Climate change is real, and the storms are coming

Image by NOAA.

May 15 marks the beginning of hurricane season in North America, and my concern is that this year will serve to illustrate the disservice provided to the residents of the Gulf of Mexico coastline and the Eastern Seaboard by the… READ MORE

Does the Trump regime really believe it can tell other nations how to run their societies?

Image courtesy of Flickr user Giuseppe Milo https://www.flickr.com/photos/giuseppemilo/

If this were not true before, it’s true now: The Trump regime has jumped the shark – the shark, the cow, the moon, everything jumpable. I saw this yesterday and didn’t believe my eyes, so I did some digging. Sure… READ MORE

Is it artificial intelligence or a steak sauce?

In a recent interview Secretary of Education Linda McMahon made several references to what she called “A-1 learning.”

What she meant, of course, was AI learning – “AI” as in “artificial intelligence.”

Sounds like McMahon could use a dose of AI learning herself.

I’ve got to be honest, I don’t know which scares me most: the thought of Skynet teaching our children, or having a secretary of education who conflates artificial intelligence with … a steak sauce?

Either way, it bodes ill for education in this country for the next four years.

About the author:

Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone's stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra's Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year's Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone's comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled "December" for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman's Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone's novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild's award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”

Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida's best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.

As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn't look a day over 94.

Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .

In a recent interview Secretary of Education Linda McMahon made several references to what she called “A-1 learning.” What she meant, of course, was AI learning – “AI” as in “artificial intelligence.” Sounds like McMahon could use a dose of… READ MORE

Keep clapping, little MAGAts! Keep clapping!

Have you seen the pathetic new videos the MAGAts are producing, the ones where they clap along with the Iggy Azalea song “Black Widow” while displaying an obnoxious MAGA-inspired message such as “My momma didn’t raise no liberal!” or “We’re getting EXACTLY what we voted for”?

You haven’t seen those?

Be glad. You can hear the brain cells dying as you watch them. The sound is like Rice Krispies.

You know, when I was a kid we went to one of those aquatic parks, the ones where the animals perform tricks for food. They had a seal that would swim out of a pool and up on a stage, where it would balance a rubber ball on the tip of its nose, toot a little horn, and then, with its handler holding a mackerel above it, clap its little flippers – clap clap clap clap clap – and the handler would drop the mackerel down its gullet.

Those videos remind me of that seal, clapping its little flippers so somebody would drop a mackerel down its gullet.

And forgive me for noticing but these videos are being produced by a certain, shall we say, demographic. That demographic would be the one where the women apply their makeup with a cement trowel so they can strut their stuff in the parking lot down at the dollar store, and the men stand around all day admiring other men’s trailer hitches, especially those with the little metal scrotum swinging off the end.

Then, at the end of the day, they pick up a $7 case of Natty Light and a bucket of Walmart fried chicken and they all get together for a romantic evening under the stars of shooting rats with the .22 down at the garbage dump.

Keep clapping, little MAGAts. Maybe somebody will drop a fried drumstick down your gullet and you can celebrate with $10 worth of scratch-offs and the dollar store special, a real glass bottle of Miller High Life.

Clap, little MAGAts, Clap!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

About the author:

Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone's stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra's Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year's Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone's comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled "December" for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman's Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone's novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild's award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”

Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida's best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.

As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn't look a day over 94.

Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .

Have you seen the pathetic new videos the MAGAts are producing, the ones where they clap along with the Iggy Azalea song “Black Widow” while displaying an obnoxious MAGA-inspired message such as “My momma didn’t raise no liberal!” or “We’re… READ MORE

Mladen reviews ‘Thunderbolts*’

Image courtesy of Marvel Studios and Disney.

Starring Florence Pugh as unhappy Yelena Belova, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as evil Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Hannah John-Kamen as space warping Ava Starr, David Harbour as lovable Alexei Shostakov the Red Guardian, Sebastian Stan as Congressman Bucky Barnes with the super… READ MORE

No, Virginia, Ford is not bringing back four factories and 25,000 jobs as a result of Donald Trump’s tariffs

To quote MAGA, “The Ford Motor Company is bringing back four factories, and 25,000 good-paying jobs as a result of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

“But go ahead, liberals. Keep telling us tariffs don’t work.”

