Posts filed under ‘WALT’S OPINIONS’
RFK JR. AND VITAMIN A
We live during a time where you can choose where to obtain your news depending on your viewpoint and what you are willing to accept as the truth. If you don’t like what you hear or read you can claim it to be ‘false news’ without supplying any proof of your claim.
This brings me to the purpose of this post. And that is information supplied by RFK Jr.
No, this isn’t about vaccines. There you can believe what you want to believe as true. Time will tell if your choice was right. This post concerns damage which is occurring now and is not subject to opinion.
Involving measles, RFK Jr. suggests antibiotics for treatment and vitamin A for prevention and treatment.
First, antibiotics do not do anything against viruses. If you want to waste your money be my guest. However, there is potential harm in using antibiotics when it is not necessary and that is development of resistant bacteria when the antibiotic is necessary and will not have an effect.
But the danger in something RFK Jr. is suggesting being used in conjunction with measles which is resulting in harm no matter what your opinion is and cannot be denied.
I do not know if RFK Jr. is aware of the fact that there are two classes of vitamins, water soluble and fat soluble. With water soluble vitamins if you take more than your body needs you pee out the excess. With fat soluble vitamins whatever your body can’t use is stored. RFK Jr.is advocating the use of vitamins A, a fat-soluble vitamin for use in conjunction with measles. As a result, some parents are overdosing their children with vitamin A and causing liver damage in their children. This is not false news. It is reality.
What I find disturbing is that RFK Jr. is not aware of the danger associated with his suggestion. What I find greatly disturbing is that no one corrected him before he began voicing his opinion about vitamin A. Now it could be that RFK Jr. did not seek any scientific counsel before making his announcement. But no matter what happened parents are overdosing their children, and in some cases, causing them liver damage.
April 2, 2025 at 12:20 pm
ELECTION ADS IN PENNSYLVANIA
By now, if anyone doesn’t know that Pennsylvania is a ‘battleground’ state, let me know where the cave you live in is. I’d like to move in with you.
There was recently a news piece on a local station in Philadelphia which addressed the constant bombardment of negative political ads and the effect on the mental health of the state’s population. In Pennsylvania you cannot hide, no matter how hard you try, from those ads. The content of those ads has prompted this post.
In some of those ads there is no political party of candidate running for office guilty of telling the truth and nothing but the truth. The problem I have with the current mass of ads is that they are not necessarily guilty of falsehoods. They are guilty of not reflecting the current reality.
Ads currently being broadcast say that inflation is high. It was high but is now at low levels. As low as it was in the past.
Ads cry that the price of gas is triple what it was four years ago. I’ll let you look at the current price of gas where you live and tell me if that price is triple the price of four years ago.
Ads say that consumer confidence is low. I just heard a news report that consumer confidence is high, and people have increased their spending.
Ads stating that the interest rates are high. A current article by the Associated Press states that the current interest rate is the lowest it’s been since 2021. A personal note. The interest rate the owner of the house I live in was paying, which we bought in 1986, was 13%.
Of course, there are some out there who will say that what I stated above is false news. Unfortunately, we live in an age where you can believe what you want to believe and easily find a source to back you up.
And now, as a Pennsylvania resident, I’m preparing myself today for another onslaught of political ads with questionable facts. I expect this no matter how hard I try to hide.
November 2, 2024 at 12:20 pm
FEMA RUMORS
I don’t usually post twice in one day, but thought this subject warranted an exception.
The internet is a prime example of what is good, bad and ugly in our society.
The good is that it is a remarkable tool for education and obtaining knowledge from all over the world. You can be sitting comfortably in your home and explore the entire world for information concerning any subject which interests you.
The bad is the many ways it is hurting our children. Kids are being influenced by social media platforms which can be addictive and the source of false and destructive information. Addiction to these social media platforms results in the isolation of our young, and the product in some, severe depression.
The ugly is the reason for this post. The internet is the prime source of misinformation and rumors causing a great deal harm in our society.
