Short Story Monday: John Evans and the Medici Paradox

John Evans had always been a history buff and often dreamed of traveling to places he'd read about. Whenever asked where he'd go first if he were able, he said he'd always felt an inexplicable pull to Florence, Italy. On his 30th birthday, he made up his mind. He was single again. He had no debts and was done with grieving over his latest failed relationship. It was time.

For months, he immersed himself in books about the city’s Renaissance glory, captivated by its art, architecture and the powerful Medici family. His luck in securing an Airbnb only a block from the Uffizi, in a building dating to the fourth century, seemed almost fated.

On his second morning in Florence, John woke disoriented, his head pounding. The modern comforts of his Airbnb—including his iPhone and the outlet he’d plugged it into—were gone. The room was stark, with stone walls and heavy wooden furniture. A chill gripped him as he stumbled to the window. Below, horse-drawn carriages clattered through narrow streets, and people in Renaissance garb bustled about. This wasn’t jet lag. Nor was it his Airbnb. Had he slipped into a dream—or another time?

Heart racing, John stepped outside, dodging piles of horse dung. The air was thick with the scent of leather and woodsmoke. Passersby gawked at his modern clothes, their archaic Italian unintelligible despite his rudimentary language skills. “Mi scusi, parla inglese?” he tried, but their rapid replies left him lost.

Wandering into the Piazza del Duomo, John spotted a group of finely dressed men in heated discussion. Desperate, he approached. To his shock, they welcomed him warmly, though their eyes lingered on his strange attire. “Non capisco,” John said, shrugging. The shortest man, clearly the leader, laughed and said, “Venire. Unisciti a noi.” He gestured to another. “Lorenzo.”

John froze. “Lorenzo Medici?” The men stepped back, eyes wide. “Conosci i Medici?” one asked. Before John could process, he blurted, “Do you know Machiavelli?” in English.

The short man’s gaze sharpened. “Niccolò Machiavelli? Sono io. Cosa vuoi?”

John’s knees buckled. He was in Renaissance Florence, face-to-face with Machiavelli and the Medicis. Stranger still, words began forming in his mouth in their archaic Italian. “Ho studiato il tuo libro,” he said, awestruck.

Machiavelli’s eyes narrowed. “My book? No one has seen it.” The Medici, Lorenzo, chuckled. “Niccolò, you’ve written a book?”

John, realizing his mistake, stammered, “Chiedo scusa. One day, it will be read worldwide—even in America.”

“America?” Machiavelli scoffed. “Did Amerigo Vespucci send you?”

John hesitated. Should he mention the continents named after Vespucci? Instead, he let the moment pass, overwhelmed by the vibrant city around him—palaces, statues, bustling markets, and the moment.

Within weeks, he adapted, his newfound fluency in archaic Italian easing his way. The Medicis, intrigued by this odd stranger, took him in. He befriended artists and merchants, and fell in love with Maria, a sharp-witted woman enchanted by his tales of the future—flying machines, world wars, and a baffling thing called the “Internet.” She laughed off his mention of Galileo as “that madman from Pisa.”

John grew to love this world, marrying Maria and naming their newborn son Leonardo. But a dream of his mother urging him to return home cast a shadow over his joy. He sensed his time was running out.

One evening, dining with Machiavelli behind the Uffizi, Niccolò leaned in. “The world is stranger than I imagined. I’m starting to believe you’re not mad. Last night, I dreamed of you—here, in this very spot.”

John’s gaze drifted to a cluster of buildings. He’d been here before. Machiavelli clasped his hand with both of his. “Grazzi,” he said, voice heavy with farewell, pointing to a door. An unseen force pulled John forward. He stepped through—and found himself in the foyer of his Airbnb, iPhone still plugged into the outlet, modern Florence humming outside. Tears welled as he thought of Maria and Leonardo, now centuries gone.

On his flight home, John read an article in The Atlantic about a discovery: a folio of Machiavelli’s unpublished writings, describing a man named John from the future who lived among the Medicis. Experts, initially skeptical, confirmed the paper and ink matched Machiavelli’s time period. The article also revealed Leonardo DiCaprio’s genealogical research, tracing his lineage to a Florentine couple from the Medici era: a woman named Maria and a man named John, who claimed to be from America.

