'Fisticuffs in the Georgian parliament are not uncommon'

'This defendant’s deep-seated hatred led him to commit a firebombing'

‘You took your dick out of your pants and jerked off in front of your colleagues'

Pulling a fire alarm before a vote

'Involved in a game of tag with squirt guns'

'A phenomenal young man and leader'

Whitey Herzog has died at 92

Book Recommendations Front Lines and Frontiers Young Doctors in Space: Star Surgeon by Alan E. Nourse Fledgling doctors learn on the go in this delightful adventure tale set aboard a spaceship… By Alan Brown | Published on April 16‚ 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share In this bi-weekly series reviewing classic science fiction and fantasy books‚ Alan Brown looks at the front lines and frontiers of the field; books about soldiers and spacers‚ scientists and engineers‚ explorers and adventurers. Stories full of what Shakespeare used to refer to as “alarums and excursions”: battles‚ chases‚ clashes‚ and the stuff of excitement. Today I’ll be looking at a book that somehow eluded me for decades‚ Alan E. Nourse’s Star Surgeon. In my youth‚ I’d read every one of Nourse’s books in our local library‚ but Star Surgeon wasn’t one of them. And while his work was reprinted from time to time‚ the books could be hard to find. I figured that‚ as a practicing physician‚ Nourse could deliver an effective medical tale‚ and it turns out I was right. And while I was surprised to find the book was a juvenile‚ that didn’t bother me‚ as a well-written juvenile can be just as compelling as any other novel. I finally found a copy of Star Surgeon a few weeks ago at my favorite local used book store‚ a paperback reprint from Ace books in 1986. It has a fine cover painting from Don Dixon‚ which I thought was fairly generic at first‚ but if you look at the spaceship closely‚ it does have a combination starburst/medical caduceus on the tail fin. Star Surgeon first appeared in shorter form in Amazing Stories magazine in 1959. It was published as a novel later that same year. And it was reprinted by Scholastic Books in 1964‚ which was my first clue that the book was a juvenile. The book is sometimes confused with a book by the same title written by James White as part of his Sector General medical science fiction series. I’ve previously reviewed one other book in this column that dealt with a doctor in space‚ a collection of Murray Leinster’s Med Service stories‚ Med Ship‚ put out by Baen Books a few years ago. That series focused on public health issues‚ and as Leinster was not a doctor‚ some of the stories hinged more on action and adventure than on the medical sciences. About the Author Alan E. Nourse (1928-1992) was a physician who also had a long and productive writing career. He wrote science fiction‚ mainstream fiction‚ and non-fiction books on science and medical issues‚ and penned a column on medical issues that appeared in Good Housekeeping magazine. I previously reviewed his juvenile novel Raiders from the Rings here‚ and his short story collection Tiger by the Tail here‚ and there is more information on the author and his work in those columns. Like many authors of his time‚ some of his work is out of copyright and available for reading on the internet for free on Project Gutenberg‚ including Star Surgeon. Science Fiction for Juveniles and Young Adults Science fiction has been written for younger readers‚ or juveniles‚ as long as the genre has existed. In fact‚ in more serious literary circles‚ there are those who would argue that the genre itself is juvenile in nature. There is a long article in the online Encyclopedia of Science Fiction on Children’s SF that discusses the history of children’s fiction in general and science fiction written for children in particular. Looking back over the years‚ I found that I have reviewed a few books written for younger children in this column‚ including The Runaway Robot by Lester del Rey and Revolt on Alpha C by Robert Silverberg‚ and The Fabulous Flight by Robert Lawson. I’ve reviewed most of Robert Heinlein’s teen boy-oriented juvenile series (see the latest of those reviews here). I’ve looked at another juvenile by Alan E. Nourse‚ Raiders from the Rings. And I did an overview of a number of the Stratemeyer Syndicate’s boy’s adventure books‚ which my father had saved from the 1920s and 1930s and which I grew up reading‚ including the Great Marvel series (here)‚ the young inventor Tom Swift series (here)‚ and adventurer Don Sturdy series (here). In those columns‚ I often discussed the topic of writing for younger readers. In the last century‚ books for teen readers were often referred to as “Juveniles.” Today‚ if you go into a bookstore‚ you will find those books on shelves labeled as “Young Adult.” There are no