For most of June I was in "maintenance-mode" with my running, just running enough daily to keep my low level of endurance intact. But for the last eight days I've skipped it...I've been on vacation and traveling, deciding to put my running on hold until I got back. And now I'm back...but the month's over!
In June I ran on 22 of the 30 days, amassing a total of 79 miles. My longest single run was for 3.3 miles, done a couple of times: nothing to brag about. I'd like to pick up my mileage and do more road running...we'll see what July brings. I do know I will not be running any races anytime soon...
And now for something entirely unrelated to running: a couple of weeks ago I took a break from Facebook, which included posting links to these blog articles on it. I kept writing, so there's several days' worth of articles between then and now about a variety of stuff. I think I've come to a sense of peace about this social media site, resolving to check it only at certain set times. So I'm back to posting on Facebook and hope you enjoy reading my articles...
Friday, June 30, 2017
Quote of the Week...from Oprah Winfrey
Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not.
Oprah Winfrey.
A few months ago I discussed on this blog another quote by Oprah Winfrey, and in a rather critical manner. This time around, though, I'm all on board with what she has to say. For in our society, it is indeed a sign of high character...of integrity...for people to behave ethically and responsibly regardless whether they are out in the open or hidden from others' views and scrutiny. I think a lot of folks possess integrity to varying degrees, but it is also true that the tendency is sadly for people's behavior to become more selfish, greedy, impatient, and dishonest whenever they feel they are safe from being called out on it. Take my own experiences the last few days...
I've been on vacation for a few days with Melissa, just arriving back home today. Whenever we were out around others in public, be it in shops, restaurants, hotels, out walking, or whatever, the other people we saw around us were uniformly considerate, patient, and generous. But once we got on the road...well, that was entirely different. It seems that when some people find themselves feeling relatively anonymous within their vehicles, their lower natures come out. The refusal of someone to let me in because an accident ahead caused a lane closure, the intimidating tailgating I see drivers doing to those directly in front of them, and drivers recklessly zigzagging between cars on the freeway all demonstrate behavior that would never come out were the same people identifiably out in the open with others...and without their vehicles to insulate them...
I heard a sermon a while back on integrity that dovetailed nicely with Oprah's quote. The bottom line is that the true measure of a person is what they choose to do during the times that no one is present to hold them accountable for it. So am I the same when I'm alone or driving as when I am physically present around others? Sigh, I have some work to do in this area...I suspect most of us do...
Oprah Winfrey.
A few months ago I discussed on this blog another quote by Oprah Winfrey, and in a rather critical manner. This time around, though, I'm all on board with what she has to say. For in our society, it is indeed a sign of high character...of integrity...for people to behave ethically and responsibly regardless whether they are out in the open or hidden from others' views and scrutiny. I think a lot of folks possess integrity to varying degrees, but it is also true that the tendency is sadly for people's behavior to become more selfish, greedy, impatient, and dishonest whenever they feel they are safe from being called out on it. Take my own experiences the last few days...
I've been on vacation for a few days with Melissa, just arriving back home today. Whenever we were out around others in public, be it in shops, restaurants, hotels, out walking, or whatever, the other people we saw around us were uniformly considerate, patient, and generous. But once we got on the road...well, that was entirely different. It seems that when some people find themselves feeling relatively anonymous within their vehicles, their lower natures come out. The refusal of someone to let me in because an accident ahead caused a lane closure, the intimidating tailgating I see drivers doing to those directly in front of them, and drivers recklessly zigzagging between cars on the freeway all demonstrate behavior that would never come out were the same people identifiably out in the open with others...and without their vehicles to insulate them...
I heard a sermon a while back on integrity that dovetailed nicely with Oprah's quote. The bottom line is that the true measure of a person is what they choose to do during the times that no one is present to hold them accountable for it. So am I the same when I'm alone or driving as when I am physically present around others? Sigh, I have some work to do in this area...I suspect most of us do...
Thursday, June 29, 2017
6/25 Sermon on 1 John, Part 11
At The Family Church in Gainesville, Florida, pastor Philip Griffin concluded his Let There Be Light series...based on the New Testament book of 1 John...by discussing the topic of confidence. The text of focus was Chapter 5, Verses 13-21...click on the following Bible Gateway link to read it: [link]...
Using John's verses, Pastor Philip listed the ways that God imparts confidence to us: one is that we have eternal life...not from our own accomplishments, but by God's grace. Another is that our prayers are answered by God as we make them according to his will...the goal of prayer is not to impose our will on God but rather to conform our will to his. And in Christ we have God's power to overcome our shortcomings, forge a new identity...changing not only how we see ourselves but also how we see the world, and have what truly satisfies...instead of the idols in their various manifestations that this world provides...
Since I was in Austin, Texas last Sunday, I wasn't able to hear the message live. But that's all right: I (and you as well) can listen to it by accessing the church's YouTube video website...here's a link to last Sunday's message: [link]. As I said before, this was the last in the series on 1 John. The Family Church is located at 2022 SW 122nd Street and holds its Sunday services at 9:30 and 11...
Using John's verses, Pastor Philip listed the ways that God imparts confidence to us: one is that we have eternal life...not from our own accomplishments, but by God's grace. Another is that our prayers are answered by God as we make them according to his will...the goal of prayer is not to impose our will on God but rather to conform our will to his. And in Christ we have God's power to overcome our shortcomings, forge a new identity...changing not only how we see ourselves but also how we see the world, and have what truly satisfies...instead of the idols in their various manifestations that this world provides...
Since I was in Austin, Texas last Sunday, I wasn't able to hear the message live. But that's all right: I (and you as well) can listen to it by accessing the church's YouTube video website...here's a link to last Sunday's message: [link]. As I said before, this was the last in the series on 1 John. The Family Church is located at 2022 SW 122nd Street and holds its Sunday services at 9:30 and 11...
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Weekly Short Story: Evening Primrose by John Collins
Sometimes a short story makes more sense in the time it was written...the advent of technology can render some scenarios obsolete. A case in point: John Collier's classic 1940 horror tale Evening Primrose, which I read (a few times) from the anthology Alfred Hitchcock Presents Stories for Late At Night. The story begins harmlessly enough...if not more than a little bit goofy...when a young man, fancying himself a bohemian poet of sorts, decides to drop out of worldly society by living hidden within a department store. He reasons that he would hide and sleep during store hours and then come out later in the night after closing, with only the night watchman to look out for. Picking the store of his choice, he feels successful as the store closes and he is left alone...and free! Only he soon discovers the opposite: many other people had already made the same decision and a secret society of store-dwellers is already flourishing, complete with its own rules...and some horrors as well...
Of course, in today's world you can't just hide in a big store like that...everything is now under 24/7 surveillance. But in 1940 this was an option that people could envision happening, and Collier used it to make a couple of important points, in my opinion. One is that if you come up with your own "original" way to get around the system, chances are that many, many others have already beaten you to it...trying to get away from it all may only result in being surrounded by others trying to get away from it all. The second point is the idea of an "underground": it may seem "cool" for a while to be part of a society detached from the mainstream, but all human society is structured and includes rules for its members to abide by. If one abandons living in the conventional society that employs conventional means of law enforcement...i.e. the police...he or she may instead be subject to some very rough treatment should they be seen by the underground group as straying from their particular laws...check out The Godfather to get another angle on this. And that's all I'll say about Evening Primrose, a brilliant and unforgettable short story...
Of course, in today's world you can't just hide in a big store like that...everything is now under 24/7 surveillance. But in 1940 this was an option that people could envision happening, and Collier used it to make a couple of important points, in my opinion. One is that if you come up with your own "original" way to get around the system, chances are that many, many others have already beaten you to it...trying to get away from it all may only result in being surrounded by others trying to get away from it all. The second point is the idea of an "underground": it may seem "cool" for a while to be part of a society detached from the mainstream, but all human society is structured and includes rules for its members to abide by. If one abandons living in the conventional society that employs conventional means of law enforcement...i.e. the police...he or she may instead be subject to some very rough treatment should they be seen by the underground group as straying from their particular laws...check out The Godfather to get another angle on this. And that's all I'll say about Evening Primrose, a brilliant and unforgettable short story...
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Just Finished Reading Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Lauren DeStefano is an author of young adult fiction...she wrote the dystopian series Chemical Garden Trilogy. Wither, the first book, was published in 2011 and I just finished reading it. Once again, as is the case in other series of this sort like Divergence or The Hunger Games, we see a nightmare scenario for the future after cataclysm has wrecked the social fabric of society...
It is sometime in the future, after a terrible world war has decimated the world, basically leaving only North America intact. But science marches on, and advances in medicine have cured cancer, with a disease-free generation of humanity...dubbed the "first generation"...full of hope for the future. But a terrible thing has happened: a fatal virus has been universally genetically transmitted to their offspring, with men succumbing to it by age 25 and women by 20. This causes a complete disruption of societal norms, especially with the proliferation of children orphaned by their parents dying so young. A by-product is the abduction of teenage girls to be sold onto marriage to the sons of wealthy families...which is the predicament of the protagonist, Rhine Ellery. Will she be able to escape and be reunited with her twin brother Rowan? Guess you'll have to read it and find out...
Although Wither is generally depressing, Rhine, her two sister wives Cecily and Jenna...and even her unwanted husband...are sympathetic characters, each victims of their own peculiar circumstances. The author also was skillful at keeping me in a state of suspense through most of the story. At the end, there was a conclusion of sorts but also a lot of mystery left and uncertainty about the future...so I'm definitely committed to reading this series to its end...
It is sometime in the future, after a terrible world war has decimated the world, basically leaving only North America intact. But science marches on, and advances in medicine have cured cancer, with a disease-free generation of humanity...dubbed the "first generation"...full of hope for the future. But a terrible thing has happened: a fatal virus has been universally genetically transmitted to their offspring, with men succumbing to it by age 25 and women by 20. This causes a complete disruption of societal norms, especially with the proliferation of children orphaned by their parents dying so young. A by-product is the abduction of teenage girls to be sold onto marriage to the sons of wealthy families...which is the predicament of the protagonist, Rhine Ellery. Will she be able to escape and be reunited with her twin brother Rowan? Guess you'll have to read it and find out...
