Yearly Archives: 2021

Academic Writing

Revalidation Exam: ENGL 725 – Victorian Novel

Note: In 2003 I started a PhD in English at the University of South Carolina. I never finished the dissertation. In 2012 I switched careers to IT, and eventually all my coursework expired. In 2020, after a job change brought us back to Columbia, I decided to try and finish. One of the first steps was revalidating all my old coursework. For one class, I had to write an essay. The essay prompt was defined by me in concert with the English faculty examiner. I submitted the finished essay this last weekend. (DL, Dec. 7, 2021)

Original Course Description:
Survey of the development of the novel form, with study of major and lesser-known figures, in relation to social change and publishing conditions; authors include Dickens, George Eliot, and Hardy.

Instructions:
Write an essay in response to the prompt below. Essay length is at the discretion of the student but may be considered by the reader as part of the evaluation. This is a take-home exam. Expectations in regards to proofreading and source citation may accordingly be high.

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Movies & TV

Movie Review: Dune

Note: This article was written for and first appeared on the Imperium News Network (INN), a news website dedicated to the space combat video game EVE Online. During the two years after I started contributing in the Spring of 2020, writing for INN was an enjoyable hobby that reminded me of writing for my college newspaper. During that time I wrote more than 40 articles, most covering various space battles and drama in the game. This article was one of the few not directly related to the game. I permanently quit playing EVE and contributing to INN in May, 2022. (DL, June 7, 2023).

I’ll begin with the TL;DR:

The movie Dune is one of the greatest novel adaptations I’ve ever seen and also a magnificent sci-fi epic in its own right. If you like EVE, you’ll probably love this movie. If you haven’t already, go see it in the theater, and soon.

What I Wanted in Dune

This first section is background on what I look for in movies. Skip to the next section if you want to get straight to Dune.

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Fiction

That World

Note: I wrote this very short story in a rush–a few hours in a single day. Vocal.media had a short-story challenge with a grand prize of $20,000. I figured ‘why not?’ and submitted this. The prompt was:  “Write a short creative fiction piece, no longer than 2,000 words, about a post-apocalyptic dystopia. . . . The only requirement is that your story must include a heart-shaped locket.” (DL, Sept. 12, 2021)

“Careful, Nour,” he said to her as she picked her way along the beach. Eyes scanning the ground in front of her, she dutifully acknowledged her father’s warning. “Yes, Baba.”

The day was hot. High sun showered her head with heat, barely kept at bay by the bright hijab wrapped meticulously around her black hair. The light was dazzling off the white sand. She kept her gaze low, a shading hand at her brow to save herself a headache later. They didn’t have long before Dhuhr, the early midday prayer, and Baba was seldom late.

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Faith

Islamic Evidence of the Bible’s Corruption

Note: While living for two years in Saudi Arabia I made Muslim friends and as a result have developed Islamic connections on social media. One group I am a part of is devoted to interfaith dialog between Muslims and Christians. The majority of the members appear to be from the Middle East and Africa. In April, I posed a question to the group: “Muslim apologists frequently claim that the Bible has been corrupted from its original form. What specific evidence do you have of corruption? As someone who has spent more than a little time studying the textual history of the Bible, the New Testament in particular, I find the claim of corruption difficult to substantiate. Compared to all other ancient texts, the Biblical text is extremely well attested in the manuscript record.” The question led to hundreds of comments and counter comments from many members. Those comments I consolidated into a single list of twenty evidences. I then shared that list of twenty with the group and asked for validation, which I received from the Muslim members of the group. I present that list here without additional comment. I hope in the future to return to it and share further thoughts. (DL, Sept. 13, 2021)

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Poetry

Goliath’s Final Challenge

Day dawned on Elah, and Goliath strode
onto the field. Three-hundred pounds of bronze
were buckled on him, and the armor glowed— 
portentously reflecting rising dawn’s
most thirsty reds. The armies of the LORD
had watched this happen every day (like pawns
resigned to death), and still the mighty sword
and spearhead weighing forty pounds had not
yet lost their fearful newness. Thrice he roared
to gather silence for himself, then shot 10
his widespread hands into the sky, and once 
again his blasphemies began their hot
assault. 

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