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All These Worlds Are Yours - The Appeal of Science Fiction

 I've been fascinated with science fiction stories for as long as I can remember, although, I must confess, I never thought of science fiction as being mainstream literature. I, like many readers, pursued science fiction as a form of escapism, a way to keep up with speculation on recent scientific discoveries, or just a way to pass the time. It wasn't until I met with my thesis adviser to celebrate the approval of my paper that I had to think about science fiction in a new light. My adviser works for a large, well-known literary foundation that is considered to be very "canonical" in its tastes. When he asked me if I liked science fiction, and if I would be willing to select about one hundred stories for possible inclusion in an anthology that they were thinking about producing, I was somewhat surprised. When he told me it might lead to a paying gig, I became even more astounded. I went home that afternoon feeling very content: my paper had been approved, and I might

Good News Or Bad News - And The Difference Is?

 Ever had someone give you bad news? How about good news? What's the difference or is there a difference? Good news - stuff or information that makes us happy, content, reassured, secure and validated. Bad news - the opposite. So, it would appear that there is a difference between good and bad news - read on. Have you ever gotten bad news but in the end things turned out well or better than you anticipated? Have you ever received good news and over time what you thought was good news ended up being not so good? From personal experience I can tell you that I have experienced all four - Good news that was good. Bad news that was bad. Good news that I thought was good but ended up being bad. Bad news that I thought was bad and ended up being good. Confused yet? Well I know that over time I was often confused about the difference between these two apparent opposite messages. But then I learned that sometimes bad news for one person can be perceived as good news for someone else and tha