Although Wither is generally depressing, Rhine, her two sister wives Cecily and Jenna...and even her unwanted husband...are sympathetic characters, each victims of their own peculiar circumstances. The author also was skillful at keeping me in a state of suspense through most of the story. At the end, there was a conclusion of sorts but also a lot of mystery left and uncertainty about the future...so I'm definitely committed to reading this series to its end...
Monday, June 26, 2017
Conservative vs. Progressive Rankings of Congressional Members Misleading
I don't know whether you've ever come across a rankings list of our U.S. senators or representatives based on how their voting patterns resonate with either conservatism or progressivism, but I'm here to tell you that you need to take it all in with some reservations. Take one such list, for example...
The ProgressivePunch Senate rankings site (here's the link) seems to be the one that is most up-to-date, listing all 100 current United States senators. They have a window in the upper-left corner that list the different categories describing how they evaluate the senators' voting records...categories like fair taxation, health care, housing, labor rights, and war and peace, to mention a few. Then they put all the votes into a formula and voilà, there's the list! They even have lifetime statistics of the politicians' votes as well. The general assumption might be that, if you're a conservative in your political inclinations, then you might just start at the bottom of the list and go up instead with your rankings. But the two different political ideologies see things differently, and that can muddle things up sometimes...
For example, whereas the "progressive" site categorizes "war and peace", conservatives are more likely to say "national security and defense". Progressives say "justice for all: civil and criminal" while conservatives will say that "law and order" is necessary for justice for all. Progressives may emphasize a politician's attitude toward federal funding of education, humanities and the arts while conservatives...who may feel just as passionately about those areas...will decry the federal government's interference in those areas. And when it comes to the economy, taxation, and health, progressives will emphasize "equality" while conservatives stress "liberty". The different emphases on the same issues are not necessarily mutually exclusive: maintaining a sensible balance while incorporating the best of both perspectives is often the best way to go. It's a shame that each and every politician doesn't take pains to see things from the other side's point of view. It's especially painful to me because I lean toward the progressive side on some issues and the conservative side with others...
Another facet to the list that ProgressivePunch drew for the Senate reveals two undesirable trends about politics in our age: the least progressive Democrat is ranked more progressive than the most progressive Republican. The reasons are twofold, as I see it: first, over the past few decades, the two parties have undergone a polarizing realignment, with their respective bases rejecting members of a different ideological tilt. Before, we had conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans serving in Congress...no longer is that the case. Secondly, party discipline has become more the rule than the exception with floor voting as the members feel compelled to follow their respective leaders' directions for voting instead of their own beliefs. The increasing polarization and party-line trends are both disheartening to me and detract...in my opinion...from the fully effective exercise of democratic representation in Congress..
The ProgressivePunch Senate rankings site (here's the link) seems to be the one that is most up-to-date, listing all 100 current United States senators. They have a window in the upper-left corner that list the different categories describing how they evaluate the senators' voting records...categories like fair taxation, health care, housing, labor rights, and war and peace, to mention a few. Then they put all the votes into a formula and voilà, there's the list! They even have lifetime statistics of the politicians' votes as well. The general assumption might be that, if you're a conservative in your political inclinations, then you might just start at the bottom of the list and go up instead with your rankings. But the two different political ideologies see things differently, and that can muddle things up sometimes...
For example, whereas the "progressive" site categorizes "war and peace", conservatives are more likely to say "national security and defense". Progressives say "justice for all: civil and criminal" while conservatives will say that "law and order" is necessary for justice for all. Progressives may emphasize a politician's attitude toward federal funding of education, humanities and the arts while conservatives...who may feel just as passionately about those areas...will decry the federal government's interference in those areas. And when it comes to the economy, taxation, and health, progressives will emphasize "equality" while conservatives stress "liberty". The different emphases on the same issues are not necessarily mutually exclusive: maintaining a sensible balance while incorporating the best of both perspectives is often the best way to go. It's a shame that each and every politician doesn't take pains to see things from the other side's point of view. It's especially painful to me because I lean toward the progressive side on some issues and the conservative side with others...
Another facet to the list that ProgressivePunch drew for the Senate reveals two undesirable trends about politics in our age: the least progressive Democrat is ranked more progressive than the most progressive Republican. The reasons are twofold, as I see it: first, over the past few decades, the two parties have undergone a polarizing realignment, with their respective bases rejecting members of a different ideological tilt. Before, we had conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans serving in Congress...no longer is that the case. Secondly, party discipline has become more the rule than the exception with floor voting as the members feel compelled to follow their respective leaders' directions for voting instead of their own beliefs. The increasing polarization and party-line trends are both disheartening to me and detract...in my opinion...from the fully effective exercise of democratic representation in Congress..
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Overhyping of Tropical Storms Leaves Me Apathetic
It looks...at least at this early point...that the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season may be a very active one. After all, it is still only June and we have already gone through the letter "C" with tropical storm Cindy hitting Lousiana and Texas. In the eastern Caribbean is an area of disturbed weather that also may well develop further. And yet, in spite of this, I feel vaguely apathetic about it all...probably not the wisest attitude to take...
I think one reason I tend to look askance at the hype I see on TV about tropical storms is how much more coverage they get than the more continental, unnamed storm systems that often cause enormous damage, injury...and even loss of life. In particular are those sweeping thunderstorms and tornadoes that periodically cover the lower plains in Texas and Oklahoma and travel through Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. And speaking of the named tropical systems, the heavy coverage seems always focused on where the storm in question will strike the coast...the often much more devastating inland flooding caused when it continues inland isn't quite the same news story, for some unknown reason...
I think those folks who tell people living in states the most prone to hurricane strikes to stock up at the start of the hurricane season are probably right...I haven't done so yet, but it makes sense to go ahead and be prepared. And then completely tune out the annoying ongoing melodrama about what storms Don, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irma, etc. are doing. The Weather Channel meteorologists are welcome to "bravely" hang out on Florida, Carolina, and Texas beaches as they put on their annual show pretending that they are actually accomplishing something meaningful by getting blown about in front of the camera...but I have better things to do with my life than waste it watching them...
I think one reason I tend to look askance at the hype I see on TV about tropical storms is how much more coverage they get than the more continental, unnamed storm systems that often cause enormous damage, injury...and even loss of life. In particular are those sweeping thunderstorms and tornadoes that periodically cover the lower plains in Texas and Oklahoma and travel through Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. And speaking of the named tropical systems, the heavy coverage seems always focused on where the storm in question will strike the coast...the often much more devastating inland flooding caused when it continues inland isn't quite the same news story, for some unknown reason...
I think those folks who tell people living in states the most prone to hurricane strikes to stock up at the start of the hurricane season are probably right...I haven't done so yet, but it makes sense to go ahead and be prepared. And then completely tune out the annoying ongoing melodrama about what storms Don, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irma, etc. are doing. The Weather Channel meteorologists are welcome to "bravely" hang out on Florida, Carolina, and Texas beaches as they put on their annual show pretending that they are actually accomplishing something meaningful by getting blown about in front of the camera...but I have better things to do with my life than waste it watching them...
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Just Finished Reading The Last Stand by Nathaniel Philbrick
In 2010, sailing and American history enthusiast Nathaniel Philbrick came out with The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn, a very well-researched examination of the ill-fated (at least for George Custer) Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25-26, 1876 in which the U.S. Army's 7th Calvary suffered a resounding defeat at the hands of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and other native American tribes under the leadership of Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and others. I just finished reading it and, as is the case with other history books, this one draws upon many different eyewitness accounts of the event...and from both sides of the conflict...
Philbrick describes the changing social filters through which both Custer and the Indians have been viewed over the years, especially on film...earlier it was the latter who were depicted as savages with Custer and his cavalry representing martyred heroes. But I remember the tide turning in the late sixties and early seventies in favor of the Native Americans...epitomized by the movie Little Big Man, which showed Custer as bloodthirsty and maniacally narcissistic while the Indians were noble...almost angelic...by contrast. For the author, though, the truth lies somewhere between these two extremes...no one side had complete claim to the moral high road...
Although the "white" incursion on Indian plains lands had been going on for decades, the 1874 discovery of gold in the Black Hills of South Dakota, heretofore recognized as Sioux land, prompted then-President Ulysses Grant to dispatch the Army there to subdue the independent-minded Indian nations in the area and establish some control over the suddenly-valued land. Enter George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Cavalry, along with other integral characters by the names of Terry, Reno, Benteen, and several others...and the setting for confrontation settled on the Little Bighorn River area of southern Montana...
Nathaniel Philbrick's research into the different personalities, strategies, misinformation, and accounts of the players in this conflict is amazing: you get the story piecemeal from so many different sources, and the author has put it all together like a jigsaw puzzle. When there is some uncertainty as to what transpired in certain events...such as the "last stand" of Custer itself, Philbrick clearly labels his narrative as necessarily being one of speculation...albeit with some compelling supporting facts. If you are a history buff and want to get a better sense of what was going on back in the late nineteenth century during the plains Indians wars, this book is a great resource. It is very readable and the character development is outstanding. High recommendations!
Philbrick describes the changing social filters through which both Custer and the Indians have been viewed over the years, especially on film...earlier it was the latter who were depicted as savages with Custer and his cavalry representing martyred heroes. But I remember the tide turning in the late sixties and early seventies in favor of the Native Americans...epitomized by the movie Little Big Man, which showed Custer as bloodthirsty and maniacally narcissistic while the Indians were noble...almost angelic...by contrast. For the author, though, the truth lies somewhere between these two extremes...no one side had complete claim to the moral high road...
Although the "white" incursion on Indian plains lands had been going on for decades, the 1874 discovery of gold in the Black Hills of South Dakota, heretofore recognized as Sioux land, prompted then-President Ulysses Grant to dispatch the Army there to subdue the independent-minded Indian nations in the area and establish some control over the suddenly-valued land. Enter George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Cavalry, along with other integral characters by the names of Terry, Reno, Benteen, and several others...and the setting for confrontation settled on the Little Bighorn River area of southern Montana...