hard and fast rules that put books into these categories‚ but there are some common features. The books for younger readers tend to be a bit shorter‚ with fewer (and younger) characters‚ simpler plots‚ a narrower vocabulary‚ and more straightforward settings. In the old juvenile days‚ the books generally avoided the topics of romance and sexuality‚ and books written for young boys often lacked female characters altogether. That has changed‚ and today’s young adult novels do not shy away from those issues. And especially in the days of juveniles‚ other than marketing‚ the line between those books and adult fare was blurry. There were many writers—Andre Norton being one of the most notable—who wrote books for adults that were very young-reader friendly. And if an older reader is looking for a relatively quick‚ straightforward tale‚ a book written for a younger audience can be just the right fit. Star Surgeon Dal Timgar should be on top of the world. After all‚ he has just become the first member of an alien species to graduate from medical school on what has become known as Hospital Earth. Ever since they made contact with the star-spanning Galactic Confederation‚ the people of Earth‚ have become vital‚ if still provisional‚ members of that polity because of their advanced approach to medicine. Nourse has a lot of fun painting a picture of an Earth that has been transformed and shaped around his own medical profession. Cities are organized around their hospitals‚ and the society is dominated by the Black Service of Pathology‚ the Blue Service of Diagnosis‚ the Green Service of Medicine‚ the Red Service of Surgery‚ and the Auxiliary Services. Myself‚ I did find it a bit hard to believe that a planet cut off from the larger galactic society could develop medical capabilities that somehow eluded the efforts of hundreds of other worlds‚ but in the end‚ I was willing to accept it. There’s also the fact that‚ in a quirk common in adventure books written for boys in that era‚ while you can infer the presence of females in these societies‚ you will not find them mentioned. Dal is a native of the planet Garv (a world of traders)‚ and is small‚ four-fingered‚ and covered with fur. He and his people are paired with small creatures that give them a kind of low-level telepathy‚ and the ability to manipulate the emotions of others. Dal’s symbiont is Fuzzy‚ a ‘pleomorph’ with no fixed cellular structure. Dal’s education has been championed by Black Service Doctor Thorvald Arnquist‚ a kindly and open-minded physician. And during his training‚ Dal has befriended Frank “Tiger” Martin‚ a young doctor in the Green Service. The next stage in Dal’s career will be a stint on a General Practice Patrol ship‚ in his case‚ Lancet. Service on these ships as a probationer is a kind of roving internship‚ and a successful tour will be required for Dal to become a full-fledged Star Surgeon in the Red Service of Surgery‚ and wear a silver star on his collar. But before he can report to his ship‚ Dal is summoned to a hearing led by Doctor Hugh Tanner‚ a large‚ red-faced‚ and frequently angry man in the Black Service who is concerned that the success of a doctor from another species will undercut the value of Earth to the Confederation‚ and hurt Earth’s chances of becoming a full member of the organization. But Tanner fails to prevent Dal’s assignment to Lancet. There‚ Dal is delighted to find his friend Tiger will be serving with him‚ but is then concerned upon finding that the third member of their team will be young Blue Doctor Jack Alvarez‚ who is a prot&;eacute;g&;eacute; of Doctor Tanner. Lancet is a fully automated ship‚ managed by the three young doctors by consensus. I found it hard to accept the lack of a ship’s crew‚ but travel times between stars are measured by hours or days‚ not weeks or months‚ so they are never too far from help‚ which would come in the form of larger hospital ships crewed by fully qualified doctors and staffs. I found it even harder to accept the idea that there is no one person in charge of their ship‚ something that doesn’t square with my own military experience. As the two humans are affected initially by space sickness‚ Dal runs the ship for the first two weeks‚ thereby gaining some respect from his teammates. Jack quickly grows to dislike Fuzzy‚ who he sees as an unnecessary pet. Fuzzy responds to his hostility by biting him. The first major crisis Lancet faces is a call to assist in an experimental organ transplant gone wrong‚ attempted by a race‚ the bear-like Moruans‚ whose grasp exceeded their reach. Dal is unwilling to perform surgery himself‚ and calls for help from a hospital ship. Doctor Tanner responds instead‚ summoned by Jack. Tanner successfully completes the surgery‚ but accuses Dal of malpractice. Only