ONE ACT PLAYS
The Greencreek Trilogy (2021)
Three one-act plays available in one small volume. www.amazon.com
1) Jonathan Charm (2021)
New Greencreek Residents Henrietta and Nigel Buckette encounter Aleksei Balandin, an organic chemist who says a vaccine he has developed can extend the human lifespan. Fake news - or worth a try? And how long do they want to live anyway? A dilemma that only the audience can help them resolve.
2) Resident of the Year (2020)
At the Greencreek Retirement Community, the Board of Directors selects a Resident of the Year. For Norton and Amanda Brumley, this year's award is entangled with softball, the IRS and the Resident Satisfaction Survey. Who knew?
3) The Clean Sweep Affair (2018)
A top secret device disguised as a vacuum cleaner stolen from a government office? Foreign agents infiltrating a continuing care retirement community? Heaven forfend! It's up to the Covert Operations Bureau to clean up this mess, if it can . . . .
NOVELLA
The Mars Interview (2017)
This is the transcript of an interview with Professor Ekim Snilloc, director of space archaeology at Titan University, regarding the history of early spaceflight that led to Earth's first humans-to-Mars mission.
www.amazon.com
POETRY
Looking Out: A Collection of Poems (2015)
www.amazon.com
NOVEL
The Second Enlightener (2012)
On the planet Pleroma, Soter, a village store accountant in the province of Archon, feels called to be the second enlightener of his people. Guided by the divine Knower, his mission inevitably leads to conflict with the corrupt provincial governor and Archon's council of elders. The eventual result is Soter's arrest, trial, execution and, so to speak, his resurrection.
www.amazon.com
FOOD SECURITY
Fettered Access: The Lack of Food Security Through the Ages (2011)
In a world awash with food, how is it that nearly a billion people go to bed hungry at night? This book addresses the scandal of global food security. It reviews the history of agriculture and assesses efforts by the world community over the past century to alleviate hunger and malnutrition. This historical and programmatic approach provides context but also suggests the contours of a solution. The solution—or at least a big part of the solution—is cash. With enough money the poor can buy the food they need. It’s not quite that simple but the complications are manageable.
www.amazon.com
HEALTH CARE
Health Care Reform: a Summary for the Wonkish (2010)
Breathtaking changes made to the nation's health care system are under assault. But few people can wade through thousands of pages of congressional legislation. This monograph is a semi-technical, section-by-section summary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, the two laws that form the cornerstone of Obamacare.
www.amazon.com
U.S. AND GLOBAL POVERTY
Giving Credit Where Due: A Path to Global Poverty Reduction (2006)
This book critically examines the level and quality of the world's response to extreme global poverty. After reviewing the history and ethical underpinnings of global social welfare policy, it sets forth a new antipoverty strategy, one based on direct income support. The extremely poor (those living on less than $1 a day) would apply for a refundable tax credit that puts a floor under their income. The credit would be administered by participating countries with cost-sharing by the United Nations. Despite obvious obstacles, the approach will become more feasible, even necessary, in a changing global environment. (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2006)
Victory Deferred: The War on Global Poverty (2005)
The extant literature on global poverty tends to be problem-focused and present-oriented. In contrast, this book provides a broad historical perspective on the emergence of poverty as a global concern over the past six decades. It synthesizes the specialized literature into a coherent narrative with emphasis on the roles of the United Nations, World Bank and a range of poverty-fighting nongovernmental organizations. (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2005)
The War on Poverty: History, Selected Programs and Ongoing Impact (2002)
In the conventional wisdom, the War on Poverty of the 1960s failed (poverty won) and its major programs went out of business. In reality the nation's low income population continues to be served by a number of programs spawned by the War on Poverty, including Community Action, Job Corps, Head Start and Legal Services. This book recounts the history and current status of those programs and assesses the long-term impact of the War on Poverty. (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2002)
The above three titles are available at:
www.univpress.com
www.barnesandnoble.com
www.amazon.com
Maximum Feasible Success: A History of the Community Action Program (2000)
Community Action Agencies, over 900 strong, are the nation's largest federally-assisted network of organizations solely devoted to eliminating poverty. Established in the mid-1960s as a key part of President Johnson's War on Poverty, they are not well-known. This book provides a comprehensive and balanced history of community action over the past four decades. (Washington, DC: National Association of Community Action Agencies, 2000.)
Note: NACAA is now known as the Community Action Partnership.
The Village Burial Society (2010)
This short work of fiction (between a short story and a novella) recounts the life of a poor farmer in the southeast corner of Penuria as told to two World Bank interviewers.
www.amazon.com
FRANK BLAND RESEARCH THRILLERS
Capital Insecurity (2008)
The nation's capital is subjected to deadly terrorist assaults by a group called the Sect. Julia Rodriguez Bland, pregnant with her second child, heads Arlandax Opportunities, a local antipoverty organization. Senator Laura Hardin, who despises Julia's husband, tries to link her organization to the Sect. While Julia tries to save Arlandax Opportunities, Frank aids in the capture and killing of several terrorists. But then he must keep the Sect from taking revenge on his entire family.
The Technical Panel (2003)
Frank Bland is serving on a technical panel to select a contractor for a national survey of immigrant families. The anti-immigrant Society to Save Our Borders tries to steer the contract to a particular firm. When Frank resists, he faces personal and political assaults. The chair of the technical panel is found murdered in his office. Frank must find the perpetrator to save his career. Another murder--his own--could end it for good.
Random Assignment (2000)
Federal civil servant Frank Bland uncovers fraud in a federal welfare reform experiment. The research findings are manipulated to suit the agenda of an ambitious U.S. Senator. Official hostility and threats to his career hamper Bland's investigation. The attempts on his life could end it altogether.
The Frank Bland series of novels can be purchased at:
www.xlibris.com
www.amazon.com
www.barnesandnoble.com