Nathaniel Philbrick's research into the different personalities, strategies, misinformation, and accounts of the players in this conflict is amazing: you get the story piecemeal from so many different sources, and the author has put it all together like a jigsaw puzzle. When there is some uncertainty as to what transpired in certain events...such as the "last stand" of Custer itself, Philbrick clearly labels his narrative as necessarily being one of speculation...albeit with some compelling supporting facts. If you are a history buff and want to get a better sense of what was going on back in the late nineteenth century during the plains Indians wars, this book is a great resource. It is very readable and the character development is outstanding. High recommendations!
Friday, June 23, 2017
Quote of the Week...from Muhammad Ali and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough.
Muhammad Ali and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
I've come across the above inspirational quote on a number of occasions, and it seems to be a split as to its original source. Although I suspect that the late boxing great Muhammad Ali was the first to say it, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who as Liberia's current president is the first ever democratically-elected female leader of an African nation, has used it as well. Either source sounds good to me, and the quote reveals something important about how we sometimes sell ourselves short when it comes to planning out our respective futures...
I think the main point of saying that your dreams need to scare you is that if they don't involve you stepping out of your comfort zone and being willing be undergo fundamental transformation, then they aren't worth pursuing and that you're only deceiving yourself and will ultimately be unsatisfied...even if you fulfill them. Looking back from an imagined future point in time and seeing the talents that you will have developed on your journey...as well as the fears you will have faced and overcome...can be a little bit overwhelming. Ali and Sirleaf, however, both seemed to be saying that we shouldn't fool ourselves about what we want to aspire to deep down inside ourselves and should follow our goals to their logical ends. Having been something of an incrementalist tied down to daily routines, following their advice would definitely involve me undergoing a personal paradigm shift. An intriguing quote, this is...I'll have to meditate on it...
Muhammad Ali and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
I've come across the above inspirational quote on a number of occasions, and it seems to be a split as to its original source. Although I suspect that the late boxing great Muhammad Ali was the first to say it, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who as Liberia's current president is the first ever democratically-elected female leader of an African nation, has used it as well. Either source sounds good to me, and the quote reveals something important about how we sometimes sell ourselves short when it comes to planning out our respective futures...
I think the main point of saying that your dreams need to scare you is that if they don't involve you stepping out of your comfort zone and being willing be undergo fundamental transformation, then they aren't worth pursuing and that you're only deceiving yourself and will ultimately be unsatisfied...even if you fulfill them. Looking back from an imagined future point in time and seeing the talents that you will have developed on your journey...as well as the fears you will have faced and overcome...can be a little bit overwhelming. Ali and Sirleaf, however, both seemed to be saying that we shouldn't fool ourselves about what we want to aspire to deep down inside ourselves and should follow our goals to their logical ends. Having been something of an incrementalist tied down to daily routines, following their advice would definitely involve me undergoing a personal paradigm shift. An intriguing quote, this is...I'll have to meditate on it...
Thursday, June 22, 2017
6/18 Sermon on 1 John, Part 10
The sermon series titled Let There Be Light and which is a walk through the New Testament book of 1 John continued last Sunday at The Family Church here in Gainesville with installment number ten, focusing on Chapter 5 Verses 1-13. This message was titled Believe...
Philip Griffin, senior pastor at the church, delivered the message, which he broke down into four sections: overcoming, the reason to believe, the witness of the son on the cross, and the witness of the spirt which guides us to the truth (from the sermon notes). As for overcoming, there are four components: belief, transformation, obedience, and victory...
This message sounded to me to be a little bit heavy in the theology department and a little bit light in the personal application department. Yet if you read the Biblical passage being discussed, you might just understand why: it is very, very heavy on theological doctrine. As a matter of fact, this section in the Bible seems to me to be a good section to turn to in order to express some of the main points of the Christian faith: here's a link to it via Bible Gateway: [link].
The Family Church, at 2022 SW 122nd Street, holds its Sunday morning services at 9:30 and 11. You can watch the weekly messages on its YouTube channel, which you can access through this link: [link]...
Philip Griffin, senior pastor at the church, delivered the message, which he broke down into four sections: overcoming, the reason to believe, the witness of the son on the cross, and the witness of the spirt which guides us to the truth (from the sermon notes). As for overcoming, there are four components: belief, transformation, obedience, and victory...
This message sounded to me to be a little bit heavy in the theology department and a little bit light in the personal application department. Yet if you read the Biblical passage being discussed, you might just understand why: it is very, very heavy on theological doctrine. As a matter of fact, this section in the Bible seems to me to be a good section to turn to in order to express some of the main points of the Christian faith: here's a link to it via Bible Gateway: [link].
The Family Church, at 2022 SW 122nd Street, holds its Sunday morning services at 9:30 and 11. You can watch the weekly messages on its YouTube channel, which you can access through this link: [link]...
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Weekly Short Story: First Contact by Murray Leinster
I first read Murray Leinster's science fiction short story First Contact many years earlier, but when I purchased a used copy of Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories 7 (1945) (DAW Books, 1980), there it was again. The premise is simple enough: a human deep space expedition, in the process of exploring the Crab Nebula, unexpectedly comes across a completely alien ship, the first time ever that mankind has come in contact with another intelligent life form in the cosmos. The confrontation between the two is mutually suspicious, and it becomes apparent to both sides that neither ship can allow the other to return to its own home planet without jeopardizing their own world's very existence. After all, neither human nor alien know anything of the other's intentions...best to be safe. So the two spaceships are at a standoff, with no solution in sight...or is there?
Leinster's tale reminds me to a great extent of Star Trek...especially the original series' five-year mission to explore strange new worlds. Yes, the Federation knew of its own benign intentions regarding new life forms, but its ships still were armed to the hilt and with scanning technology to probe into strange ships they encountered. Call First Contact the conceptual ancestor of Star Trek...it puts into proper perspective the notion of just reaching out willy-nilly in favor of contact with extraterrestrials without ever considering the consequences of encountering one that is hostile and/or technologically superior. With Murray Leinster's story, there is a solution, but will it work? Looks like you'll have to read it yourself to find out...
Project Gutenberg has on its site several stories by Murray Leinster, but I didn't see First Contact listed anywhere. It's worth looking into, though...
Leinster's tale reminds me to a great extent of Star Trek...especially the original series' five-year mission to explore strange new worlds. Yes, the Federation knew of its own benign intentions regarding new life forms, but its ships still were armed to the hilt and with scanning technology to probe into strange ships they encountered. Call First Contact the conceptual ancestor of Star Trek...it puts into proper perspective the notion of just reaching out willy-nilly in favor of contact with extraterrestrials without ever considering the consequences of encountering one that is hostile and/or technologically superior. With Murray Leinster's story, there is a solution, but will it work? Looks like you'll have to read it yourself to find out...
Project Gutenberg has on its site several stories by Murray Leinster, but I didn't see First Contact listed anywhere. It's worth looking into, though...
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Tuesday's List: My Own Reading List for the Past Four Years
This is the list of books and short stories I have read...and written about...since early in 2013. The dates refer my blog article...you can look any of them up. Then there are the titles, some of which I have [ss] afterwards, indicating a short story. And then...the author(s). Before 2013 I didn't write as diligently about the books I read, but maybe some day I'll go back in time before then and list them as well...