Back in the States, a memory nagged at John. In the 1990s, he’d traced his family tree, uncovering no royal roots. Still, he found it a satisfying experience. Years later, at a 2008 cocktail party, friends raved about genetic ancestry tests. Curious, John submitted his DNA to Ancestry.com. The results revealed an Italian lineage tied to a sailor shipwrecked off Dover in the Napoleonic era. Tracing further, John’s heart stopped. That sailor’s roots led back to Renaissance Florence—to a man named John, married to a woman named Maria, father of of a son named Leonardo.

Could this really be, that he was his own ancestor, caught in a paradox of time?

copyright 2025: ed newman

Woman Killed in Rare Flying Eggplant Incident Off Florida Coast

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A woman was fatally struck by a flying eggplant while boating off the coast of West Palm Beach on Friday, marking the first known death caused by an eggplant in Florida, authorities said. The incident has intensified debates over the rising number of eggplant-related assaults in the state.

Allison Nichols, 34, was traveling at approximately 50 mph in a boat when she was hit in the head by the airborne vegetable, causing fatal head trauma, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Dr. Eldon Hoffman, an environmental advocate, called the incident a tragic accident, emphasizing that eggplants are typically non-aggressive. “It was a case of wrong place, wrong time,” Hoffman said. “Eggplants are gentle by nature, and these incidents are rare.”
Reports of eggplant attacks have surged in recent years. In Dade County, annual assaults averaged 1.4 from 1990 to 2000, but in 2007, 47 incidents were reported in Dade and over 60 in the Tampa Bay area, according to local records. The cause of the increase remains unclear, prompting calls for further research.
Hoffman, who grows eggplants on his hobby farm near Orlando, is urging state lawmakers to fund studies to investigate the phenomenon. He criticized media outlets for downplaying the issue to protect Florida’s tourism industry. “Greater awareness could secure the resources needed to understand why this is happening,” he said.Critics, however, argue Hoffman’s defense of the vegetable is excessive. Local residents have often dismissed him as eccentric, citing his farm’s unusual mix of eggplants, couch potatoes, and small rodents.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is reviewing the incident but has not announced specific measures to address the growing eggplant concerns.
There were reports of a protest Tuesday night a protest regarding the rapidly growing eggplant population in Tampa Bay. Authorities used drones and other forms of high tech surveillance to keep violence to a minimum. There were only four arrests and one injured officer. Nevertheless, many who were present complained about the lack of coverage from mainstream media. Carson Collins, a retired plumber from Ohio, said, "This is a pretty big story. Why isn't it being picked up on CNN or Fox? It makes you wonder whatever threats that we're unaware of."
In light of the increased anxiety regarding the safety of both the eggplant population and community residents, Governor Walz has declared Minnesota a sanctuary state for eggplants that feel at risk, wherever they come from. "We spread our arms and open our wallets for you," he announced in a press statement.

Photo Caption: An eggplant rests on the roof of a home near Sun City, Florida, amid growing reports of eggplant-related assaults in the state.

Here's an Example of What Google's Gemini 2.5 AI Can Do

Over the past few years I have experimented a bt with various AI graphics programs and writing programs. I thought it my be fun to share some images showing what Google's Gemini AI can do (version 2.5 Flash)

Most of my pantings begin with a background. Backgrounds vary based on intentions. Some are very intentional while many are exploratory, in which I let the brushwork dictate the direction the painting goes. This is a medium sized canvas, 24"x 36". I began with these brushstrokes and colors, unsure where it would take me. A few years ago when I visited the studio of abstract painter Elizabeth Kuth, I saw how she would paint in layers, periodically rotating the canvas 180 degrees, bringing new elements into view, which she would highlight or bury beneath more visual elements. After a few rotations and layers I painted the following incomplete form of a man. Unsure of where to go with it, this has been siting on one of my easels since late last fall.

Last night I shared the above image with Gemini and 

asked that the AI to paint Vincent Van Gogh's face on my 

incomplete piece. Two minutes later I had the following,

which jumps fromthe canvas while retaining 

the original abstract aspects.

It's a collaboration.

This second sequence shows a common technique I had used for years. As anyone knows who knows me I am fascinated by faces and have been drawing them since  pre-school. 20 years ago or so, I began using Photoshop to break faces into contrasting patterms of light and dark.

