Posts filed under ‘OBSERVATIONS & OPINIONS’
THE STATE OF OUR NATION
I cannot express my feelings as eloquently as some of the fantastic poets I follow online. I must come to the brutal point; this country is in deep shit.
Not only of Donald Trump and what he has accomplished in this election year. Rather, it is because he was able to do what he has done. The sorry state of our government is the birth of his success.
The future of our country is in jeopardy of failure.
I thank God I am old.
STRUGGLING TO GET WRITING APPRECLIATED
Why do you write?
If you’re young, it’s to begin and establish a career, and along the way, perhaps make a living. If you are young this article may not interest you for it’s coming from a different place in life. The place is old age, but the need, perhaps not the reason remains the same. But then again, you will not be young forever.
My first and only novel published thus far appeared while I entered my sixties. Now, at the ass-end of that decade, when maturity infiltrates my brain, I still have a need to write as demonstrated in these mumblings. Do I enjoy it? Hell no!
I should not be working now. I should be enjoying ‘the golden years’. But my personality has always had a strange quirk, the need to accomplish something meaningful. This disease began while I was a teen and has pursued me ever since. Someday soon I may write of how this change to my personality began.
But for now, to the point of this article.
At the end of last year I receive an email from Books To Go Now, a publisher of e-stories telling me I had made 16 cents for the year. This notification brought me joy in a year of a publishing drought. I don’t know and will never meet the person who put down money to read my work.
In my mind, my friends, that is what it is all about. Not fame or fortune which is rightfully sought by the young, but appreciation of our efforts in writing. The bottom line is that appreciation and recognition, no matter how minimal of your work is important. It means someone finds your work worthy of buying. The buying is not the important part, the desire to read your work is.
That is why I write, and perhaps your reason too.
THE WRONGS OF THE PAST CONTINUE: A REVIEW OF YESTERDAY’S FICTION AND TODAYS REALITY
This could be considered one of my RANTS & RAVES pieces, but since it’s also a book review, it stands alone as a unique species.
The wide gap between the top 1%, the people of wealth, and the working class is beyond comprehension.
The products sold to the American public, behind the falsehood of corporate manipulation of the truth, is beyond belief. Unsafe and contaminated products are sold, money is exchanged, and the trend will continue as long as there is a profit to be made.
The wealthy manipulate society to their benefit, robbing the working class of a better life as they fill their coffers of greed. Something must be done for the common man as his world sinks into an abyss of despair.
If you think these facts were torn from the current condition of our society; you would be wrong. Although these revelations sound much like the current state of affairs in this country they are products of the past.
We now live in a world where wealth thumps conscience and the benefit of the average citizen. Where the greed continues worldwide, and the richest 85 individuals in the world have more wealth than the bottom 50% of the world’s population (Time magazine). Where, in this country, the gulf between the common man and the legendary 1%, which if you do the math is over 3 million individuals, control and manipulate our lives to their own benefit. The conditions of the past and the present mingle in a disturbing never-ending situation for the people of this country.
I have just finished reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. First published in 1906, the work changed our country with the introduction of laws to protect the public from buying contaminated meat products and labor reform. The novel is an historical work of fiction, and through the primary character’s eyes, we are allowed to see the conditions, beyond imagination, which provide food for our nation at that time. Where children are forced to work at unbelievably young ages to support their destitute families.
As mentioned earlier, this novel resulted in laws changing our society’s conditions for the better. Yet, to some extent, the same conditions remain in effect. Greed has a way of refusing to die. Industries, today, continue to provide inferior products, causing damage and death to the population. When these inferior product are discovered massive fines are imposed. But the profits reaped before the discovery of purposeful negligence far outweigh the fines. Today, this is good business practice. I have no proof of this conjecture beyond common sense. I assume, perhaps wrongly, but I think not, that these companies providing products recalled and deemed hazardous, have a massive army of lawyers and accountants running the dollar amounts for possible fines vs profits.
I will not name the prime industries involved. But if you have access to any form of news, and also a memory, you know the industries of which I speak. All you need to do is read or remember the massive recalls and billion dollar lawsuits resulting from the death and injury of consumers caused by unsafe products.
This piece reveals nothing new if you follow the current situation of our society. The only truth it does reveal is that our use and manipulation by the wealthy has not changed.
This could be considered one of my RANTS & RAVES pieces, but since it’s also a book review, it stands alone as a unique species.