2017
6-18 Fallen Angels Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Michael Flynn
6-14 Nobody Bothers Gus [ss] Algis Budrys
6-11 The Winter Sea Susanna Kearsely
6-7 The Weapon [ss] Fredric Brown
6-4 Little Women Louisa May Alcott
5-31 The Wall Around the World [ss] Theodore Cogswell
5-24 Huddling Place [ss] Clifford Simak
5-22 Tapestry of Fortunes Elizabeth Berg
5-17 The Game of Rat and Dragon [ss] Cordwainer Smith
5-14 Gamble Felix Francis
5-10 A Subway Named Mobius [ss] A.J. Deutsch
5-7 The Rise of Endymion Dan Simmons
5-3 The Pacific Mystery [ss] Stephen Baxter
5-1 Lord of the Flies William Golding
4-26 Deep Breathing Exercises [ss] Orson Scott Card
4-22 Gone Again James Grippando
4-19 The Mile-Long Spaceship [ss] Kate Wilhelm
4-16 The 12th of Never James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
4-12 The Little Black Bag [ss] Cyril Kornbluth
4-10 Atlantia Ally Condie
4-5 One For the Money Janet Evanovich
4-2 Endymion Dan Simmons
3-28 Red Moon Benjamin Percy
3-13 Rogue Lawyer John Grisham
3-7 Portrait of a Spy Daniel Silva
3-4 The Oath Frank Peretti
2-27 Today Will Be Different Maria Semple
2-22 The Night Circus Erin Morgenstern
2-18 The Fall of Hyperion Dan Simmons
2-11 The Ethical Assassin David Liss
2-7 11th Hour James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
2-1 Barnaby Rudge Charles Dickens
1-14 10th Anniversary James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
1-10 Gathering Prey John Sandford
1-1 The Razor's Edge W. Somerset Maugham
2016
12-18 The Woman in White Wilkie Collins
12-21 Hyperion Dan Simmons
12-9 The 9th Judgment James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
12-3 Drood Dan Simmons
11-19 The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini
11-12 The Best Man to Die Ruth Rendell
11-9 The 8th Confession James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
10-29 Gray Mountain John Grisham
10-25 Looking for Alaska John Green
10-22 Wolf to the Slaughter Ruth Rendell
10-19 13 Steps Down Ruth Rendell
10-16 Needful Things (2nd time) Stephen King
10-11 7th Heaven James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
10-8 Sins of the Father Ruth Rendell
10-5 The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde
10-1 Gallowglass Ruth Rendell
9-26 The Farthest Shore Ursula K. Le Guin
9-24 Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë
9-22 From Doon With Death Ruth Rendell
9-16 The Tombs of Atuan Ursula K. Le Guin
9-13 A Wizard of Earthsea Ursula K. Le Guin
9-10 The Crocodile Bird Ruth Rendell
9-8 The 6th Target James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
9-2 Portobello Ruth Rendell
8-28 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Jack Thorne, J.K. Rowling, and John Tiffany
8-23 End of Watch Stephen King
8-20 Ender's Game Orson Scott Card
8-13 The Gene: An Intimate History Siddartha Mukherjee
8-1 The 5th Horseman James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
7-30 Vanity Fair William Makepeace Thackeray
6-28 Clash by Night Henry Kuttner
6-25 Emma Jane Austen
6-16 Coraline Neil Gaiman
6-14 Stardust Neil Gaiman
6-9 3rd Degree James Patterson and Andrew Gross
6-6 American Gods Neil Gaiman
5-28 The World is Mine [ss] Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore
" When the Bough Breaks [ss] "
" The Cure [ss] "
" The Code [ss] "
" Line to Tomorrow [ss] "
5-22 The InterWorld Trilogy Neil Gaiman and Michael & Mallory Reaves
5-20 The Ocean at the End Neil Gaiman
5-14 2nd Chance James Patterson
5-12 Magicians Trilogy (3rd time) Lev Grossman
5-1 City on Fire Garth Risk Hallberg
4-23 The Spider's War Daniel Abraham
4-4 The Magician W. Somerset Maugham
3-26 The Last Child John Hart
3-21 The History of Now Daniel Kline
3-19 1st to Die James Patterson
3-14 The Sun Dog Stephen King
3-8 Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment James Patterson
3-5 Compliments of the Author [ss] Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore
" Shock [ss] "
" Reader, I Hate You [ss] "
" Mimsy Were the Borogoves [ss] "
2-29 Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes
2-16 Shambleau [ss] Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore
" The Graveyard Rats [ss] "
" A Gnome There Was [ss] "
" The Twonky [ss] "
2-5 Season of the Machete James Patterson
1-29 Along Came a Spider James Patterson
1-24 The Thomas Barryman Number James Patterson
1-21 Go Set a Watchman Harper Lee
1-17 Moby Dick Herman Melville
1-14 The Bazaar of Bad Dreams [ss collection] Stephen King
1-8 "X" Sue Grafton
2015
12-26 The Last Theorem Arthur C. Clarke and Frederick Pohl
12-19 "W" is for Wasted Sue Grafton
12-12 Words of Radiance Brandon Sanderson
11-21 The Girl on the Train Paula Hawkins
11-17 "V" is for Vengeance Sue Grafton
11-4 "U" is for Undertow Sue Grafton
11-1 The Nightingale Kristin Hannah
10-28 To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee
10-24 A Painted House John Grisham
10-21 "T" is for Trespass Sue Grafton
10-18 His Dark Materials trilogy (2nd time) Philip Pullman
" Foundation and Earth (2nd time) Isaac Asimov
10-16 Herzog Saul Bellow
10-11 Ivanhoe Sir Walter Scott
10-9 The Way of Kings Brandon Sanderson
10-5 Foundation's Edge (2nd time) Isaac Asimov
9-22 Rabbit, Run John Updike
9-19 Prelude to Foundation Isaac Asimov
9-16 A Fire Upon the Deep Vernor Vinge
9-11 Second Foundation (2nd time) Isaac Asimov
9-9 Exit Ghost Philip Roth
9-6 The Brethren John Grisham
9-4 "R" is for Ricochet Sue Grafton
" "S" is for Silence "
9-1 A Swiftly Tilting Planet Madeleine L'Engle
8-29 Foundation and Empire (2nd time) Isaac Asimov
8-26 "P" is for Peril Sue Grafton
" "Q" is for Quarry "
8-23 Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck
8-21 Finders Keepers Stephen King
8-19 Foundation (2nd time) Isaac Asimov
8-16 A Memory of Light Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
8-4 Good Omens Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
7-31 Mystery Jonathan Kellerman
7-27 "O" is for Outlaw Sue Grafton
7-24 Towers of Midnight Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
7-21 Letters to a Young Mathematician Ian Stewart
7-15 The Celtic Riddle Lyn Hamilton
7-11 "L" is for Lawless (2nd time) Sue Grafton
" "M" is for Malice (2nd time) "
" "N" is for Noose "
7-8 Animal Farm George Orwell
7-3 The Gathering Storm Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
6-27 Neverwhere Neil Gaiman
6-24 The Mysterious Island Jules Verne
6-21 Candide Voltaire
6-19 A Wind in the Door Madeleine L'Engle
6-14 Knife of Dreams Robert Jordan
6-12 "J" is for Judgment (2nd time) Sue Grafton
" "K" is for Killer (2nd time) "
6-7 The Invisible Man H.G. Wells
6-3 A Wrinkle in Time Madeleine L'Engle
5-30 Brave New World Aldous Huxley
5-28 "G" is for Gumshoe (2nd time) Sue Grafton
" "H" is for Homicide "
5-26 The Great Gatsby (2nd time) F. Scott Fitzgerald
5-24 The Puppet Masters Robert Heinlein
5-14 "D" is for Deadbeat Sue Grafton
" "E" is for Evidence "
" "F" is for Fugitive "
5-11 Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell Susanna Clarke
5-9 The Idiot Fyodor Dostoevsky
5-1 "C" is for Corpse (2nd time) Sue Grafton
4-29 Ethan Frome Edith Wharton
4-25 Gulliver's Travels Jonathan Swift
4-18 Last Night in Twisted River John Irving
4-16 Crossroads of Twilight Robert Jordan
4-4 The Good Earth Pearl S. Buck
3-29 The Man in the Picture Susan Hill
3-27 The Widow's House Daniel Abraham
3-21 Steppenwolf Hermann Hesse
3-14 Winter's Heart Robert Jordan
3-7 The Tyrant's Law Daniel Abraham
3-5 Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad
3-2 "A" is for Alibi (2nd time) Sue Grafton
2-28 Shadowheart Tad Williams
2-19 The Path of Daggers Robert Jordan
2-16 The Bonfire of the Vanities Tom Wolfe
2-7 The King's Blood Daniel Abraham
1-30 Metamorphosis Franz Kafka
1-28 Shadowrise Tad Williams
1-9 "I" is for Innocent Sue Grafton
1-4 Revival Stephen King
1-2 A Crown of Swords Robert Jordan
2014
12-18 Shadowplay Tad Williams
12-9 Thankless in Death JD Robb (Nora Roberts)
12-6 Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
12-4 1984 George Orwell
11-23 The Magician's Land Lev Grossman
11-19 Wuthering Heights Emily Brontë
11-16 Farewell Summer Ray Bradbury
11-14 Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson
11-11 The Alloy of Law Brandon Sanderson
11-5 Catch-22 Joseph Heller
10-30 The Dragon's Path Daniel Abraham
10-26 Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy
10-12 The Moon is a Harsh Mistress Robert Heinlein
10-9 As I Lay Dying William Faulkner
10-4 The Hero of Ages Brandon Sanderson
10-1 Code to Zero Ken Follett
9-23 Lord of Chaos Robert Jordan
9-12 The Cove Catherine Coulter
" The Maze "
9-6 The Brothers Karamazov Fyodor Dostoevsky
8-26 Stranger in a Strange Land Robert Heinlein
8-21 The Well of Ascension Brandon Sanderson
8-14 War and Peace Leo Tolstoy
7-22 The Fires of Heaven Robert Jordan
7-18 Mistborn: The Final Empire Brandon Sanderson
7-15 Mr. Mercedes Stephen King
7-3 Mockingjay Suzanne Collins
7-1 Inheritance Christopher Paolini
6-24 Catching Fire Suzanne Collins
6-20 Brisingr Christopher Paolini
6-16 The Shadow Rising Robert Jordan
6-5 Crime and Punishment Fyodor Dostoevsky
5-27 The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins
5-26 Eldest (2nd time) Christopher Paolini
5-21 Eragon (2nd time) Christopher Paolini
5-15 The Dragon Reborn Robert Jordan
5-11 Confessor Terry Goodkind
5-9 At Risk Patricia Cornwell
5-7 Not Cool! Greg Gutfeld
5-5 The Last Battle (2nd time) C.S. Lewis
5-3 Phantom Terry Goodkind
5-1 The Goldfinch Donna Tartt
4-25 The Great Hunt Robert Jordan
4-23 The Silver Chair (2nd time) C.S. Lewis
4-15 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2nd time) C.S. Lewis
4-13 Chainfire Terry Goodkind
4-9 The Eye of the World Robert Jordan
4-3 Prince Caspian (2nd time) C.S. Lewis
4-1 Naked Empire Terry Goodkind
3-28 The Appeal John Grisham
3-25 The Horse and His Boy C.S. Lewis
3-21 The House of Thunder Dean Koontz
3-16 The Pillars of Creation Terry Goodkind
3-12 Allegiant Veronica Roth
3-9 Life of Pi Yann Martel
3-2 Insurgent Veronica Roth
2-26 The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest Stieg Larrson
2-24 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2nd time) C.S. Lewis
2-19 Divergent Veronica Roth
2-17 The Magician's Nephew C.S. Lewis
2-15 The Girl Who Played With Fire Stieg Larrson
2-10 A Dance With Dragons George R.R. Martin
2-7 Faith of the Fallen Terry Goodkind
2-3 Pebble in the Sky Isaac Asimov
1-30 The Currents of Space Isaac Asimov
1-28 The Stars, Like Dust Isaac Asimov
1-26 The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Stieg Larrson
1-24 The Lincoln Lawyer Michael Connelly
1-19 Death of a Bore M.C. Beaton
1-16 Soul of the Fire Terry Goodkind
1-11 The Collectors David Baldacci
1-9 Great Expectations Charles Dickens
