Last week in California, Laura Ann “Lauri” Carleton, a 66 year old woman was shot dead in cold blood by someone who can only be described as a domestic terrorist who took issue with a rainbow flag displayed outside her business.
The terrorist in question was named as one Travis Ikeguchi, a slavering and brainwashed devotee of the Trump/MAGA cult.
While this event may appear at first glance to be a simple hate crime, or yet another commonplace shooting incident, one of many that has already taken place across the USA just this year alone, there are actually more facets to this event than initially meet the eye.
The incident with the OceanGate Titan submarine disaster - from beginning to end - reads like a recipe for stupid deaths.
Think about it: You've got rampant corner-cutting to save costs, use of the wrong materials (carbon fiber instead of steel) to build a deep-ocean submersible in the first place, no back-up systems and reduced safety practices, poor maintenance and industrial safety compliance, lack of oversight or regulation, and pervasive greed and suicidal risk-taking. It's all in there. The only really amazing thing about this is that it took so long for something serious to go wrong. (1, 2, 3)
Port Elizabeth - my home town, the city on the southeast coast of South Africa's Eastern Cape province - has long been the mounting cause for concern and anger on the part of many residents - but aside from them, on my part as well.
After an unexpected battle in orbit over a strange planet,
the crew of the surviving ship lands to repair their damage. Will the locals
welcome them - or try to eat them?
On the border of Terran space, a lone starship on frontier
patrol is unexpectedly attacked. How will the rest of their day turn out? Will
they miss dinner?
At the very last moment, Earth’s first mission to send a
ship to explore a nearby star system, is delayed. A shuttle is on its way to
dock – a shuttle bringing an admiral bearing bad news – and the captain of
Earth's first starship finds her life – and her career, poised on the edge of
the PR department’s knife.
On the other hand, Lance-Corporal Thomas O’Blivion – a
newbie to a deep space mining station where the miners have just gone on strike
and turned to violence, has no idea how bad his day is about to get!
Lastly, while in the midst of taking revenge (and a second
magnum of champers) insurance salesman Eric Sloane is paid a visit by a strange
and extraordinary alien (who informs him her name is Catisha), and points out
the flaws in his plan.
Launch into space, the future and beyond! Enjoy a humorous
look at life in space through the eyes of some colorful characters in this
collection of five unique sci-fi tales by Christina Engela, spanning everything
from adventure to suspense to comedy and then back again!
Narrated by: Jennifer Pratt, Published by Peever Publishing