The wide gap between the top 1%, the people of wealth, and the working class is beyond comprehension.
The products sold to the American public, behind the falsehood of corporate manipulation of the truth, is beyond belief. Unsafe and contaminated products are sold, money is exchanged, and the trend will continue as long as there is a profit to be made.
The wealthy manipulate society to their benefit, robbing the working class of a better life as they fill their coffers of greed. Something must be done for the common man as his world sinks into an abyss of despair.
If you think these facts were torn from the current condition of our society; you would be wrong. Although these revelations sound much like the current state of affairs in this country they are products of the past.
We now live in a world where wealth thumps conscience and the benefit of the average citizen. Where the greed continues worldwide, and the richest 85 individuals in the world have more wealth than the bottom 50% of the world’s population (Time magazine). Where, in this country, the gulf between the common man and the legendary 1%, which if you do the math is over 3 million individuals, control and manipulate our lives to their own benefit. The conditions of the past and the present mingle in a disturbing never-ending situation for the people of this country.
I have just finished reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. First published in 1906, the work changed our country with the introduction of laws to protect the public from buying contaminated meat products and labor reform. The novel is an historical work of fiction, and through the primary character’s eyes, we are allowed to see the conditions, beyond imagination, which provide food for our nation at that time. Where children are forced to work at unbelievably young ages to support their destitute families.
As mentioned earlier, this novel resulted in laws changing our society’s conditions for the better. Yet, to some extent, the same conditions remain in effect. Greed has a way of refusing to die. Industries, today, continue to provide inferior products, causing damage and death to the population. When these inferior product are discovered massive fines are imposed. But the profits reaped before the discovery of purposeful negligence far outweigh the fines. Today, this is good business practice. I have no proof of this conjecture beyond common sense. I assume, perhaps wrongly, but I think not, that these companies providing products recalled and deemed hazardous, have a massive army of lawyers and accountants running the dollar amounts for possible fines vs profits.
I will not name the prime industries involved. But if you have access to any form of news, and also a memory, you know the industries of which I speak. All you need to do is read or remember the massive recalls and billion dollar lawsuits resulting from the death and injury of consumers caused by unsafe products.
This piece reveals nothing new if you follow the current situation of our society. The only truth it does reveal is that our use and manipulation by the wealthy has not changed.
ec
COMPARISON OF TWO ERASERHEADS
Recently, I viewed a short clip of the movie, Eraserhead. Gazing at the main character, Eraserhead, my mind instantly recalled a figure of current times. The resemblance is uncanny to an existing political figure, who, with respect to his stature in the world, I will not mention (North Korea).
This observation led me to the following question, in relation to the height of the eraser. Does the political figure make more mistakes than the movie character? This observation is perhaps of no importance. I just though I’d share.
RANTS AND RAVES
With the revelation of The Panama Papers, it does not appear that the concept of ‘trickle down’ worldwide, is working very well.
SCIENCE FICTION BECOMING SCIENCE FACT
Since I write science fiction, I had to give praise to SpaceX landing their 14 story rocket on a barge, not a very large barge, in the ocean.
How many of us, advanced in age and wisdom remember rockets landing in movies or TV in an identical manner. I do not know why but watching the missile land, the fact that the top of the rocket was perfectly flat was something I had never pictured. It’s delivery, gone.
I just had to mention this historic event and contemplate the next science fiction turned science fact. I might share that War of the Worlds is one of my favorite science fiction movies along with The Thing from Another World which scared the shit out of the seven or eight year old Walt. Remember the last line of The Thing after the vegetable James Arness is fried?
“Look to the skies.” I love that line.
A SECOND LOOK AT GEORGE R.R. MARTIN
Those of you who follow this blog will remember, in the past, I have expressed negative opinions on George R.R. Martin’s series, The Game of Thrones. I felt, and still do, that the novels were overwritten. If they were shortened, the story would move along at a much interesting pace. In my opinion, the description of the character’s clothes and other details were far beyond necessary. While talking with a friend, I found that he also had a problem reading these novels, and had an interesting observation. He commented that the novels were really screenplays, providing details needed more for a visual representation of the story than what the novel required.
These are opinions of the author’s works of fantasy. Now I would I would like to express my limited exposure to the Martin’s science fiction.
Due to a local library’s overflow of books, I inherited a book of Martin’s science fiction work published by TOR in 1985, with the individual stories first published during the 1970’s. The first and best story, Nightflyers, was a read I highly recommend. All of the stories making up this anthology are worthy of a lover of science fiction’s attention.