2013
12-30 Lonely on the Mountain Louis L'Amour
12-27 Divine Justice David Baldacci
12-25 By the Light of the Moon Dean Koontz
12-11 Watchers Dean Koontz
12-8 A Storm of Swords George R.R. Martin
11-26 Blood of the Fold Terry Goodkind
11-24 Life Keith Richards
11-17 "M" is for Malice Sue Grafton
11-13 Stone of Tears Terry Goodkind
11-11 A Farewell to Arms Ernest Hemingway
11-7 Joyland Stephen King
10-27 Doctor Sleep Stephen King
10-17 The Bourne Identity Robert Ludlum
9-25 A Clash of Kings George R.R. Martin
8-26 Wizard's First Rule Terry Goodkind
7-27 A Game of Thrones George R.R. Martin
3-30 Cloud Atlas David Mitchell
2017
6-18 Fallen Angels Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Michael Flynn
6-14 Nobody Bothers Gus [ss] Algis Budrys
6-11 The Winter Sea Susanna Kearsely
6-7 The Weapon [ss] Fredric Brown
6-4 Little Women Louisa May Alcott
5-31 The Wall Around the World [ss] Theodore Cogswell
5-24 Huddling Place [ss] Clifford Simak
5-22 Tapestry of Fortunes Elizabeth Berg
5-17 The Game of Rat and Dragon [ss] Cordwainer Smith
5-14 Gamble Felix Francis
5-10 A Subway Named Mobius [ss] A.J. Deutsch
5-7 The Rise of Endymion Dan Simmons
5-3 The Pacific Mystery [ss] Stephen Baxter
5-1 Lord of the Flies William Golding
4-26 Deep Breathing Exercises [ss] Orson Scott Card
4-22 Gone Again James Grippando
4-19 The Mile-Long Spaceship [ss] Kate Wilhelm
4-16 The 12th of Never James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
4-12 The Little Black Bag [ss] Cyril Kornbluth
4-10 Atlantia Ally Condie
4-5 One For the Money Janet Evanovich
4-2 Endymion Dan Simmons
3-28 Red Moon Benjamin Percy
3-13 Rogue Lawyer John Grisham
3-7 Portrait of a Spy Daniel Silva
3-4 The Oath Frank Peretti
2-27 Today Will Be Different Maria Semple
2-22 The Night Circus Erin Morgenstern
2-18 The Fall of Hyperion Dan Simmons
2-11 The Ethical Assassin David Liss
2-7 11th Hour James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
2-1 Barnaby Rudge Charles Dickens
1-14 10th Anniversary James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
1-10 Gathering Prey John Sandford
1-1 The Razor's Edge W. Somerset Maugham
2016
12-18 The Woman in White Wilkie Collins
12-21 Hyperion Dan Simmons
12-9 The 9th Judgment James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
12-3 Drood Dan Simmons
11-19 The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini
11-12 The Best Man to Die Ruth Rendell
11-9 The 8th Confession James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
10-29 Gray Mountain John Grisham
10-25 Looking for Alaska John Green
10-22 Wolf to the Slaughter Ruth Rendell
10-19 13 Steps Down Ruth Rendell
10-16 Needful Things (2nd time) Stephen King
10-11 7th Heaven James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
10-8 Sins of the Father Ruth Rendell
10-5 The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde
10-1 Gallowglass Ruth Rendell
9-26 The Farthest Shore Ursula K. Le Guin
9-24 Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë
9-22 From Doon With Death Ruth Rendell
9-16 The Tombs of Atuan Ursula K. Le Guin
9-13 A Wizard of Earthsea Ursula K. Le Guin
9-10 The Crocodile Bird Ruth Rendell
9-8 The 6th Target James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
9-2 Portobello Ruth Rendell
8-28 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Jack Thorne, J.K. Rowling, and John Tiffany
8-23 End of Watch Stephen King
8-20 Ender's Game Orson Scott Card
8-13 The Gene: An Intimate History Siddartha Mukherjee
8-1 The 5th Horseman James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
7-30 Vanity Fair William Makepeace Thackeray
6-28 Clash by Night Henry Kuttner
6-25 Emma Jane Austen
6-16 Coraline Neil Gaiman
6-14 Stardust Neil Gaiman
6-9 3rd Degree James Patterson and Andrew Gross
6-6 American Gods Neil Gaiman
5-28 The World is Mine [ss] Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore
" When the Bough Breaks [ss] "
" The Cure [ss] "
" The Code [ss] "
" Line to Tomorrow [ss] "
5-22 The InterWorld Trilogy Neil Gaiman and Michael & Mallory Reaves
5-20 The Ocean at the End Neil Gaiman
5-14 2nd Chance James Patterson
5-12 Magicians Trilogy (3rd time) Lev Grossman
5-1 City on Fire Garth Risk Hallberg
4-23 The Spider's War Daniel Abraham
4-4 The Magician W. Somerset Maugham
3-26 The Last Child John Hart
3-21 The History of Now Daniel Kline
3-19 1st to Die James Patterson
3-14 The Sun Dog Stephen King
3-8 Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment James Patterson
3-5 Compliments of the Author [ss] Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore
" Shock [ss] "
" Reader, I Hate You [ss] "
" Mimsy Were the Borogoves [ss] "
2-29 Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes
2-16 Shambleau [ss] Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore
" The Graveyard Rats [ss] "
" A Gnome There Was [ss] "
" The Twonky [ss] "
2-5 Season of the Machete James Patterson
1-29 Along Came a Spider James Patterson
1-24 The Thomas Barryman Number James Patterson
1-21 Go Set a Watchman Harper Lee
1-17 Moby Dick Herman Melville
1-14 The Bazaar of Bad Dreams [ss collection] Stephen King
1-8 "X" Sue Grafton
2015
12-26 The Last Theorem Arthur C. Clarke and Frederick Pohl
12-19 "W" is for Wasted Sue Grafton
12-12 Words of Radiance Brandon Sanderson
11-21 The Girl on the Train Paula Hawkins
11-17 "V" is for Vengeance Sue Grafton
11-4 "U" is for Undertow Sue Grafton
11-1 The Nightingale Kristin Hannah
10-28 To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee
10-24 A Painted House John Grisham
10-21 "T" is for Trespass Sue Grafton
10-18 His Dark Materials trilogy (2nd time) Philip Pullman
" Foundation and Earth (2nd time) Isaac Asimov
10-16 Herzog Saul Bellow
10-11 Ivanhoe Sir Walter Scott
10-9 The Way of Kings Brandon Sanderson
10-5 Foundation's Edge (2nd time) Isaac Asimov
9-22 Rabbit, Run John Updike
9-19 Prelude to Foundation Isaac Asimov
9-16 A Fire Upon the Deep Vernor Vinge
9-11 Second Foundation (2nd time) Isaac Asimov
9-9 Exit Ghost Philip Roth
9-6 The Brethren John Grisham
9-4 "R" is for Ricochet Sue Grafton
" "S" is for Silence "
9-1 A Swiftly Tilting Planet Madeleine L'Engle
8-29 Foundation and Empire (2nd time) Isaac Asimov
8-26 "P" is for Peril Sue Grafton
" "Q" is for Quarry "
8-23 Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck
8-21 Finders Keepers Stephen King
8-19 Foundation (2nd time) Isaac Asimov
8-16 A Memory of Light Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
8-4 Good Omens Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
7-31 Mystery Jonathan Kellerman
7-27 "O" is for Outlaw Sue Grafton
7-24 Towers of Midnight Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
7-21 Letters to a Young Mathematician Ian Stewart
7-15 The Celtic Riddle Lyn Hamilton
7-11 "L" is for Lawless (2nd time) Sue Grafton
" "M" is for Malice (2nd time) "
" "N" is for Noose "
7-8 Animal Farm George Orwell
7-3 The Gathering Storm Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
6-27 Neverwhere Neil Gaiman
6-24 The Mysterious Island Jules Verne
6-21 Candide Voltaire
6-19 A Wind in the Door Madeleine L'Engle
6-14 Knife of Dreams Robert Jordan
6-12 "J" is for Judgment (2nd time) Sue Grafton
" "K" is for Killer (2nd time) "
6-7 The Invisible Man H.G. Wells
6-3 A Wrinkle in Time Madeleine L'Engle
5-30 Brave New World Aldous Huxley
5-28 "G" is for Gumshoe (2nd time) Sue Grafton
" "H" is for Homicide "
5-26 The Great Gatsby (2nd time) F. Scott Fitzgerald
5-24 The Puppet Masters Robert Heinlein
5-14 "D" is for Deadbeat Sue Grafton
" "E" is for Evidence "
" "F" is for Fugitive "
5-11 Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell Susanna Clarke
5-9 The Idiot Fyodor Dostoevsky
5-1 "C" is for Corpse (2nd time) Sue Grafton
4-29 Ethan Frome Edith Wharton
4-25 Gulliver's Travels Jonathan Swift
4-18 Last Night in Twisted River John Irving
4-16 Crossroads of Twilight Robert Jordan
4-4 The Good Earth Pearl S. Buck
3-29 The Man in the Picture Susan Hill
3-27 The Widow's House Daniel Abraham
3-21 Steppenwolf Hermann Hesse
3-14 Winter's Heart Robert Jordan
3-7 The Tyrant's Law Daniel Abraham
3-5 Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad
3-2 "A" is for Alibi (2nd time) Sue Grafton
2-28 Shadowheart Tad Williams
2-19 The Path of Daggers Robert Jordan
2-16 The Bonfire of the Vanities Tom Wolfe
2-7 The King's Blood Daniel Abraham
1-30 Metamorphosis Franz Kafka
1-28 Shadowrise Tad Williams
1-9 "I" is for Innocent Sue Grafton
1-4 Revival Stephen King
1-2 A Crown of Swords Robert Jordan
2014
12-18 Shadowplay Tad Williams
12-9 Thankless in Death JD Robb (Nora Roberts)
12-6 Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
12-4 1984 George Orwell
11-23 The Magician's Land Lev Grossman
11-19 Wuthering Heights Emily Brontë
11-16 Farewell Summer Ray Bradbury
11-14 Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson
11-11 The Alloy of Law Brandon Sanderson
11-5 Catch-22 Joseph Heller
10-30 The Dragon's Path Daniel Abraham
10-26 Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy
10-12 The Moon is a Harsh Mistress Robert Heinlein
10-9 As I Lay Dying William Faulkner
10-4 The Hero of Ages Brandon Sanderson
10-1 Code to Zero Ken Follett
9-23 Lord of Chaos Robert Jordan
9-12 The Cove Catherine Coulter
" The Maze "
9-6 The Brothers Karamazov Fyodor Dostoevsky
8-26 Stranger in a Strange Land Robert Heinlein
8-21 The Well of Ascension Brandon Sanderson
8-14 War and Peace Leo Tolstoy
7-22 The Fires of Heaven Robert Jordan
7-18 Mistborn: The Final Empire Brandon Sanderson
7-15 Mr. Mercedes Stephen King
7-3 Mockingjay Suzanne Collins
7-1 Inheritance Christopher Paolini
6-24 Catching Fire Suzanne Collins
6-20 Brisingr Christopher Paolini
6-16 The Shadow Rising Robert Jordan
6-5 Crime and Punishment Fyodor Dostoevsky
5-27 The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins
5-26 Eldest (2nd time) Christopher Paolini
5-21 Eragon (2nd time) Christopher Paolini
5-15 The Dragon Reborn Robert Jordan
5-11 Confessor Terry Goodkind
5-9 At Risk Patricia Cornwell
5-7 Not Cool! Greg Gutfeld
5-5 The Last Battle (2nd time) C.S. Lewis
5-3 Phantom Terry Goodkind
5-1 The Goldfinch Donna Tartt
4-25 The Great Hunt Robert Jordan
4-23 The Silver Chair (2nd time) C.S. Lewis
4-15 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2nd time) C.S. Lewis
4-13 Chainfire Terry Goodkind
4-9 The Eye of the World Robert Jordan
4-3 Prince Caspian (2nd time) C.S. Lewis
4-1 Naked Empire Terry Goodkind
3-28 The Appeal John Grisham
3-25 The Horse and His Boy C.S. Lewis
3-21 The House of Thunder Dean Koontz
3-16 The Pillars of Creation Terry Goodkind
3-12 Allegiant Veronica Roth
3-9 Life of Pi Yann Martel
3-2 Insurgent Veronica Roth
2-26 The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest Stieg Larrson