I used to draw high contrast faces in high school. I loved the way the contrast would amplify the features while simultantously simplifying the elements. You can see how this works here on the cover of Meet the Beatles.

So I took my original painting and fed it to Gemini. [Gemini is a family of multimodal large language models (LLMs) developed by Google AI that can understand and operate across different types of information, including text, code, audio, image, and video.]  My prompt was: Paint this woman in the style of Rembrandt but in this color scheme. Have the face itself emulate that of Marlene Dietrich.

This was the result.

My next prompt was:

Change the background to a Dutch interior 

from the time period of Vermeer.

My final prompt was:

Change the background to be a starry night 

in the style of Van Gogh.

 Each image took less than two minutes to generate.

To try it yourself, go to https://gemini.google.com/

Press the little + symbol to upload an image and 

write an instruction prompt for Gemini to work on.

Lack of Civility Is Nothing New

When Representative Wilson shouted “You lie!” during a speech by President Obama a few years back, his bad behavior was quickly denounced. What most people did not comment on, because we forget our history, is that Representative Wilson was not the first congressman from South Carolina to behave badly on the floor of Congress.

When the Wilson story first broke what got my attention was the implication that this rude behavior was something new. In the back of my mind there is a U.S. News and World Report article from the 1980’s about America’s “epidemic of rudeness.” If you do a Google search on the phrase “epidemic of rudeness” you’ll find 354,000 web pages on the topic.

One editorial on Wilson’s behavior seemed to justify it by saying the Democrats did it, too, when they booed remarks by President Bush during a speech in 2005. Since when is my bad behavior justified because someone else behaved badly?

As we look at the Trump and Biden years, this kind of thing shows no signs of letting up. During Trump’s 2020 State of the Union address, Democrats interrupted when he discussed legislation  regarding prescription drug pricing, reacting vocally to his call for bipartisan support. This was noted as a breach of decorum, though not explicitly labeled as heckling.

Democrats’ protests during Trump’s addresses were often framed as reactions to his provocative rhetoric, but sources note these actions contributed to perceptions of a divided and undisciplined party response.

In a bit of tit-for-tat, Republicans repeatedly interrupted Joe Biden’s 2023 SOTU address with jeering and booing, particularly when he accused them of wanting to sunset Social Security and Medicare. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) shouted “Liar!” during this segment, echoing Rep. Joe Wilson’s 2009 outburst. Other Republicans also heckled, creating a raucous atmosphere. These interruptions were seen as part of a growing trend of heckling, with Biden responding ad-lib, engaging in a back-and-forth that some viewed as a rhetorical victory for him.

In return, during Trump’s return to Congress in 2025, House Democrats again engaged in disruptive protests. Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) heckled Trump early in the speech, questioning his claimed “mandate,” leading to his removal from the chamber by the House sergeant-at-arms after ignoring Speaker Mike Johnson’s warnings. Other Democrats, staged a walkout, displaying “Resist” on their shirts. These actions were described as an “extraordinary display of partisan scuffling,” with Democratic leaders appearing pained by the lack of decorum.

Both parties have contributed to the erosion of decorum in Congress, with heckling and protests becoming more common. The 2009 incident with Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouting at President Obama set a precedent, after which interruptions became less shocking. Democrats and Republicans alike have justified their behavior by pointing to the other side’s actions. However, historical incidents like the 1856 assault by Rep. Preston Brooks on Sen. Charles Sumner illustrate that extreme breaches of decorum are not new, though modern instances tend to involve verbal rather than physical confrontations.

In May 1856 South Carolina Rep. Preston Brooks demonstrated less than model behavior by assaulting Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner with a cane while he sat in the Senate Chamber. The beating was so severe that Sumner was blinded by his own blood and passed out whereupon the South Carolina representative continued to beat him. It's clearly one of the more infamous moments in Congressional history. 

Brooks' brutal assault of Sumner after Sumner delivered a fiery antislavery speech, “The Crime Against Kansas.” In his address, Sumner mocked pro-slavery senators, including Andrew Butler, Brooks’ relative. Days later, Brooks entered the Senate chamber and struck Sumner repeatedly on the head and shoulders until the cane shattered, leaving Sumner bleeding and unconscious.