an intervention by Tiger prevents Dal’s immediate disgrace. As their voyage continues‚ Fuzzy gets into the medical supplies and nearly dies‚ and Jack’s attitude toward him softens. Then the three encounter a Garvian trading ship‚ and Dal saves his crewmates from being fleeced by a sharp trader—another bonding experience. Despite their differences‚ the three young doctors learn to work as a team. As they faced other medical challenges‚ I did wonder about the wisdom of letting three interns wander the stars without experienced supervision‚ but must admit that the structure does create some strong opportunities for drama among a small cast of characters. The three doctors meet their biggest challenge so far when they get a call from the previously unknown occupants of planet VII of the red giant star 31 Brucker. The monkey-like Bruckians are suffering from a virulent‚ fatal‚ and incurable plague that is spreading rapidly through the population. The young doctors‚ eager to prove their worth by handling this crisis themselves‚ identify a virus they think is the culprit‚ but their intervention does more harm than good. They are facing a medical mystery that involves a twist I didn’t see coming‚ and which I found quite clever and satisfying. And there was yet another encounter with the antagonistic Doctor Tanner that they have to survive… I’ll leave the resolution of the book for everyone to read for themselves‚ as it is a quick and enjoyable read that I strongly recommend (and as I pointed out above‚ you can download and check it out for free). Final Thoughts Alan E. Nourse was a capable and entertaining science fiction writer who had a knack for making his tales accessible to younger readers. He is not remembered today nearly as well as he deserves to be‚ and his stories for the most part have held up very well over time. Star Surgeon is among the best of his works‚ and his medical experience gives the book a sense of energy and realism. And now‚ I look forward to hearing from you‚ especially if you have read Star Surgeon or other works by Nourse. And if you haven’t‚ I’d be interested in recommendations for any other tales of medical science fiction that you’ve enjoyed.[end-mark] The post Young Doctors in Space: &;lt;i&;gt;Star Surgeon&;lt;/i&;gt; by Alan E. Nourse appeared first on Reactor.

Jury selection began Monday in the first of former President Donald Trump’s criminal cases to go to trial‚ a case legal experts say is the weakest and most political but could nevertheless result in a conviction in the overwhelmingly Democratic New York county. The trial for Trump’s hush money case‚ expected to last between six and eight weeks‚ will keep Trump in court each day amid a busy campaign season. Trump is facing 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business records relating to hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels in the lead up to the 2016 election‚ with each count carrying a maximum penalty of four years in prison. Criminal defense attorney and legal analyst Philip Holloway told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the best Trump can hope for is a hung jury. “It’s not likely Trump will get anything close to a fair trial in Manhattan where he only got 12% of the vote in 2020‚” he said. “If he can manage to get one or two jurors who are truly open minded‚ he may be able to avoid a conviction.” Over 50 potential jurors were dismissed Monday for saying they could not be impartial‚ according to pool reports. Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted Trump last April‚ alleging Trump sought to conceal another crime‚ potentially a violation of federal election law‚ when he reimbursed his former attorney Michael Cohen for the $130‚000 payment made to keep Daniels quiet about a claimed affair‚ recording it as payment for “legal services.” Holloway said it is “mind boggling” that the judge “has not seen fit to dismiss this indictment as a matter of law since it fails to put Trump on notice of exactly what he needs to defend against.” By arguing the records were falsified in furtherance of another crime‚ Bragg increased what is typically a misdemeanor charge to a felony. “The felony ‘Business Record’ statute requires Bragg to prove that Trump falsified records to cover up a crime—yet it fails to point to specifically what crime Trump is alleged to have covered up‚” he said. “Otherwise the case is only a misdemeanor at best and the statute of limitations expired years ago.” From the courtroom pool report‚ moments ago:“The first batch of potential jurors has been sworn in. Donald Trump is now the first former president in U.S. history to stand trial on criminal charges.” pic.twitter.com/OCpNfARZkZ— Anna Bower (@AnnaBower) April 15‚ 2024 New York Law School