Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/June-1968-travel-short-story-ebook/dp/B0GPRBDP32
Fun time today with exercise generated by GPT:
March 2026: Survival Scenario Ranking (Consensus
Negotiation Exercise)
Objective: Students negotiate to reach full
consensus on a ranked list of survival items under constraints—simulating
informal “contracting” without writing.
Scenario: You are part of a group whose plane has crash-landed in a remote desert.
It is 95°F, and help may take several days to arrive. You salvaged the
following 12 items. Your survival depends on prioritizing them effectively.
Item List
Class Timeline
1.
Individual Ranking (3 minutes)
Each student ranks top 3 items 1-3 (most important)
2. Group
Negotiation (10 minutes)
Students form
groups of 3–5.
Task:
Produce ONE
shared ranking of all twelve
Rules (critical
for rigor):
3. Report Out - Each group shares:
4. Debrief
Instructor Key
A commonly accepted “expert ranking” (used in many versions
of this exercise):
Why This
Works (Mechanics of Negotiation)
This activity
creates natural conflict because:
Students must:
What to
Watch For
1. Anchoring
First person to
speak often influences the group disproportionately.
2. Dominance
vs Participation
3. False
Consensus
Groups may rush
agreement to finish on time.
4. Poor
Negotiation Tactics - Arguing positions (“This is #1”) / Instead of
reasoning (“This helps us signal rescuers”)
Negotiation
is About Reasoning, Not Winning
Best groups: Share
logic - Build on others’ ideas - Adjust
positions
... As a writer of "what if" science fiction, combined with non-fiction historical and current events, I was deeply impressed and captivated by Perry Binder's smooth mix of documented historical events with scientific "what if" fiction. He created a plausible story while simultaneously acknowledging the drawbacks and potential disaster of changing the course of history. The entire story reveals Binder's strong sense of story flow, with short but targeted narrative, dialogue that rings true, and is specific to the characters speaking. Woody's struggles to control the emotions affected by his decisions, and the repercussions of those decisions, are particularly poignant. At the conclusion, the author's notes include a 1966 quote by Robert F. Kennedy that captures the motivation and message of The Last Fall: "Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events."(L. Allen, March 20, 2026)
Click here for Kindle Purchase ($2.99)
June 4, 1968 – Saigon shelled in heavy attack; vessels struck
June 5 – Kennedy assassination attempt thwarted by kitchen worker
July 4 – Hero Celia Newing recounts harrowing events
July 17 – Beatles' Yellow Submarine movie premieres in London
August 8 – Nixon accepts nomination at Republican National Convention in Miami Beach
August 29 – Kennedy accepts nomination at Democratic National Convention in Chicago
September 24 – 60 Minutes premieres
September 26 – Pravda publishes Brezhnev Doctrine, justifying Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
October 10-11 – Castro delivers speeches on the 100th anniversary of Cuba's proclamation of independence from Spain
October 18 – U.S. Olympic medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos suspended
November 5 – RFK elected 37th president; Nixon concedes to another Kennedy
November 20 – Tammy Wynette, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash win big at second CMA Awards
December 24 – Apollo 8 orbits moon as astronaut Anders snaps Earthrise photo
December 25 – Kennedy signals plan for phased troop withdrawal from Vietnam
January 12, 1969 – Underdog Jets defeat Colts in Super Bowl III
January 20 – RFK sworn into office; ten minutes later, -----------------------------------------------------------
Perpetuating a nightmare in homage to Stephen King’s book, 11/22/1963, and a 1967 Star Trek episode, “The City on the Edge of Forever.”
Click here to Purchase on Kindle
RFK: Attorney General / Senator / Presidential Candidate
"What is the price tag on equal justice under law?”—U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, 1964
“It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped.”—U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, 1966
“My thanks to all of you, and now it's on to Chicago and let's win there."—Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy’s California primary victory speech, just after midnight, June 5, 1968
Author’s Note
“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events.”—Robert F. Kennedy, 1966
June 4, 1968: The Last Fall was originally intended as a time-travel journey to “fix” an actual or fictitious moment from the Vietnam War in 1968. As the plot evolved, I was instead drawn to “what if” scenarios centered around Robert F. Kennedy. If the Senator survived his assault, perhaps a messy military chapter in U.S. and world history would’ve ended sooner.
In trying times, both abroad and at home, RFK inspired many with his optimism. In 1961, he offered: “If our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity.” I’d like to think this expression of hope resonated with people like Woody Guthrie, who wrote songs about those ignored or shut out of the American Dream. In 1944, he recorded “This Land is Your Land” with earnest words: “As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting. This land was made for you and me.”
In the 1960s, five prominent leaders were assassinated—individuals who influenced public discourse in profoundly different ways: NAACP Field Secretary Medgar Evers, June 1963; President John F. Kennedy, November 1963; Minister Malcolm X, February 1965; Reverend Martin Luther King, April 1968; and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, June 1968.
