Some renegades are born rebels, some forced into it to survive, while others make the choice on principle. The Renegade is an anthology of eleven science fiction short stories by writers from across the globe. It is part of the Newcomer series of scifi anthologies. The stories are:- Conscience - Alasdair Shaw First - Nate Johnson Atonement - Rick Partlow The Stepford Florist - JT Lawrence Tyrant - Mark Gardner Live by the Ten, Die by the Gun - Milo James Fowler S.A.D. - Jody Wenner Chameleon - C Gold Learning Curve - John Triptych A Pirate’s Life - Al Macy Needs of the Many - Troy McLaughlan

Discovering new worlds. What could be better. What was supposed to be a six month cruise of discovery had turned into a gloried baby sitting adventure for a bunch of civilians. Leave it to the Imperial Navy to ruin a good thing. Petty Officer Tanner just wanted to finish the patrol and get back to normal. That, and as far away from the enticing Miss Nora Johnson as possible. All that changed when the ISS Intrepid was threatened with destruction and he quickly became the only thing between these civilians and instant death

Dare to Dream is a book that is multifunctional in as much as it is inspirational plus autobiographical. The book tells about the author's life as a long time dreamer with high hopes and consistently thinking of how to make his dreams become a reality. A number of the poems in Dare to Dream are written using acronyms to express the author's feelings and views. The book is broken down into four categories - (1) Prayers and Inspirational poems to uplift your spirits, (2) Biblical Inspirations - the author has taken scriptures and put in poetic form, (3) Wonders of Nature - describes uncertainty of the world, and last, but not least, is a (4) Bit of Humor - which will make you smile.

The old saying that time is money is nowhere more true than in U.S. higher education. Time is measured two ways in academia--by the calendar and by the credit hour. Both can be costly, whether in the form of tuition, taxpayer subsidies, or the wages students lose with each additional term enrolled. For many years, in credit terms, the standard for a bachelor's degree was 120 hours; for an associate degree it was 60. On the calendar, that's four years of full-time attendance (30 credit hours per year) for a bachelor's, and two years for an associate degree. Yet in the past generation, credits and time have started creeping up. High school graduates in 1972 could expect to complete a degree with an average of about 130 credits and in 4.3 years. What leads to extended time? Despite frequent finger-pointing, there is no simple answer. Part of it has to do with students--both the things they can't control and the things they can. They come to college ill-prepared or ill-informed and fail or repeat many courses. They work part- or full-time jobs, often out of necessity. Finally, state systems and legislatures also share the blame. Sometimes they don't fund institutions or provide student aid in the summer. This brief focuses on just three policies that are most directly related to time and have the clearest role for state and institutional leaders: controlling credit creep, creating clear academic maps, and establishing a statewide transferable general education core. These are strategies that state leaders can and should implement now, if they have not already done so.

... "He looks like he eats kittens for breakfast, and puppies for lunch," the blond in the corner thought. ... Nolan winced, that was the problem with being able to read minds. You heard things that you wish you hadn't. ... Nolan Reed had spent his life hiding his secret ability. It became doubly important when he met Marla Jackson. The last thing he needed was her freaking out about the weird new guy. Of course, that all changed when he read the thoughts of an Alien bent on destroying the earth. Which was more important. Keeping his secret from Marla, or saving the world from invasion and destruction. Some decisions are never easy.

First Contact - Star traveling humans - Pre-industrial aliens Humans have finally found an intelligent race. It is a dream come true for xeno-sociologist Amanda Rogers. However, she knows how contact can ruin a primitive culture. Human history is filled with examples. It is her job to make sure that doesn't happen. Ship's mechanic Nick Barns is temporarily transferred to the research vessel Discovery. His job, to keep the ship in orbit. and the three scientists aboard. alive long enough to finish their observations. When a series of disasters forces them to the planet's surface and into contact with the Eundai. Nick's job of keeping them alive becomes a lot more difficult.

Plague has ravaged the world. The people that remain spend their time immersed in the Games. Lost in a fantasy world that is much more than the harsh reality of everyday life. Unfortunately, someone is trapping people online, refusing to let them out. Keeping them there until their bodies whither away. Gamer extraordinaire, Tor Roberts and Miss Jenny Morgan race across a desolate world to find her father. The one man who might be able to stop this new terror.

When I was five years old, I saw Star Wars The Phantom Menace in movie theatres. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire movie. I wanted to be George Lucas. I wanted to make movies like that. So, I got a bulletin board to make storyboards and a composition notebook to write the stories. I would write an episode a page. The first series I wrote was The Adventures of Nate and Jake Penguin. I filled up two composition notebooks of these stories that I've since lost. The stories were these wild adventures I would have with my neighborhood friend, Jake. We were inseparable during elementary school. We would always find an adventure when we didn't have school, sometimes with a side a trouble. We would hop on our bikes in the summer and tear up the neighborhood. Time would fly by and stand still simultaneously. The penguins came into play because we both loved penguins. I'm not sure why that was the animal we landed on. There must have been a book in the library or a cool kids show on the television (before the internet days). Whatever the case, we both loved penguins, hence the title, The Adventures of Nate and Jake Penguin.The following is my attempt to resurrect this story I had in me fifteen years ago.

As states and families begin to recover from the effects of the Great Recession, some of the urgency about college affordability may start to ease. The most recent "Trends in College Pricing" report shows tuition rising more slowly than in recent years (Baum and Ma 2013). Growth in Pell grant applications is also expected to slow as income picks back up and many students transition into newly available jobs. Yet it could all happen again when the next crisis hits. Education budgets could be slashed indiscriminately, tuition could skyrocket just as incomes are falling, and the worst-off states could find themselves least able to keep the college dream alive for students who count on public support. If we learned anything from the last few years, however, we can be better prepared. In order not to repeat some of the mistakes of the recession, it will help to understand how the economy, college costs, and college prices interact. Factors that can make costs higher or lower than the average include: (1) Types of programs offered (e.g. engineering costs about twice as much as business, and nursing costs three times as much as liberal arts); (2) Instructional approach (larger vs. smaller classes, distance or hybrid vs. classroom-based, tenured faculty vs. lecturers or adjuncts); (3) Low- or high-cost location (e.g. Oklahoma is generally less expensive than New Jersey); (4) Size (larger institutions usually spend less per student) (5) Age of institution (new institutions have start-up costs, older ones may have costly historic buildings to maintain and operate); and (6) Management philosophy and administrative efficiency.