The attack shocked the nation, deepening the already fierce sectional divide. In the South, Brooks was celebrated as a defender of honor, receiving gifts of replacement canes. In the North, Sumner became a martyr for the antislavery cause, his lengthy recovery symbolizing the violence of slavery itself. The incident intensified hostilities between North and South, fueling the polarization that would soon ignite into the Civil War.

In short, civility in Congress has often been fragile, strained by deep divisions and personal animosities. While the tools of disruption have changed—from canes to shouted insults—these incidents reflect a recurring struggle to maintain decorum in the face of passionate disagreement.

We imagine that our nation has never been this polarized before, but guess what? It a bit of deja vu of sorts, isn't it? By remembering our history, we can better recognize that today’s challenges are not entirely new, but rather part of a long, complex narrative of conflict and confrontation in American governance. 

What do you think?

EdNote: The illustrations on this page are AI-altered versions of my original paintings.

Appearance and Reality: More Thoughts on the Artifice of Propaganda

Propagandists strive to shape what appears to be reality but is actually just a contrivance. These architects of perception labor tirelessly to forge a facsimile of reality—one that bends to ideological whims, not empirical truth. At its core, propaganda is not mere misinformation; it is a deliberate construct, weaving narratives from selective facts, emotive symbols, and relentless repetition to masquerade as the unvarnished world. By controlling what is seen, heard, and felt, they erode the boundaries between fact and fabrication, striving to compel the masses to inhabit a curated illusion.

As I have noted many times, it seems like its' not what happens that matters most, but how it is perceived. Hence the real battle that takes place is how the public perceives it. Whether it's Gaza, Ukraine, immigration, public safety or healthcare, there are people on both sides of these issues that are fighting to plant their interpretations of reality into our minds. 

Let's do a breakdown on the climate change concerns people have. We've been told that climate scientists are in agreement about our grim outlook for the future and the "climate emergency" we're facing. This "fact" has been repeated every day for years in one way or another so that it's a basic assumption that precedes any discussion. But what is the reality?

You talkin' to me?

There is a strong scientific consensus that humans have caused most of the roughly 1°C warming since 1850 and that CO2 is the main greenhouse gas driving that warming. But that consensus is about cause and existence, not about the magnitude of future harms or about the correct public policy. Treating “consensus” as a mandate for rapid fossil‑fuel elimination is a gross misuse of what the consensus actually says.

Why that matters: first, the consensus is narrowly about attribution — humans and CO2 have driven the warming we’ve seen. It does not say “catastrophic” or “uninhabitable.” Many studies used to promote a 97% figure simply show agreement that humans have some noticeable impact, not that future warming will be devastating or that immediate net‑zero policies are justified.

Second, you must evaluate harms and benefits together. CO2 has contributed to ~1°C warming so far — mostly in colder places and seasons — while at the same time cheap, reliable fossil‑fuel energy has enabled climate mastery: irrigation, heating and cooling, warnings, infrastructure and medicine. The metric that matters for human flourishing — deaths from climate-related disasters — has fallen roughly 98% over the last century even as CO2 rose. That’s evidence our energy-driven mastery has made people far safer from weather and climate.

Third, climate models are useful but uncertain. Many models have wide ranges and some have overpredicted warming; models are good at “postdicting” past trends but are sensitive to assumptions about feedbacks. So the science points to risks that deserve attention, not to inevitable catastrophe that justifies wrecking the world’s cheapest, most scalable energy source.

My standard is human flourishing: weigh both side‑effects and benefits, factor in adaptation powered by energy, and oppose policies that would reduce the energy that makes billions safer and healthier. If you want, I’ll walk through the specific evidence on disaster deaths, CO2 benefits to plants, or model performance next.

EdNote: The blue text is from Alex AI, a tool created by philosopher/energy expert Alex Epstein.

Bottom Line: What's the reality? One "reality" is that the end of humanity imminent. Many young people are afraid to start families because of this steady diet of fear about "global warming."  For reasons I can only guess, the media has been willingly complicit in painting this picture. 