2-24 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2nd time) C.S. Lewis
2-19 Divergent Veronica Roth
2-17 The Magician's Nephew C.S. Lewis
2-15 The Girl Who Played With Fire Stieg Larrson
2-10 A Dance With Dragons George R.R. Martin
2-7 Faith of the Fallen Terry Goodkind
2-3 Pebble in the Sky Isaac Asimov
1-30 The Currents of Space Isaac Asimov
1-28 The Stars, Like Dust Isaac Asimov
1-26 The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Stieg Larrson
1-24 The Lincoln Lawyer Michael Connelly
1-19 Death of a Bore M.C. Beaton
1-16 Soul of the Fire Terry Goodkind
1-11 The Collectors David Baldacci
1-9 Great Expectations Charles Dickens
2013
12-30 Lonely on the Mountain Louis L'Amour
12-27 Divine Justice David Baldacci
12-25 By the Light of the Moon Dean Koontz
12-11 Watchers Dean Koontz
12-8 A Storm of Swords George R.R. Martin
11-26 Blood of the Fold Terry Goodkind
11-24 Life Keith Richards
11-17 "M" is for Malice Sue Grafton
11-13 Stone of Tears Terry Goodkind
11-11 A Farewell to Arms Ernest Hemingway
11-7 Joyland Stephen King
10-27 Doctor Sleep Stephen King
10-17 The Bourne Identity Robert Ludlum
9-25 A Clash of Kings George R.R. Martin
8-26 Wizard's First Rule Terry Goodkind
7-27 A Game of Thrones George R.R. Martin
3-30 Cloud Atlas David Mitchell
Monday, June 19, 2017
NIxon's 6/23/72 and Trump's 5/10/17 Conversations
Here is an excerpt from a New York Times article I just read:
“I just fired the head of the F.B.I. He was crazy, a real nut job,” Mr. Trump said, according to the document, which was read to The New York Times by an American official. “I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off."
This was the quote attributed to our president by an official in the room during the May 10th meeting with the Russian ambassador, regarding the sacking of FBI Director James Comey the day before. It essentially reveals the president of the United States manipulating the FBI to lay off an investigation that could implicate his administration or even himself. Now let's go back some 45 years to June 23rd, 1972. The Watergate Hotel break-in had just occurred the week before and then-President Nixon was conferring with his Chief of Staff Bob Haldeman. According to the taped conversation, later known as the "Smoking Gun" and ordered turned over by unanimous vote of the U.S. Supreme Court on July 24th, 1974, this is what ensued...the context is revealed earlier in the recorded dialogue to be about the FBI investigation of the Watergate burglary, committed in large part by anti-Castro Cuban émigrés...and the administration's efforts to get the CIA to exert influence on the FBI to stop it:
Nixon: When you get in these people when you…get these people in, say: “Look, the problem is that this will open the whole, the whole Bay of Pigs thing, and the President just feels that” ah, without going into the details… don’t, don’t lie to them to the extent to say there is no involvement, but just say this is sort of a comedy of errors, bizarre, without getting into it, “the President believes that it is going to open the whole Bay of Pigs thing up again. And, ah because these people are plugging for, for keeps and that they should call the FBI in and say that we wish for the country, don’t go any further into this case”, period!
Haldeman: OK.
Nixon: That’s the way to put it, do it straight (Unintelligible)
Haldeman: Get more done for our cause by the opposition than by us at this point.
Nixon: You think so?
Haldeman: I think so, yeah.
This last conversation ended the presidency of Richard Nixon. Upon hearing the tape the eleven Republican representatives on the House Judiciary Committee who had voted against his impeachment immediately declared that they were now in favor of it. And Senator Barry Goldwater himself personally notified the president that it was all over. That was in August of 1974. Now it is June of 2017 and we have a record of the current president interfering in the FBI's investigation of his campaign regarding its possible connections to Russian interference in the 2016 election. But Donald Trump isn't being caught by a secret tape recording his words: he openly boasts about what he has done...and why! And yet not a single Republican senator or representative seems the slightest bit concerned that he has done anything wrong...and this time around, it is they...not the Democrats...who control Congress...
“I just fired the head of the F.B.I. He was crazy, a real nut job,” Mr. Trump said, according to the document, which was read to The New York Times by an American official. “I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off."
This was the quote attributed to our president by an official in the room during the May 10th meeting with the Russian ambassador, regarding the sacking of FBI Director James Comey the day before. It essentially reveals the president of the United States manipulating the FBI to lay off an investigation that could implicate his administration or even himself. Now let's go back some 45 years to June 23rd, 1972. The Watergate Hotel break-in had just occurred the week before and then-President Nixon was conferring with his Chief of Staff Bob Haldeman. According to the taped conversation, later known as the "Smoking Gun" and ordered turned over by unanimous vote of the U.S. Supreme Court on July 24th, 1974, this is what ensued...the context is revealed earlier in the recorded dialogue to be about the FBI investigation of the Watergate burglary, committed in large part by anti-Castro Cuban émigrés...and the administration's efforts to get the CIA to exert influence on the FBI to stop it:
Nixon: When you get in these people when you…get these people in, say: “Look, the problem is that this will open the whole, the whole Bay of Pigs thing, and the President just feels that” ah, without going into the details… don’t, don’t lie to them to the extent to say there is no involvement, but just say this is sort of a comedy of errors, bizarre, without getting into it, “the President believes that it is going to open the whole Bay of Pigs thing up again. And, ah because these people are plugging for, for keeps and that they should call the FBI in and say that we wish for the country, don’t go any further into this case”, period!
Haldeman: OK.
Nixon: That’s the way to put it, do it straight (Unintelligible)
Haldeman: Get more done for our cause by the opposition than by us at this point.
Nixon: You think so?
Haldeman: I think so, yeah.
This last conversation ended the presidency of Richard Nixon. Upon hearing the tape the eleven Republican representatives on the House Judiciary Committee who had voted against his impeachment immediately declared that they were now in favor of it. And Senator Barry Goldwater himself personally notified the president that it was all over. That was in August of 1974. Now it is June of 2017 and we have a record of the current president interfering in the FBI's investigation of his campaign regarding its possible connections to Russian interference in the 2016 election. But Donald Trump isn't being caught by a secret tape recording his words: he openly boasts about what he has done...and why! And yet not a single Republican senator or representative seems the slightest bit concerned that he has done anything wrong...and this time around, it is they...not the Democrats...who control Congress...
Sunday, June 18, 2017
How to Make Comments on This Blog
When I used to put links on Facebook to this blog, it was easy to comment via that social media site on any articles readers might have found interesting. But since I've "gone rogue" from Facebook, there isn't that intermediary stage any longer. Still, you can make your reactions known by scrolling down to each article's end. You will see a place marked either "NO COMMENTS" or with the number of comments made so far. Click on it and a window will appear giving you a chance to write something. When I receive comments this way, I check them before publishing them at the end of the article...so you can even register your opinion and ask that it not be published: no problem. Also, you can comment anonymously if you like. Naturally, nothing profane will be accepted and I'm especially on the lookout against spam comments promoting products and businesses. But I'm still interested in hearing from my readers...
Just Finished Reading Fallen Angels by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Michael Flynn
Fallen Angels is a 1991 science fiction novel by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Michael Flynn...none of whose works I had read before. Its premise is intriguing: at some time in the not-too-distant future, society has turned its back on scientific and technological advancement in favor of pro-green environmental extremism and pseudoscience. In the process, the space program is abandoned...literally: there are two space stations stuck out there in Earth orbit, with no ability to land and resupply. Meanwhile, with a man-made ice age quickly advancing over the land, the "aliens", as they are now derisively called, become the scapegoats as they send ships from time to time into the atmosphere to "scoop" needed nitrogen from the air. On one such mission, Alex and Gordon, both conditioned to living in the free-fall zero gravity of space, are shot down by a missile from the ground and crash land on the advancing ice glacier, somewhere in North Dakota. An underground science fiction fan club..."underground" because interest in science and technology is now considered antisocial and psychologically aberrant...undertakes a rescue operation. So a whole cast of characters gets introduced as well as those from the various factions of government vying against one another to be the ones capturing the "alien enemy". The rest of the story traces the quest to find a way to return Alex and Gordon safely to their home in space, but its main theme is a discussion of the merits and shortfalls of different viewpoints concerning how science and technology have affected our environment...with the authors' prevailing judgment coming down in favor of pollution and global warming. For, you see, their contention is that Earth has been in an ice age for millennia and the only thing that has been holding back the glacier advance has been humanity's development of fire, agriculture, and civilization...thereby causing a heating effect and impeding the ice. An intriguing idea, I might say...but it's easy to be right when you're writing a book of fiction and, presto, there are the advancing ice sheets after man-made pollution has been thoroughly eliminated. But I happen to live in the real world, and the ice around the poles is in fast retreat, not advance...