professor and Criminal Defense Clinic Director Anna Cominsky told the Daily Caller News Foundation it’s likely jury selection will take a couple weeks due to the case’s nature. “The two biggest issues are the politics surrounding the case and then the media surrounding the case‚” she said. Jurors will be asked questions regarding their affiliation with groups like the Proud Boys and “QAnon‚” their media diet‚ and any “political‚ moral‚ intellectual‚ or religious beliefs” that may interfere with their approach to the case. Other questions gauge their disposition toward the former president‚ such as whether they’ve attended an anti-Trump rally or volunteered for his political campaign. “This is an assault on America. … I'm very honored to be here.”— Donald Trump speaks to the media before entering a New York courtroom for jury selection in his hush money payments trial‚ the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president pic.twitter.com/odKtByY7b7— The Recount (@therecount) April 15‚ 2024 “It is impossible to say with any certainty what the outcome will be‚” John Malcolm‚ vice president for The Heritage Foundation’s Institute for Constitutional Government and former deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division‚ told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Of the four criminal cases pending against former President Trump‚ this one is viewed—rightly so‚ in my view—as the most overtly political.” (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) “Much of the evidence will come from Michael Cohen‚ a convicted perjurer with a seeming vendetta against his former boss‚” he continued. “Nonetheless‚ Trump is not terribly popular in New York City‚ where the case is being tried‚ and 34 felony counts are not a trifling matter. Cohen‚ who plead guilty in 2018 to making false statements‚ along with other charges like tax evasion and campaign finance violations‚ is a key witness for prosecutors. Judge Juan Merchan blocked Trump’s bid in March to stop Cohen‚ who his attorneys wrote is a “serial liar‚” from testifying. Another pool reporter says many prospective panelists stretched their necks to get a look at Trump‚ and that one woman toward the back of the room giggled and put her hand over her mouth. No reaction though when Merchan read &;quot;The People of the State of NY v. Donald J. Trump&;quot;— Tyler McBrien (@TylerMcBrien) April 15‚ 2024 University of California‚ Los Angeles law professor Richard Hasen wrote for the Los Angeles Times Sunday that Trump could have “serious grounds for appeal” even if he was convicted. “It is far from clear that appellate courts would treat the hush money payments as legitimate campaign expenses that needed to be reported‚ as opposed to personal expenses‚” he wrote. “And it is uncertain that failing to report a campaign expenditure required by federal law can be a violation of New York state election law against promoting ‘the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means.’” Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation The post Trump’s New York Trial Has Officially Begun. Here’s What’s at Stake. appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A California public school district that attempted to hide pro-Hamas course material from parents now faces legal action. The Deborah Project‚ which describes itself as “a public interest law firm that defends the civil rights of Jews in education‚” filed suit April 8 against the Berkeley Unified School District‚ accusing it of “intentionally trying to prevent parents from knowing what their kids are learning.” The lawsuit‚ filed in Alameda County Superior Court‚ also accuses the school system of “teaching kids mendacious and malicious lies about [Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel] that are grossly inaccurate and‚ on the basis of this false information‚ fomenting hatred against the Jewish State.” The Deborah Project went to court on behalf of a parent in the Berkeley school district‚ Yossi Fendel‚ who says he was delayed and denied information about his child’s curriculum after a social studies teacher‚ Alex Day‚ announced at a school board meeting in November that he was going to incorporate lessons about “Palestine.”  