M. Hurwitz’s Holiday
NOTE: LESS THIS TRAVEL PIECE, WRITTEN IN 2007, GIVE OFFENSE TO MY BRITISH FRIENDS, LET IT BE UNDERSTOOD THAT THE HEATHROW AIRPORT REFERRED TO HEREIN WAS ITS STATE PRIOR TO ITS EXTENSIVE RENOVATION MONSIEUR HURWITZ’S HOLIDAY A 1953, French comedy, “M. Hulot’s Holiday,” directed by Jacques Tati, depicts an amiable vacationer who, with a natural genius for doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, barely survives his brush... [Read More...]
Stelzer’s Travels, Installment 5
As it turned out, there was no champagne. Not for me nor, I suspect, for anyone else on the lander. The night we arrived, Siegfried Mueller, the captain of the PLS Starbound let me know he was not at all pleased with the failure of his crew to discern my subterfuge. “All they had to do,” he said, “was punch one button on their computer clipboard and they would have seen exactly what Hedgewick really looked like. And you... [Read More...]
A Sherlock Holmes Mystery One-Act Play
THE STRANGE CASE OF THE TOO FEW SUSPECTS LIST OF CHARACTERS IN THE PLAY: Sherlock Holmes Dr. John H. Watson George Murchand, Shipping company owner Inspector Lastrade of Scotland Yard Teddy Volter, the assassin Marie Hitchens, Trevor’s wife Jason, desk sergeant Kirk, constable SYNOPSIS: Scene 1. Holmes rooms at 221 Baker Street, London; the year, 1897 Scene 2. Volter’s cell in Bow Street Station, one day later Scene 3. Reenactment... [Read More...]
The Church of St. Ayn Deconsecrated
Ayn Rand pursued two vocations in her long career: first, that of a writer, novelist, screen writer and second, that of the founder and subsequent leader of a philosophic movement. It seems to me, then, that any commentary on her life’s work must deal separately with each-or, as Hollywood would have it, with the two faces of Ayn. AYN RAND THE NOVELIST As judged by the longevity and popularity of her novels, Ayn Rand was a first rate novelist. ... [Read More...]
Thank you, Dr. Root-Sistemci
On November 30 last, the good doctor endeavored to improve my book’s website, www.stelzerstravels.com, by replacing my admittedly mundane home page with a far more vivid page of his own complete with beautiful purple scrolls and the decorative image of a spider. Unfortunately I was unable take advantage of his good will gesture for either it provided no links to the rest of my site’s pages or the said links were in Arabic that I, and... [Read More...]
Excerpt Four of Stelzer’s Travels
THIS SEGMENT OF STELZER’S TRAVELS IS A CONTINUATION OF EXCERPT THREE POSTED ON THE PREVIOUS JULY-AUGUST, 2009 E-QUARTERLY As time wore on-forty-five minutes had passed since Neuman started prancing around-the explanation for the boy’s inexplicable behavior finally dawned upon me. I could have kicked myself for not having thought of it sooner. How many mystery novels had I read in which the solution, when finally disclosed,... [Read More...]
Money Redefined, Part I
ABSTRACT This portrayal of an idealized post-capitalistic society hypothesizes the correction of some of the more onerous characteristics of our present capitalistic system while, at the same time, retaining its evident virtues. The claims made of improvement are the following: 1) Avoidance of boom-bust economic cycles 2) Stable money supply and purchasing power 3) A more egalitarian society 4) A reduction in hunger and homelessness without government... [Read More...]
Money Redefined, Part II
THE SPHERE OF INDIVIDUALS Redefinition One: For individuals, money is a depreciating store of value. Imagine a post-capitalistic society (to borrow a phrase from Peter Drucker) that is divided, from a financial standpoint, into three transactional spheres-individual, business, and governmental-and that money performs somewhat differently in each. Further picture that the spheres are separated by Chinese Walls that are, in specific applications,... [Read More...]
Money Redefined, Part III
THE SPHERE OF BUSINESS Redefinition Two: Money is fully fungible only in the commercial world. Its portability into the hands of individuals is limited. In general, the commercial world in Postcapia conducts its affairs much the same as we conduct ours. But there are differences. Whereas their commercial banks take in deposits and from these make loans on which they charge interest, they are prohibited from any dealings with the National... [Read More...]
Money Redefined, Part IV
THE SPHERE OF GOVERNMENT Redefinition Three: Money can be manipulated to make basic needs more affordable to the underprivileged. In the belief that everyone is entitled to at least minimal levels of nutrition, shelter, education, and medical care, the Postcap government acts affirmatively. FOOD VOUCHERS: Each month, the National Bank deposits in every citizen’s food subaccount an allowance of vouchers designed to help meet his nutritional... [Read More...]