From reading this the brief amount of Martin’s science fiction, I think his writing in this genre is superb and definitely plan to read more of his efforts, if I can find them. I found the stories in Nightflyers to progress at a rapid pace and entertaining.
My opinion of this author has suffered a turnaround. This is the fault of forming an opinion until all the facts are known.
POEMS & FLEETING THOUGHTS: THE CREATORS
Have you ever wondered
Of the giants,
The geniuses of the arts, the sciences?
How they suffered
Their daily lives?
The revelations and emotions,
The creations born
Yet the mundane thoughts
Crowding their existence,
Long gone
We put them on pedestals,
Gaze at their work in museums
Or read their efforts,
But remember,
Know they were human,
Lived day to day,
Dealt with life,
Some, their talent realized
Only once gone,
The gamble
Of being
Creative.
I try to appreciate every creative effort I read on the blogs I follow. To create something from nothing takes effort, whether grand or small.
RANTS AND RAVES: THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
I wrote this article in anger and despair, then decided not to publish it. But only today this article appeared in the Washington Post.
Here is another article which should sicken everyone, especially a parent.
How could my piece possibly relate to writing? Easy, it is life. And even when writing fiction, the roots of reality take hold and form the story.
I was raised a Catholic, my children were raised in the church, but I no longer attend mass. I was frustrated, then sickened as I sat on Sunday morning listening to discussions I could not challenge. Being told statements that were not true, or not researched. Making no sense to what I knew to be the truth.
I once found comfort in the presence of the church. The physical building offered peace. Even the smell of the church, in quiet moments of solitude, I found solace. Now, I question this source of salvation I once held dear. Wondering where the truth ends and the lies begin.
My faltering began with the first exposure of child abuse in this area of Pennsylvania, by priests. I could not wrap my mind around such an announcement. I realized that I was expected to confess my sins to someone, who potentially, had committed acts worse than I could imagine. When the Philadelphia Inquirer published their first article about these unspeakable acts by priests from the pulpit we were told not to read the article. As it turns out, this heinous crime was being committed by thousands of priest all over the country, then revealed that this practice was committed by priests all over the world.
I know that if I had committed these acts, I would have been jailed. When released put on Megan’s List, and my life ruined. Yet when the holy commit these crimes, they are transferred to a new parish where they could continue these unholy acts.
During one mass after the revelation of these crimes, I listened to the celebrant tell us that pedophilia was a disease. I would say a disease that should have been dealt with before too many innocent lives were ruined. In reply, I would ask this question, “Does the church consider homosexuality a disease?” For most of these acts come under that definition. Now every time the church I once attended plants small white crosses in the soil representing the thousands of children aborted, I wish they would also plant little black crosses to represent the thousands of children, living children, whose lives have been damaged by those they pictured as the holiest of holy.
I am sickened by an institution I once held dear. I did not write this article gain attention, but rather, to explore a past my life once held important, but now causes nothing but confusion.
THE GIVER BY LOIS LOWRY: AN OPINION FAR FROM THE USUAL
The other day I was getting my seasonal haircut, when I began discussing books with my barber and authors she enjoyed. During our conversation she mentioned The Giver. I have read this book and the books concept remains a sore point for me. I found it lacking in belief, even for fiction.
I know who am I, a totally unknown writer, and who am I to detract from a classic, but here it goes.
I had no problem with most of the story until the fact was revealed in the warped world of The Giver, all you needed to do is cross a bridge over a river and enter the world of normality. Salvation was just on the other side of this bridge, yet no one dared cross it. I find that unexplainable. Perhaps my readers can tell me how my thinking is wrong. My barber said they did not cross the bridge because they had been brainwashed. I feel it should have taken a lobotomy.
I shall now boldly go where no one in their right mind has gone.
I shall suggest an alternate ending to the novel. I would have preferred to see the novel take this turn. On the other side of the bridge there exists a sinister forest constantly cloaked in darkness. In this forest reside malevolent beasts, some part human, who kill and devour all foreign life they find. The journey through this forest would be dangerous beyond belief, but I feel some barrier must exist for the souls inhabiting the land of the Giver, to overcome.
Beyond this forest is another bridge over another river which these monsters of the forest dare not cross. Beyond this bridge lies a normal society. Those who risk the forest will find a fulfilled life.
That’s how I would have ended the story.
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