The World is Around You, but You are in Your Car
A novel that brings history's great philosophers back to life for one week to Portsmouth, New Hampshire to share their concerns about an American problem—a healthy quest to achieve goals and acquire things has devolved into a relentless pursuit of a perfect life people feel they are owed, an over-the-top selfishness and lack of self-restraint that leads them to do whatever it takes to get what they want while paying little regard to the harmful consequences they may inflict upon other people, themselves, and the earth.
The philosophers interact with people downtown, host a symposium, and sponsor a performance of Beethoven's "Tenth" Symphony. Karl Marx shops for souvenirs. Socrates plays the lottery. Plato and Kierkegaard bicycle to the ocean. They discuss ways to restrain the destructive behavior, agreeing that individual self-regulation is more effective and desired than external regulation because of its greater conduciveness to freedom, the crown jewel of this civilization. Their goal is to persuade Americans to emphasize self-restraint more than ever so that the "freedom experiment" has a better chance of succeeding.
Yes, You Are Home
When scientists discover an eyewitness’s memoir and film footage of the creation and subsequent history of Earth, an opportunity presents for humans to answer the most baffling questions they have confronted. The story is told in six vignettes of excerpted material from the chronicler, a space traveler with an extended lifespan from a distant galaxy who finds herself stranded here, unable to return home.
During a long walk through storms and vast spans of slow time, we witness this precarious, initially lifeless landscape fill with primitive life-forms that evolve, experience the daily routines of a group of prehumans, and behold the emergence of humans and their ensuing discoveries, achievements, and search for the “right way to live.” In the painting of this comprehensive portrait of the entire history of Earth, we come to an awareness of an unmistakable oneness which links all that ever existed. With Big History as backdrop and ethics the foundation, this is an inspirational tale, often humorous, about the quest to find what it means to live a good life as we ascertain our fragile place in the universe.
Snapshot: Ship's Dentists
It's not just a job. It's an adventure. This book is a snapshot of an adventure from 1987 to 1990 in the United States Navy Dental Corps. Through the author’s unadorned, straightforward narrative, you will be introduced to a nautical and military culture that has its own language and rich traditions. You will treat patients at the world's largest naval base. You will go to sea aboard an aircraft carrier, travel to exotic foreign shores, spend time in a shipyard, and board a Soviet warship during the Cold War. You will find camaraderie and patriotism, and a love of and fascination with the sea.
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