Although some of the assumptions expressed in Fallen Angels sound dubious to me, I greatly appreciated how they paid tribute to the great science fiction writers of the past...names like Theodore Sturgeon, Cordwainer Smith, Clifford Simak, Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury, to mention just a few. I also liked how Gordon would speak things sometimes half in Russian...after all, the space station is a joint Russian-American project. And the idea of society "helping" those who hold what it sees as deviant opinions by confining and drugging them is not all that far off from being real: watch the movie A Beautiful Mind to get a hint of what I'm talking about. But let's not take this all too seriously, and just about every story has its own built-in flaws: if their authors didn't publish them until they were perfect, we'd never have anything to read...
Although some of the assumptions expressed in Fallen Angels sound dubious to me, I greatly appreciated how they paid tribute to the great science fiction writers of the past...names like Theodore Sturgeon, Cordwainer Smith, Clifford Simak, Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury, to mention just a few. I also liked how Gordon would speak things sometimes half in Russian...after all, the space station is a joint Russian-American project. And the idea of society "helping" those who hold what it sees as deviant opinions by confining and drugging them is not all that far off from being real: watch the movie A Beautiful Mind to get a hint of what I'm talking about. But let's not take this all too seriously, and just about every story has its own built-in flaws: if their authors didn't publish them until they were perfect, we'd never have anything to read...
Saturday, June 17, 2017
Major League Baseball So Far in 2017
Now that the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League are finally done with their extensive playoffs and football is supposed to be in the off-season, Major League Baseball is now in the spotlight. Sure, there is Major League Soccer, but general soccer interest in the United States is still low compared to the rest of the world...besides, the officiating in this league is so horrendous that it is an arduous experience to sit through the games. Furthermore, for a league that is supposed to be trying to grow in general popularity, MLS has made their games difficult for the casual sports viewer to access with irregular schedules and exclusive premium channels for the already die-hard fans. But with baseball, I know that I can expect weekend games on Fox and ESPN...and my Gainesville cable provider carries the channels showing the Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins games: much more reasonable than American pro soccer. And baseball has its own premium channel lineup as well for the sports fanatic who doesn't mind paying a little extra. But it still knows how to promote itself to the general public...
What's happening in the baseball standings so far? As of today, the teams have played 64 to 71 games, putting them somewhere between a third and half of the way through the 162-game regular season. Each league has three divisions, and the two runner-up teams with the overall best record in each league join the divisional winners in making the postseason playoffs...so even if one team is running away from the others, there's still hope among the rest of the field. Right now, in the American League it's the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, and Houston Astros as the divisional leaders. But New York and Minnesota each lead their respective rivals Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians by only one game while Houston in the West has a massive 11-game lead over second place Texas. As for the American League wild card playoff spots, the chase is wide open with most of the league in the hunt. Were the season to end today the two wild card teams would be Boston and Cleveland. In the National League, there is a similar situation with the leaders: one division, the East, has the Washington Nationals running away with a 10-game advantage over second place Miami while the two other divisions have close races: the Milwaukee Brewers lead defending World Series champions Chicago Cubs by two and a half games and the Colorado Rockies are ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks by a game...the latter two not only have identical win-loss records at 44-26, but are also far ahead of the other National League teams regarding the wild-card chase. Of course, right now, they're just thinking of winning their division...
"My" Florida teams are playing respectably, and that's all I expect from them. Tampa Bay and Miami have both had their streaks, both winning and losing. The Rays are 35-35, but have lost three straight and while in third place are only a game ahead of the cellar dwellers in their division. The Marlins, who began the season poorly, have been playing catchup ever since and have managed to climb into second place behind Washington with a 30-35 record. But right now it's Tampa Bay with better playoff prospects...unless one of the three leaders in the National League West starts to slump, giving other teams in the field a shot...
I don't watch very much baseball, but usually there are at least one or two games each week in which I watch several innings. I've gotten used to watching the almost nonstop action of soccer (when the referees aren't unduly interfering with its flow with their quick whistles) and sometimes find the mannequin-like inaction of the players in baseball a little unsettling...there seems to be more going on in the dugouts than on the field. Two structurally very different sports, baseball and soccer...yet I like both, one of the reasons being that they are more talent-based and allow for players with smaller builds such as myself to flourish and excel, unlike with football and basketball...
What's happening in the baseball standings so far? As of today, the teams have played 64 to 71 games, putting them somewhere between a third and half of the way through the 162-game regular season. Each league has three divisions, and the two runner-up teams with the overall best record in each league join the divisional winners in making the postseason playoffs...so even if one team is running away from the others, there's still hope among the rest of the field. Right now, in the American League it's the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, and Houston Astros as the divisional leaders. But New York and Minnesota each lead their respective rivals Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians by only one game while Houston in the West has a massive 11-game lead over second place Texas. As for the American League wild card playoff spots, the chase is wide open with most of the league in the hunt. Were the season to end today the two wild card teams would be Boston and Cleveland. In the National League, there is a similar situation with the leaders: one division, the East, has the Washington Nationals running away with a 10-game advantage over second place Miami while the two other divisions have close races: the Milwaukee Brewers lead defending World Series champions Chicago Cubs by two and a half games and the Colorado Rockies are ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks by a game...the latter two not only have identical win-loss records at 44-26, but are also far ahead of the other National League teams regarding the wild-card chase. Of course, right now, they're just thinking of winning their division...
"My" Florida teams are playing respectably, and that's all I expect from them. Tampa Bay and Miami have both had their streaks, both winning and losing. The Rays are 35-35, but have lost three straight and while in third place are only a game ahead of the cellar dwellers in their division. The Marlins, who began the season poorly, have been playing catchup ever since and have managed to climb into second place behind Washington with a 30-35 record. But right now it's Tampa Bay with better playoff prospects...unless one of the three leaders in the National League West starts to slump, giving other teams in the field a shot...
I don't watch very much baseball, but usually there are at least one or two games each week in which I watch several innings. I've gotten used to watching the almost nonstop action of soccer (when the referees aren't unduly interfering with its flow with their quick whistles) and sometimes find the mannequin-like inaction of the players in baseball a little unsettling...there seems to be more going on in the dugouts than on the field. Two structurally very different sports, baseball and soccer...yet I like both, one of the reasons being that they are more talent-based and allow for players with smaller builds such as myself to flourish and excel, unlike with football and basketball...
Friday, June 16, 2017
My Weariness With Social Media
It was a bit unnerving this morning...but sadly not unexpected...to see that our president has once again set off a barrage of angry Tweets, this time about being investigated for obstruction of justice. It does him no good to do this, especially when his own lawyer almost certainly advised him to be silent about any investigations regarding his campaign or administration. But Donald Trump cannot help himself as he is obviously addicted to social media. Most of us aren't hooked on Twitter, but a few are strongly dependent on Facebook, checking on it often during their day and even in inappropriate situations such as while driving or conversing with another. Although I haven't let it go that far, it is tempting for me to just click on it and see what's going on. Usually, though, I am disappointed in my Facebook experience after scrolling a little and turn it off...
At the start I was just a nominal member of Facebook for a year or two, hardly ever visiting it or trying to accumulate "friends". But I decided back in 2013 to put links to my daily blog articles on it in order to increase readership. I had realized that the explosion in personal blogs that had begun a few years earlier had dissipated with the advent and spread of Facebook...folks were just not visiting my blog as they used to with this new, easy social media site to use. Now, four years later, although I do appreciate the "likes" and comments from some readers I've reached through Facebook, I have grown weary of it and wish that the good old days of personal blogs had remained a growing presence on the Internet. The blogs are still there...well, at least some of them...but who's reading them? For me, I just deactivated my Facebook account but will continue writing and publishing this blog through Google on the open Web. After all, the main thing is for me to keep on writing...
At the start I was just a nominal member of Facebook for a year or two, hardly ever visiting it or trying to accumulate "friends". But I decided back in 2013 to put links to my daily blog articles on it in order to increase readership. I had realized that the explosion in personal blogs that had begun a few years earlier had dissipated with the advent and spread of Facebook...folks were just not visiting my blog as they used to with this new, easy social media site to use. Now, four years later, although I do appreciate the "likes" and comments from some readers I've reached through Facebook, I have grown weary of it and wish that the good old days of personal blogs had remained a growing presence on the Internet. The blogs are still there...well, at least some of them...but who's reading them? For me, I just deactivated my Facebook account but will continue writing and publishing this blog through Google on the open Web. After all, the main thing is for me to keep on writing...
Thursday, June 15, 2017
6/11 Sermon on 1 John, Part 9
The Family Church here in Gainesville is currently in a sermon series on the New Testament book of 1 John titled Let There Be Light. Last Sunday's message, The Truth About Love, was delivered by Pastor Philip Griffin and focused on Chapter 4, Verses 7-21. He opened by discussing the Biblical Greek terms for love: phileo=companiable, brotherly love, eros=sexual love....and a newer coinage: agape=the sacrificial, unconditional love that God shows for us and wants us in turn to show others. This agape love is not natural to us but comes from God. Pastor Philip also described love as a choice, not a feeling...the main thing desperately needed in this world. And he pointed out how love changes us, by driving out both fear and hate...
The Family Church holds its services Sunday mornings at 9:30 and 11. You can view the weekly messages...including this one...by accessing their YouTube video channel. I'm not certain whether I'll be continuing this Thursday tradition of mine I began last September of summarizing and commenting on the previous Sunday's message. It has been beneficial in that it forces me to be more attentive to the sermon as it is being delivered and reinforces the main points by reviewing it a few days later. Maybe, though, I could do better by doing the same thing but keeping it more private. We'll see...