Well, OK.

The Ford Motor Company is NOT bringing back four factories, and 25,000 good-paying jobs, as a result of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

It’s not bringing back four factories, and 25,000 good-paying jobs at all.

That story is a fake, a hoax, a joke story posted on a humor website.

But go ahead, MAGA. Keep telling us tariffs work as you stand there, looking like a complete idiot, waiting for Rapunzel to let her hair down.

You people are ignorant.

About the author:

Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone's stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra's Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year's Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone's comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled "December" for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman's Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone's novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild's award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”

Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida's best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.

As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn't look a day over 94.

Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .

To quote MAGA, “The Ford Motor Company is bringing back four factories, and 25,000 good-paying jobs as a result of Donald Trump’s tariffs. “But go ahead, liberals. Keep telling us tariffs don’t work.” Well, OK. The Ford Motor Company is… READ MORE

I bet there are lots of coal miners who enjoy PBS and NPR

The other day, as President Brandon gleefully slashed funding for NPR and PBS, he posed a rhetorical question:

Why should a coal miner have to pay for PBS?

Ignoring the obvious implication that coal miners are too stupid to enjoy anything as intellectual as PBS, I would point out that when you use that kind of rhetorical gambit, you’d better be prepared to respond to that kind of rhetorical gambit.

So I have a few questions for President Brandon.

Why should I have to pay for you to play golf?

Why should I have to pay for your wife to live in splendor in New York City?

Why should I have to pay for a South African billionaire to wreck the government and steal our data?

Why should I have to pay the salaries of the criminals, morons, imbeciles, thieves, liars, cheats and scumbags you’ve hired to work in your administration?

You see, President Brandon, I don’t mind some of my tax dollars going toward any effort by our government to educate and ennoble the population. I feel like an educated and ennobled population makes for an educated and ennobled society, and that’s the kind of society I want to live in. You wouldn’t know anything about an educated and ennobled society, because you don’t know anything about education or nobility.

You’re just trash.

And by the way, President Brandon. I’ll bet there are lots of coal miners who enjoy PBS and NPR.

https://youtube.com/shorts/a0foyukZ8GY?si=_FY_TyvvLhQA5pLw

About the author:

Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone's stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra's Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year's Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone's comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled "December" for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman's Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone's novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild's award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”

Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida's best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.

As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn't look a day over 94.

Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .

The other day, as President Brandon gleefully slashed funding for NPR and PBS, he posed a rhetorical question: Why should a coal miner have to pay for PBS? Ignoring the obvious implication that coal miners are too stupid to enjoy… READ MORE

Del and Mladen review ‘Sinners’

Image courtesy of Warner Brothers.

“Sinners” Starring Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, Saul Williams, Andrene Ward-Hammond and others. Directed by Ryan Coogler. 2 hours, 17 minutes. Rated R. Theatrical release. Plot summary: Twin brothers Smoke and Stack return to their Mississippi hometown to open a… READ MORE

It’s not just a cult. It’s a cancer

Alleged FSU shooter Phoenix Ikner.

This disgusting piece of trash is allegedly responsible for the rampage at Florida State University yesterday that cost two people their lives and left several others wounded.

It seems as often as not the people behind these tragedies are young, white, aggrieved males who have embraced a philosophy that celebrates hate, rage and violence.

It’s not just a cult. It’s a cancer, and it’s eating away at our society.

God, we need a cure … and soon.

About the author:

Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone's stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra's Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year's Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone's comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled "December" for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman's Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone's novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild's award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”

Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida's best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.

As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn't look a day over 94.

Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .

This disgusting piece of trash is allegedly responsible for the rampage at Florida State University yesterday that cost two people their lives and left several others wounded. It seems as often as not the people behind these tragedies are young,… READ MORE

Save us from the SAVE act!

Image by Jessica Rodriguez Rivas. CC license.

Those morons in Congress went ahead and passed the SAVE Act. I’ve told you about that stupid law in the past. It makes it damn near impossible for certain groups of people to vote because it requires you to have… READ MORE