Yesterday’s news contained a story about false rumors causing distress and confusion in people. which due to the spat of hurricanes, need all the help they can get. There have been false rumors circulating stating that funding for FEMA has been taken and used to support illegal aliens. There can be nothing further from the truth. These false accusations have resulted in threats to FEMA workers causing FEMA to change how they are responding to the massive disasters resulting from these storms. Now, due to the possible danger to their workers, instead of visiting homes and businesses to access damage, those seeking assistance must go to centers recently set up to serve this response.
Yesterday it is alleged that a threat was made by an individual set on harming FEMA workers. He was arrested in North Carolina and, in his car, was found a long rifle and two handguns. Members of our society currently experiencing unspeakable destruction in their lives are being prohibited from receiving the immediate help they need in this time of crisis.
These rumors must stop. And those spreading them must develop a conscience for the good of our society.
October 16, 2024 at 1:53 am
LITERAY AGENCY QUERY REQUIREMENTS
As mentioned in a previous post, when searching for a literary agent you will discover that many agencies use an online form you must use to make your query. This makes the search much easier than it was in the past for most of the information required is, more or less, the same for all forms.
Here is a list of the information required on many of the forms,
Information on previously published books
Title
Publisher
Release date
If you have self-published a book
Query letter
Synopsis
Sample pages or sample chapters
The number of pages or chapters varies by agency.
Pitch
Target audience
Books similar to your book
Bio
Most agencies using an online form also require that you are a member of Query Tracker, a free website.
In a future post I will supply a form used by an agency so that you may see what they look like.
October 2, 2024 at 12:36 pm
MY QUEST FOR A LITERARY AGENT
I have a novel, The Beast Awaits, for which I am seeking a publisher. I have used Duotrope to compile a list of publishers but so far I have found none that I deem satisfactory. Therefore, I am now looking for a literary agent for which Duotrope also provides a listing.
For many publishers having an agent is the only way your work can be reviewed. The fact that you have an agent encourages publishers to look at your work for they know that the only way a REPUTIBLE agent makes a penny is if they sell your work.
I filled out a Duotrope questionnaire for agents and received a list of 124 agents. Daunting. But through my use of another website, I was able to reduce this to a list of seventeen agents I feel secure in pursuing.
In a future post will describe how I accomplished this.
September 11, 2024 at 12:56 pm
UNWANTED INTERUPTIONS OF SEARCHES CONTINUED
As mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been bombarded with unwanted ads resulting from my search for publishers and agents.
I get ads from companies saying that they want to read my book. I have little doubt that after reading my book they would want to publish my book. Okay, they don’t know whether my book is fiction or nonfiction. For fiction they don’t know the genre. For nonfiction they don’t know the subject. They have no idea of the quality of my craft, but they want to read my book.
This company wants to spend time reading my book and may decide not to publish my book. Right! I have little doubt that after reading my book, if they read it at all, they will like to publish it.
I feel one of the major reasons these companies exit is to stroke the fragile egos of those who would like to say they have published a book and have money to burn.
Now it is possible to find success in self-publishing a book. Ever hear of the novel The Martian which became a bestseller and subsequently made into a movie? Self-published. So success can occur but you must have an exceptional manuscript and be willing to work you ass off, and the asses of close friends.
I’m posting this as a warning. Stay away from companies whose ads state that they want to publish your book.
And as far as agents are concerned, I can’t imagine a reputable agency of agents seeking clients with an ad.
September 4, 2024 at 1:17 pm
UNWANTED INTERUPTIONS OF SEARCHES
I am in the process of looking for a publisher for my novel, The Beast Awaits.
As I’m sure you know I am fan of the website Duotrope for locating publishers. The site also provides information for literary agents. I have used Duotrope to explore publishers with little luck for my novel, so I am now using it to seek an agent. My search for an agent on Duotrope resulted in a list of 124. I then used another website and reduced the number to 16. The method I used will be described in a later post.
Since beginning my search, I have been inundated with ads for publishers wanting to read my novel and agents wanting me to contact them for representation.