Day also stated at the school board meeting that he wouldn’t be “censored” from lecturing his students about “colonialism.” Day is a ninth-grade social studies teacher at Berkeley High School‚ according to the school system’s website. Alex Day in a photo obtained from Berkeley High School’s staff page Fendel repeatedly attempted to gain information about Day’s course material‚ but was obstructed constantly “for months” by rescheduling‚ cancellations‚ and other delays by Berkeley High School and district staff‚ The Deborah Project said in a press release. The lawsuit asserts that Day cast Jews as abusive‚ land-stealing colonizers‚ ignoring thousands of years of history to make a political assertion‚ while soft-pedaling the Hamas terrorist organization. Day explicitly refrained from describing as “terrorism” Hamas’ Oct. 7 rape and murder of over 1‚200 in southern Israel and its kidnapping of over 200 civilians‚ according to the lawsuit. The suit adds: We seek as well to learn how it came to be that [Berkeley Unified School District]—in violation of California law—inexcusably but intentionally delayed access to the curriculum‚ ensuring that parents could not learn what was being fed their kids until after a stream of antisemitic falsehoods had already been planted not only in Mr. Fendel’s son’s mind‚ but in the minds of all his classmates. According to slides for Day’s lessons obtained by The Daily Signal‚ the teacher used one slide and half of another to describe Hamas’ massacre of civilians in Israel‚ and 43 slides to describe what he called Israel’s “all out assault on Gaza.” Hamas‚ which is known for using civilians as shields for its military operations‚ has been the elected government of the Gaza Strip since 2006. In my analysis as a former teacher and curriculum developer‚ Day’s slides are absolutely riddled with leading questions and weighted comparisons‚ in what appears to be an attempt to paint Gazans as the victims of unwarranted colonial aggression. Day makes a comparison on slide 14‚ titled “Consequences of War‚” that dishonestly portrays Israeli citizens as only having to postpone funerals and weddings while Gazans have “no food‚ no water‚ no electricity‚” and “humanitarian aid was/is being blocked.” (The teacher doesn’t specify who blocked aid.) The repeated rocket strikes and other horrors Israeli civilians have faced during the war‚ and for decades before‚ are not mentioned in Day’s slideshow. Although the teacher claims in slide 29 that “we take care of each other‚” his slides decidedly paint Israelis and Republicans in America as unfeeling and uncompassionate. The slides ask loaded questions such as: “Why do you think there aren’t more politicians calling for a ceasefire&;#63;” Day’s slides include quotes only from‚ and photos of‚ Democrats. Day included several questions asking students what they thought about Israeli actions toward “Palestinians‚” but didn’t ask a single question about what students thought of Hamas’ actions‚ media coverage‚ or related U.N. resolutions. For example‚ question 10 asks‚ referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “Do you think that Netanyahu’s directions to the Palestinians are fair&;#63; Why or why not&;#63;” Outside of a brief reference to Oct. 7‚ Day’s slides don’t mention Hamas at all‚ nor is its leader‚ Ismail Haniyeh. Students aren’t asked whether Haniyeh’s actions toward Israelis “are fair.” Both questions 6 and 7 ask students how they feel “about lives lost or damage done to Gaza’s infrastructure‚” but no question asks students about Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks. California State Standards require history teachers to point out “bias and prejudice” in historical interpretations‚ but the slides in Day’s presentation don’t mention the blatant antisemitism of Hamas or other Iranian proxy groups.  Not referenced a single time: the tens of thousands of social media posts‚ press releases‚ recordings of public chants‚ and other blatant expressions around the world in support of Hamas that call for the death of all Jews.  The Berkeley school district didn’t respond to The Daily Signal’s request that it confirm the authenticity of Day’s slides by time of publication. However‚ hyperlinks in the slides link to electronic forms hosted by the school district’s official internet domain. If the Berkeley Unified School District attempted to hide or delay access to this information‚ it wouldn’t be the first time a public school district was caught trying to keep parents from seeing disturbing or controversial curriculum or pedagogy. Hundreds of public school districts around the country have attempted to hide racially discriminatory and sexually explicit curriculum from parents‚ as confirmed by Freedom of Information Act requests‚ recorded admissions by school administrators‚ and dozens of whistleblowers. Berkeley Unified wouldn’t be California’s first public school district to protect antisemitic actions within its schools.Within weeks after the Hamas attack in Israel‚ the Manhattan Beach Unified School District forced a gag order on four 11-year-olds so they wouldn’t talk about the antisemitic death threats other students made against them. The post California School System Sued Over Falsified History About Israel-Hamas War appeared first on The Daily Signal.