the Train. This mess of a book debuted at number one on the NY times best seller list and stayed there for thirteen weeks. And because of that I hate all of you. Maybe I should be nicer.  After all someday I will have a debut novel that someone will…

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Discourse of the Day, The Silver Bullet

The Silver Bullet- Curriculum Goals

*Note: If you have not already done so please read my philosophy on education which can be found here. The American education system has a problem in that it spends far more energy focusing on what it can accomplish rather than what it should accomplish. That is not to short change the wonderful men and women who are doing the best they can with what they’ve got. Some of their efforts are truly herculean. But they shouldn’t have to be. Instead of trying to make do with what they’ve got they should have an over-abundance of resources to accomplish their…

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Mind Blown, Science!

Mind Blown: White Holes

We all know about black holes, those cosmic devourers from whose gravitational pull nothing, not even light, can escape. They are a point of fascination in both science and sciences fiction so common that the phrase “like a black hole” has become a part of our vernacular. But while you’ve probably heard about black holes you’re likely not all that familiar with their astronomical twin: the mythical white hole. In this month’s Mind Blown section I take a look at a natural phenomenon so mind bending to this point it has only been theorized about. So what exactly is a…

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Discourse of the Day, In Theory

In Theory- Civil Asset Forfeiture

Hello and welcome to the first installment of In Theory here at The Eclectic Eccentric, a series that will focus on things in our society that were designed to work a certain way but for whatever reason don’t. Fair warning due to the unavoidable reality that the “whatever reason” I just referenced almost always ends up being corruption, ignorance, or stupidity the things that I cover will inevitably be things that really piss me off. I will endeavor to remain objective in my explanations and reasoning but I may not be as tactful in my conclusions. And as promised we…

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Film Follies, Subtitle Subversive

Subtitle Subversive- Ida

For the first installment of Subtitle Subversive I take a look at the 2013 Polish film Ida, which won this year’s Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Not particularly subversive I know but hey if you want to pick the movies get your own blog. The film is set in Poland in 1962 and follows the young woman Anna preparing to take her vows to become a nun. Before she does this her abbess insists that she visit her last remaining relative a hard drinking, chain-smoking Aunt Wanda notorious for her ties to Poland’s communist government. Wanda reals to…

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Science!, Science! For Parties

Science! For Parties Presents: Fire! For Parties

Hey everybody! Welcome to Science!: For Parties where I show you a neat trick you can pull of at a party then explain the science behind it. Because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to be that guy at the party? This week we start out with something easy. All you’ll need is a candle and a match/lighter. Simply light the candle then blow it out. When it begins to smoke take another lit match or your re-lit lighter and insert it in the smoke as if you were trying to light it. The flame will jump from the smoke…

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Literary Liaisons, Wily Wordplay

Wily Wordplay- On Writing

As you’ve been perusing this site you’ve no doubt seen several mentions of my ongoing pursuit of a professional writing career. With a poetry book out and a novel finished I hope that dream is closer to becoming a reality. But it is no easy thing to make a living by telling stories born of your own heart and mind. Discouragement is as common a thing to a write as the dawn is to the sun. In those times I like to seek out some of my heroes for their take on a struggle I know we have shared. And…

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Discourse of the Day, Meanwhile in Countries not called America

Meanwhile in Countries Not Named America…….Election Season

Despite what Fox News might have you believe the United States does not actually hold the patent on freedom and democracy. A concept that is reflected by the fact that occasionally there are elections in this world that do not involve Iowa or New Hampshire. We’re going to take a look at these rare unicorns of democracy in this month’s edition of Meanwhile in Countries Not Called America…..Election Season.                 For our first stop on our global goodwill tour of democracy we go across the pond to America’s closest ally the estimable United Kingdom. General elections are scheduled to be…

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Science!, We Can Do That Now!

We Can Do That Now!- Force Fields

“Shields Up!” It’s a familiar refrain for science-fiction aficionados. From Star Trek to Dune to Independence Day invisible shields of energy that protect ships, buildings, or individuals from attack have been a staple of Geekdom from its very inception. But now this science fiction is headed quickly towards becoming science fact. I explain how in this the inaugural edition of We Can Do That Now! Work on real-life force fields is nothing new. After all more than one generation of scientists has grown up having to choose a side in the never-ending battle between the Force and the Federation. However…

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Discourse of the Day, It's the Economy Stupid

It’s The Economy Stupid- Raising the Minimum Wage

With announcements coming from Hilary Clinton and multiple Republicans this last week that they will be seeking their respective party’s nomination for the Presidency of the United States the election cycle has officially begun. One of the issues that will be (or at least should be) at the forefront of the campaign trail is the recent push to raise the minimum wage. Unfortunately for all of us this debate will be flooded with propaganda and misinformation from both sides. So here at The Eclectic Eccentric I thought it would be the perfect time to address it in my inaugural edition…

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