I’m fairly certain that Duotrope or the other site I used would not sell my name and email address, so this intrusion must be the result of my searches. In this day and age someone is constantly looking over your shoulder.
Companies now involved with self-publishing were once called vanity presses. Also, I have never seen ad for agents before.
More to follow.
September 3, 2024 at 12:56 pm
Recently, RFK Jr. joined the Trump team and brought up the subject of chronic diseases. I felt this subject required a reality check. Also, it is an issue I had never heard before addressed in politics.
With both political parties issues are mentioned but, until pressure is applied, seldom addressed. The mention of chronic diseases really caught my attention, and for better or worse, set my mind in motion.
There are a host of chronic diseases, many with a genetic origin such as diabetes and obesity. There are many auto-immune diseases that are genetic in origin. Lupus, eczema, and some forms of arthritis can be added to the chronic list. Serious attempts at genetic engineering could alleviate some of this chronic suffering.
Along this train of thought, there have also been advances in agriculture using genetic engineering. The crops to which genetic techniques have been applied are referred to as Geneticaly Modified Organisms, or GMOs. Now there is a population against the consumption of GMOs. How would these people feel if their disease could be lessened, or perhaps cured, by using genetic engineering. They would be walking GMOs.
There already exist medications which elevate, to some extent, the scourge of chronic diseases. But this is on an individual basis, by a means already in existence. I assume what RFK Jr. is referring to is the total elimination of the disease. I feel the only way this can be accomplished is through genetic engineering. Of course, I’m not a politician, only a former scientist who tries to keep up with what is going on in the scientific community. What comes to mind is a relatively new procedure which has been awarded the Novel Pize and that method is CRISPR. I don’t understand exactly how it works but it seems to me that not only does it lessen or eliminate the disease for an individual but also for all the offspring of that individual. RFK Jr. has most likely investigated this method already or why boast about eliminating chronic disease and not just curing the disease for an individual.
However, there is one chronic disease plaguing this country that I wish RFK Jr. and other concerned politicians would address.
The chronic disease of gun violence.
August 30, 2024 at 4:14 pm
I live in Pennsylvania, a ‘battleground state’ and am inundated with political ads although I keep my use of the media to a minimum.
This post is not an indictment on any political party. But I think some of their ads could us some qualifier in their presentation. I constantly hear ads tying the increase in gas prices to inflation. I’m sure that there is an increase in gas prices somewhere, but not where I live.
I live southeast of Philadelphia and listen to a Philadelphia all-news station broadcasting on both AM and FM. I have no idea as to the size of the area they cover. Just the other day they had a piece concerning the Labor Day weekend and the current gas price. They reported that gas prices are forty-four cents cheaper than this same time last year. How large the area of this decrease, I have no idea. But I doubt the decrease is isolated to their broadcasting area.
So, it seems that some political ads could use some qualification.
August 28, 2024 at 1:45 pm
Recently I heard an ad for Trump’s campaign covering illegal alien fraudulent claims for Covid-19 benefits. Stated was the fact, I hesitate to use the word fact and rather be able to use the word facts, for in any political ad only the fact which benefits the politician is used and often does not resent the entire picture. The fact in Trump’s ad is guilty of this. Here are further facts which offer a clearer picture of the relevance of the presented statement.
In the ad it is claimed that illegal aliens are guilty of submitting 500 million dollars in fraudulent Covid-19 claims. I’m not going to fact-check this and assume it is accurate. You might think how terrible this is. And you are correct. But wait. An additional fact offers the reality of the true level of this fraud.
I have now heard more than once the values I am about to present to you.
There was a total of over 280 Billion dollars worth of fraudulent Covid-19 obtained by the American public. I’m sure there were some organized efforts made to defraud the government, but many of the guilty actors could be your neighbors, or perhaps YOU. It is estimated if all the guilty parties were prosecuted it would take over 200years. Do I hear a sigh of relief.
So, if you want to know where the true guilt lies in America, look in the mirror.
August 17, 2024 at 11:12 am
Older Posts
Newer Posts
Walttriznastories's Blog 