dennis scharnberg

eye of newt

Who are we to say what our climate should be like?

Chalmers van Nest, The Trivial Quadrivium.

exercise in crystallography

Brad’s plan was simple:  make a list of things that are important in his life, and see how many of those things he can ruin.

Delbert Arbogast,  The Null Hypothesis, and Other Stories.

first person singular

The word “history” has come to mean the following:  (1) Hitler and World War II and (2) American slavery.

Cedric Plumm, Calpurnia’s Dream and Other Essays.

running amok again

The world is not an illusion.  The world is ridiculous.  And we make it so.

Rollin Mungo,  Selected Rants of Mr. Barraclough.

unpacking the trunk

Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Jim Morrison were noted authorities on how to prevent middle age.

Nolan Grayshott,  The Giants of Popular Culture.

crack the whip

“I want to pursue honesty,” declared Colin.  “I really do.  Not yet, though.”

Priscilla Onkers,  All About Edward.

three body problem

Under what circumstances might “telling the truth” be regarded as a revolutionary act?

Desmond Urquhart, The Unsocial Sciences.

cross the rubicon

“Did you know that…?”  Of course, the rhetorical realm established by this expression is essentially a form of oppression.

Valery Datsuk,  Yielding in Plastic Strain.

feel the logic

Once we open the can [the unconscious], the contents go everywhere.  This cannot be confined to the “patient.”

Janora Ketch,  The Retailing of Dream.

tears of night

The guitar strumming of Maybelle Carter—if there ever was a something (as opposed to a nothing), there it is.

Cedric Plumm,  Calpurnia’s Dream and Other Essays.