The Family Church holds its services Sunday mornings at 9:30 and 11. You can view the weekly messages...including this one...by accessing their YouTube video channel. I'm not certain whether I'll be continuing this Thursday tradition of mine I began last September of summarizing and commenting on the previous Sunday's message. It has been beneficial in that it forces me to be more attentive to the sermon as it is being delivered and reinforces the main points by reviewing it a few days later. Maybe, though, I could do better by doing the same thing but keeping it more private. We'll see...
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Weekly Short Story Review: Nobody Bothers Gus by Algis Budrys
Nobody Bothers Gus, a short story by Lithuanian-American science fiction writer Algis Budrys, appeared in Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories #17 (1955), (DAW Books, 1988). In it a middle-age man, Gus Kusevic, looks back on his life, humanity, and his place in it as a government clerk services him notice that his property has been condemned to build a freeway over it. It quickly becomes clear that Gus is not an ordinary person...in fact, he considers himself to be one of a new species. And why? He can manipulate reality in front of him to make anything work out in his favor. This genetic variation has produced a side effect, in the interests of survivability. After all, inevitably society would regard a "superman" such as Gus to be a great danger and try to destroy him...along with anyone else sharing his traits. So Gus also has the burden of automatically producing something he calls the "damping field" that causes anyone to ignore and forget him and anything he has ever done. Being simultaneously supremely gifted for greatness and cursed with never being recognized...even as just an "ordinary Joe"...can serve to create a very cynical outlook on life. From time to time in his life Gus has noticed others who seem to be like him, including an ace baseball pitcher who has broken practically every record in the sport but whom nobody seems to remember...
Like any very good tale, there is some significant allegory here. A lot of folks would love to be able to accomplish great things in their lives, and an integral component of this desire is the fame and respect they would receive as a result. But, at least for me, striving and being publicly successful at endeavors has created little positive recognition and quite a lot of negative feedback from others who suffer from insecurity, jealousy, or other irrational hang-ups. So there is my own personal "damping field" I have to contend with, as apparently I ended up learning how to make myself less visible to others. And I think, as is the case with Gus watching that pitcher on TV, that there are other people in the exact same boat as myself...
Like any very good tale, there is some significant allegory here. A lot of folks would love to be able to accomplish great things in their lives, and an integral component of this desire is the fame and respect they would receive as a result. But, at least for me, striving and being publicly successful at endeavors has created little positive recognition and quite a lot of negative feedback from others who suffer from insecurity, jealousy, or other irrational hang-ups. So there is my own personal "damping field" I have to contend with, as apparently I ended up learning how to make myself less visible to others. And I think, as is the case with Gus watching that pitcher on TV, that there are other people in the exact same boat as myself...
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Tuesday's List: I Rank Radiohead's Studio Albums
The British alternative rock band Radiohead has been around for more than thirty years, and with the same lineup of Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood, and Phil Selway. They are known most for their debut hit single "Creep" in 1992...but this is a band that has since then grown musically by leaps and bounds. In early 1998 I would listen regularly to my local alternative rock station and they would play Radiohead's "Karma Police", one of my favorite songs during that year. Five years later I chose "There There" as my top song of 2003. But it wasn't until 2010 when I truly began to explore this talented group's discography: I ended up with all of their albums on my mp3 player and would listen to a shuffle of their tracks while training for the marathon in the fall and early winter of that year. I still like to listen to them, and they've remained together...with the same members...every four or five years producing new material which I regularly add to my collection. Incidentally, I never did care too much for "Creep", while "These Are My Twisted Words", one of my all-time favorite songs of theirs, appears on none of their albums and was never released as a single: go figure...
And now here's my list, from top to bottom, of my ranking of Radiohead's nine studio albums over the years. The albums' titles are in capitals while I've listed beneath each one my favorite three tracks in order of preference. Hope you enjoy it...
1 KID A (2000)
Morning Bell
In Limbo
Idioteque
2 IN RAINBOWS (2007)
Faust Arp
Reckoner
All I Need
3 HAIL TO THE THIEF (2003)
There There
Sail to the Moon
Go to Sleep
4 AMNESIAC (2001)
I Might Be Wrong
Morning Bell/Amnesiac
Dollars and Cents
5 A MOON SHAPED POOL (2016)
Burn the Witch
Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief
The Numbers
6 OK COMPUTER (1997)
Karma Police
Paranoid Android
Lucky
7 THE KING OF LIMBS (2011)
Little By Little
Codex
Morning Mr Magpie
8 THE BENDS (1995)
Planet Telex
Black Star
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
9 PABLO HONEY (1993)
Lurgee
I Can't
Thinking About You
And now here's my list, from top to bottom, of my ranking of Radiohead's nine studio albums over the years. The albums' titles are in capitals while I've listed beneath each one my favorite three tracks in order of preference. Hope you enjoy it...
1 KID A (2000)
Morning Bell
In Limbo
Idioteque
2 IN RAINBOWS (2007)
Faust Arp
Reckoner
All I Need
3 HAIL TO THE THIEF (2003)
There There
Sail to the Moon
Go to Sleep
4 AMNESIAC (2001)
I Might Be Wrong
Morning Bell/Amnesiac
Dollars and Cents
5 A MOON SHAPED POOL (2016)
Burn the Witch
Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief
The Numbers
6 OK COMPUTER (1997)
Karma Police
Paranoid Android
Lucky
7 THE KING OF LIMBS (2011)
Little By Little
Codex
Morning Mr Magpie
8 THE BENDS (1995)
Planet Telex
Black Star
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
9 PABLO HONEY (1993)
Lurgee
I Can't
Thinking About You
Monday, June 12, 2017
Favorite Musical Acts Releasing New Albums
I've been sitting here thinking about my favorite current musical acts, and what they are up to. Sufjan Stevens has just come out with a collaboration album with other musicians titled Plantetarium, Gorillaz just released their fifth studio album, Humanz, after a six-year hiatus. Arcade Fire has a new album to be released July 28th, to be titled Everything Now. I have been waiting a long time for Beck to release his next album, but he seems to be in no hurry...no problem, I'm sure I'll enjoy it when he ever gets around to it. Regina Spektor and Radiohead had their own album releases last year with Remember Us to Life and A Moon Shaped Pool, respectively. And then there are the bands Kasabian and Spoon, each group with a brand-new album: For Crying Out Loud and Hot Thoughts. I have been listening to the album Blurryface by the very popular duo Twenty One Pilots and so far two of its tracks are favorites of mine: Ride and Heavydirtysoul. But it looks as if these two may soon be joined by some other new songs as I go about procuring and listening to these new albums...
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Just Finished Reading The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsely
Susanna Kearsely writes historical romance novels, a genre I've previously avoided. Her The Winter Sea came out in 2008, three hundred years after the events she covered in it. Back in 1708, hopes for the reestablishment of Scottish independence from England were dashed when the attempted landing of James, son of the former King James of England and Scotland, was aborted. What happened way back then, and why is it that novelist Carrie McClelland, who is the story's main protagonist, seems to have a special link to one of the figures from that time...a young woman named Sophia Paterson? Carrie has writer's block as she researches the above historical scenario for her new romance novel and moves to the Scottish coastline around gloomy Slain's Castle, the site of young James' intended invasion, to gain inspiration and break out of her rut. In the process she discovers a "genetic memory" tying herself to Sophia, who turns out to be a distant ancestor. And so is laid out the basic structure of this story, with the narrative of 2008/Carrie and her personal life toggling back and forth with that of 1708/Sophia and her personal life. Of course, if you're one who tends to think that simply sharing some DNA code with a distant ancestor will impart their life's memories to you is an extremely absurd notion, you just might have some issues with this tale's credibility. But that's okay with me, because after all, it's just a story and let's not get too serious about it all...
In the final analysis...in spite of the genetic memory nonsense...I found myself enjoying this novel. Sure, it had its romance aspect...not something I'm particularly inclined toward with my reading interests. But the characters were interesting and I did learn some things about history in the process. The one major problem I had was a decision that Sophia made toward the story's end that I thought was extremely insensitive and which ran completely contrary to the compelling character that Kearsely had created for her. But since describing this in more detail would be giving away too much of the ending, I had better leave that to you, the potential reader, to find out for yourself. In any event, The Winter Sea was a pretty decent story...looks like I may be trying out another one of Susanna Kearsely's books down the road...
In the final analysis...in spite of the genetic memory nonsense...I found myself enjoying this novel. Sure, it had its romance aspect...not something I'm particularly inclined toward with my reading interests. But the characters were interesting and I did learn some things about history in the process. The one major problem I had was a decision that Sophia made toward the story's end that I thought was extremely insensitive and which ran completely contrary to the compelling character that Kearsely had created for her. But since describing this in more detail would be giving away too much of the ending, I had better leave that to you, the potential reader, to find out for yourself. In any event, The Winter Sea was a pretty decent story...looks like I may be trying out another one of Susanna Kearsely's books down the road...
Saturday, June 10, 2017
Belmont Stakes Post Time Today: 6:37 pm
The Belmont Stakes, the third jewel in three-year-old thoroughbred horse racing's annual Triple Crown, will take place later today...post time is scheduled at 6:37. Neither Always Dreaming nor Cloud Computing, the respective winners in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, will be running...nor will Classic Empire, which finished second in the Preakness. So it's all pretty anticlimactic, this 2017 Belmont, with many unfamiliar names and a few that have run in previous jewels. The current favorite, always subject to change, is Irish War Cry. But Lookin at Lee finished well in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and it's the one I am going with to win today's event. But as has been the case so many times before, there is a strong chance that a new horse will run away with it all. Although this year's Belmont, the longest of the Triple Crown races at a mile and a half, features few familiar horses, it looks to be the most wide-open of the three, with just about anyone in its twelve-horse field a potential winner. I almost forgot about the Kentucky Derby last month but managed to watch it...I did completely forget about the Preakness. I haven't forgotten the Belmont Stakes, though, and plan to see what happens. C'mon, Lookin for Lee!
Later, after the race...Tapwrit outran Irish War Cry and won it...not the most memorable Belmont by a "longshot"...
Later, after the race...Tapwrit outran Irish War Cry and won it...not the most memorable Belmont by a "longshot"...
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