RFK was the last of these people to fall. His mission to do good and be better as a nation and world lives on as a beacon of faith for us all.
* * *
#1 in this category is Tuesdays with Morrie, one of my favorite books.
Thank you GSU CETLOE: This has been one of the most gratifying activities of 2025 for me.
Innovative College Teaching is intended for new or seasoned professors, lecturers, instructors, professors of practice, part-time (adjunct) professors and graduate teaching assistants, as well as curious high school teachers. You will learn what makes the best teachers tick and read easy-to-replicate tips on taking your skills to the next level. (From Book Description)
From AI-generated student projects to flipping your online classroom to administering open-note, in-person exams, we read and discuss these ideas together...with the author! We will explore new ideas and new ways to refresh old ideas. By the end, we will walk away with concrete ways to (again) be inspired by our students, our disciplines and our vocation and, in turn, inspire others.
Looking forward to next semester as the Book Club picks up again.
Sent to class:
All - Thanks to a conversation with a fellow student after class... You can create Practice Quizzes with my podcast transcripts loaded into NotebookLM. I provide an example under CONTENT.
https://notebooklm.google.com/
After downloading a transcript and uploading it to LM, go to Quiz -- hit the edit icon and ask for hard questions as well as ask for more questions.
Example: Under what circumstance can a person's right to be anonymous on the internet be legally overridden, according to the podcast?
Four multiple-choice responses to choose from
Prompt: If I get a debt collection call or letter what things should I ask to make sure the debt is valid
That’s a really good question — and an important one. If you get a debt collection call or letter, you have the right under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) to ask for validation of the debt before paying or acknowledging it. Here’s exactly what to ask and do to make sure the debt is valid:
If a collector calls, do not agree to pay or admit the debt right away. Instead, request written validation of the debt. You can say:
“Please send me written validation of the debt, including the original creditor’s name and details.”
By law, the collector must send a “validation notice” within 5 days of first contact that includes:
The amount of the debt
The name of the current creditor
A statement that you can dispute the debt within 30 days
Instructions on how to dispute or request the original creditor’s information
When you receive the written notice, confirm the following:
✅ The creditor’s name and account number — Does it match any account you recognize?
✅ The amount owed — Is it accurate and does it include suspicious fees or interest?
✅ The date of the last payment — This helps you check if the debt is too old (“time-barred”).
✅ Who currently owns the debt — Some collectors buy old debts that may not even be valid.
✅ Your personal information — Make sure they have your correct name and address (and not someone else’s).
You can send a “debt validation letter” asking things like:
What is the name of the original creditor?
What is the amount of the debt, and how was it calculated?
When was the last payment made?
Can you provide a copy of the original contract or agreement?
Has the debt been sold or transferred, and if so, to whom and when?
Is the debt still within the statute of limitations for collection in my state?
You have 30 days from receiving the validation notice to dispute it. Do so in writing. After that:
The collector must stop collection efforts until they verify the debt.
You can also request that they stop contacting you except to confirm or notify of legal action.
Watch out for signs that the “collector” might not be legitimate:
Refusing to send anything in writing
Demanding immediate payment or threatening arrest
Asking for payment by gift cards, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency
Refusing to give a company name, address, or phone number
You can also verify a collector’s legitimacy by checking if the company is licensed in your state and looking them up with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) or your state attorney general’s office.
Would you like me to give you a template letter you can send to a debt collector to request validation?
Excellent — that’s a smart detail to dig into. When debts get sold or transferred, especially multiple times, records can get messy, and collectors sometimes lack the legal right to collect or don’t have complete documentation.
Here’s exactly what to ask (and why) when you’re confirming the chain of ownership of a debt:
You can include these in your written debt validation request or ask verbally and follow up in writing:
“Who currently owns this debt?”
→ Ask for the legal name and contact information (address, phone number, and website) of the entity that claims ownership — not just the collection agency trying to collect on it.
(Reason: Sometimes collectors act on behalf of another company that actually owns the debt.)
“Was this debt sold, assigned, or otherwise transferred from the original creditor?”
→ Require a written statement confirming whether the debt was sold and when that happened.
“If it was sold or transferred, please identify each entity that has owned the debt since the original creditor.”
→ Request a chain of title:
Name of each prior owner/assignee
Dates of each sale or transfer
Documentation (such as bills of sale, assignment letters, or transfer notices)
“Please provide documents proving your right to collect this debt.”
→ This should include something showing:
The account was included in the sale/assignment
The amount owed at the time of transfer
Your name and account number as part of that portfolio
“Please provide documentation from the original creditor verifying the debt.”
→ This helps confirm the debt originated with you and not due to a clerical or identity mix-up.
Collectors often cannot produce a complete paper trail, especially if the debt changed hands several times. Without proof that they own or are authorized to collect the debt, you have a strong legal basis to dispute it or demand that they stop contacting you.
Under the FDCPA, once you ask for verification:
They must stop collection until they provide proof.
If they can’t prove ownership, they can’t legally pursue or report it.
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