Why AI Tilly Will Be the Next Breakout Superstar

Tilly Norwood

Back in the late 80s and early 90s I was introduced to cyberpunk, a genre of literary science fiction popularized by William Gibson. I found his book Mona Lisa Overdrive, the third in his Sprawl Trilogy, to be gripping on several levels. One of the characters is an internationally famous virtual reality star. And somehow she was able to enter the matrix. When I read the AI news today, oh boy, how quickly the storyline, concepts and imagery in Gibson's MLO popped into my head.

The latest news, according to CNN, features an actress named Tilly Norwood who has gained international fame since her appearance and activities on social media. Many in Hollywood, though, are apoplectic because she is not an actress at all. She's been generated by AI and some in the Screen Actors Guild see her as a threat.

Her creator is Eline Van Der Velden, founder of the AI startup Particle6. (Very cool company name.)

Tilly has more than 36,000 followers since taking up residence on Instagram this past February. She's not just a pretty face but rather the world's first AI actress, albeit synthetically composed of algorithms, not jeans genes.

She was unveiled at the Zurich Film Festival, and she's already got talent agents circling like sharks at a premiere afterparty. Tilly's creator envisions her as the ultimate multitasker—fighting monsters, dodging explosions, and nabbing Oscars in 20 seconds flat. But can this digital darling really eclipse Hollywood's A-listers? We'll see, I suppose. Right now it's a perfect storm of innovation, infamy, and investor frenzy.

First off, Tilly's pioneering narrative is pure catnip for the zeitgeist. As the inaugural AI actress in history, she's not merely a character; she's a milestone. She's even been tokenized as a memecoin ($TILLY) on the Solana blockchain. It's a "first-ever" badge that fuses AI's tech meta with meme coin virality and Hollywood's red-carpet allure, forming a FOMO golden triangle. If this sounds over-the-top, you're right, it is. In short, Particle6 is working all the angles. The bitcoin and memeworld are contributing to the vaue of the Tilly Norwood brand.

Then there's the media maelstrom. Deadline broke the story, igniting a global blaze—Variety, ScreenRant, MovieWeb, even CNN (where I saw the story) piled on, dissecting her "screen tests" and agent buzz. Her Zurich debut? Instant prestige. But the real rocket fuel has been the backlash bonfire. SAG-AFTRA slammed her as a "computer program trained on stolen performances," devoid of emotion or life experience. Stars like Sophie Turner ("Wow... no thanks"), Whoopi Goldberg, and Mara Wilson unleashed fury: "You didn’t make this. Hundreds of real workers... made this." 

Twitter/X erupted in an ethical Armageddon. Bad press? It's the best kind—controversy is free marketing, turning Tilly into a viral villain-hero. As Van Der Velden quips, she's "a piece of art," not a replacement, but a genre unto herself. Drama this juicy doesn't fade; it franchises.

Efforts to ban the AI actress will only generate more interest. Look at the banned books lists and you'll see that their readerships grow, not diminish. And the furor over   American Eagle's "Sydney Sweenie Has Great Jeans" campaign was absurdly insane as the company's sales went through the roof and their shareholders laughed all the way to the bank.

Evidently sales of the memecoin are also (for now) going through the roof. Holders aren't just buying a coin; they're betting on the AI entertainment uprising, where digital divas disrupt unions and box offices. $TILLY metrics scream momentum—20,000 transactions in 24 hours, with balanced buys signaling staying power. Is it simply hype? Or will it be a case study in story-driven pumps, blending crypto's edge with mainstream allure.*

OK, so where does Tilly fit into the grand scheme of things? I myself see a peachy place for her in marketing. Back in the Fifties the Leo Burnett ad agency solved a problem that marketers had then and still have today. When companies hire spokespersons to represent their brands, what happens when the actor or celebrity "goes bad." Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong and Michael Phelps are contemporary examples of problem behavior that cost them sponsorships. The Burnett team evaded these risks by creator characters who would permanently stay out of trouble, like Tony the Tiger, the Jolly Green Giant, and the Marlboro Man. There might be a rground-breaking role for Tilly Norwood in this realm. And lest she gets overbooked, she can bring some of her friends along. 

Related

Tilly Walks the Red Carpet Like No Other

*The $TILLY memecoin is not associated with Particle6 or Tilly herself. It is a speculative pump for the fun of it... Research it on Google or Grok@X.com