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







                                 

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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...

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...

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"...

Quote of the Week...from Tony Robbins

We aren't in an information age, we are in an entertainment age.               ---Tony Robbins

Anthony Robbins is a well-known self-improvement guru who has been around for decades.  I read one of his books back in the 1990s, but haven't kept up with him...hope he's doing well.  Back then, Robbins had taken ideas he had heard from other sources and assembled them into a program to help people to be more proactive and take personal responsibility for their own lives.  That's great, I'm all on board with that...but things like the coal-walking ceremony at the end of his seminars?  Well, that's not so "hot"...

I don't know the context of the above quote of Robbins, but I can certainly understand its meaning anyway.  We are living in an age of information explosion, with the Internet making just about any kind of learning available with a few clicks of a mouse.  Yet folks in general seem more interested in using it for entertainment than enlightenment.  When you're out in public and you see someone just staring at their cell phone, they're probably watching sports or a video on YouTube or Facebook...or just scrolling down the latter for provocative posts.  But even if you get offline and just watch television, there are relatively very few channels that are devoted for teaching or information, the overwhelming majority of them being designed to lull the viewer into a complacent state of mental lethargy.  I think it's telling that, concurrent with the just-recent ability to access so much information, there has been an explosion in the popularity of mindless "reality" shows...and one such host even got himself elected president, even with all that has been made public about him.  But human nature being what it is, why should I be surprised that people will opt for entertaining themselves over learning?  I for one like my soccer matches and old reruns...but I also like to watch science and history shows...

I think that the media nowadays goes out of its way to assume that their users have attention deficit disorder and will zone out after a few seconds on a channel or website if they don't somehow get stimulated.  I write relatively short articles on my blog here, but even with their brevity very few seem to have the small amount of concentration needed to get through them.  So if you've made it this far, you're one of the special few left on this planet with anything resembling an attention span...congratulations!
 

6/4 Sermon on 1 John, Part 8

The sermon series Let There Be Light, focusing on the New Testament book of 1 John, continued last Sunday at The Family Church here in Gainesville with senior pastor Philip Griffin delivering the eighth installment, titled Spiritual Discernment.  The Bible text was from Chapter 4, Verses 1-6...displayed below in the New International Version via Bible Gateway...

1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

⁴ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

There are a lot of lies in this world of ours.  Some of them we hear and some we speak to ourselves.  Philip mentioned some examples of self-deception: "If I fail I'm a failure", "I must have people's love and approval", "If things get bad they won't get better", "I don't belong", and "If I feel rejected I withdraw".  And in this political world of alternative parallel "realities", each side accusing the other of "fake news", it is certain that we cannot believe all we hear...and need to be able to test it all for veracity.  This is also true within the church itself, with...as the pastor noted...the loss of absolute truth and tolerance of anything as growing problems needing redress.  So how can we effectively test a spiritual teaching or philosophy?  Pastor Philip gave three questions: does it diminish Jesus, does it reflect this world's value system, and does it add to or take from scripture.  Diminishing Jesus as being merely a teacher or prophet, at least to me, would be the most telling indication that there is an aberration from the truth being taught.  But since today's world is in some ways much different from when the scripture was written (and in some ways not at all), it might at times be necessary to prayerfully work to make its applications more relevant for the times we live in.  And any interpretation of scripture, by its very nature...including this very sermon and my article about it...will add something to it.  But I get the gist of what Philip was saying, and this leads to his final point: developing discernment...

How does one develop spiritual discernment? Pastor Philip made it simple, but sometimes simple things are difficult to undertake if one isn't used to them: pray for guidance, study scripture consistently so that diverging teachings can be recognized...and participate in the church body with others, which can provide a healthy check to one's self-taught lies.  In all of this, Philip stressed that our actions stem from our hearts...and what is in our hearts stem from our beliefs...and Jesus should be the foundation of those beliefs...

You can watch Pastor Philip's message...including many others...on the church's YouTube video website, which you can access through this link: [link].  The Family Church conducts its Sunday morning services, which include the weekly message, praise music, and opportunities for prayer and fellowship...along with complimentary coffee...at 9:30 and 11...

Wednesday's Short Story Review: The Weapon by Fredric Brown

As a kid I often went over to my father's bookshelves, looking for interesting books to read...almost all of them cheap paperbacks. A couple that drew my attention were collections of science fiction short stories by Fredric Brown, a mid-twentieth century writer who also wrote mystery stories.  But I think that those brief tales contained within my father's books had a big influence on me as a reader and writer...much more than from the detached teachers I had to deal with throughout my elementary and high school years.  Brown's stories are in several of the Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories year-by-year anthologies published by DAW books, and a few years ago I bought a compilation of this underrated author's science fiction short stories.  The Weapon, which I'm about to discuss, appeared in Asimov's series for the year 1951...

Like Orson Scott Card's tale Deep Breathing Exercises, The Weapon is only five pages long but, like the former, packs a big punch...especially with its unforgettable last line.  As what is that final line?  Well, I'd be giving everything away if I revealed it, and that isn't how I operate here.  Instead, I'll just say that a scientist, living with his mentally-challenged son, is busy working on a plan for an ultimate weapon, a doomsday machine if you will.  Another man, who calls himself Niemand, pays him a visit and implores him to seek reason and stop his project...otherwise there will be much death and catastrophe.  The story plays itself out...on those short five pages...between these three characters, each likable in their own individual way.  But the ending...

The ending to The Weapon carries for me an application to today's world when someone who isn't necessarily all there "upstairs" can convince enough people to vote him or her into office...and then be left with the authority to start a planetary nuclear war.  Enough said: read The Weapon and see for yourself...I'm not sure whether or not it is available on the Web...

Tuesday's List: Some Important Chinese Characters

Many years ago I developed my own "basic" list of about 1,700 Chinese characters from the Doug Defrancis series of college Chinese texts, published by Yale University Press, memorizing them and practicing writing them out.  But I found that this list was very inadequate for preparing me to read books and articles in Chinese, so I searched for one encompassing a more comprehensive amount of the most important Chinese characters.  The following is a list of some 3,755 Chinese characters that I adapted from a site called accesschinese.com, which has a lot of interesting material about Chinese language and culture: check it out!  I put my list here solely for my personal educational use. In doing so, I'm switching from the traditional character system to the simplified system now more commonly used.   I've also digitalized my list, so I can now carry it around with me to consult.  As I mentioned before, I adapted the list for my own purposes, numerically re-indexing the characters, which are arranged in their respective pinyin (Romanized) counterparts' alphabetical order...and then in order of the tones.  With each new pinyin term, I've begun marking them in boldface. No, this isn't a typical "Tuesday" list of my favorite albums or TV shows that readers might be able to relate to, but it is very meaningful, at least for me.  I'm still going to need to take each new, unfamiliar character and look up its meaning along with how it is compounded with other Chinese characters to produce what we in English typically think of as words: in other words, a long-term project...

0-99
　　　
０　　　啊　阿　埃　挨　哎　唉　哀　皑　癌　
１　蔼　矮　艾　碍　爱　隘　鞍　氨　安　俺　
２　按　暗　岸　胺　案　肮　昂　盎　凹　敖　
３　熬　翱　袄　傲　奥　懊　澳　芭　捌　扒　
４　叭　吧　笆　八　疤　巴　拔　跋　靶　把　
５　耙　坝　霸　罢　爸　白　柏　百　摆　佰　
６　败　拜　稗　斑　班　搬　扳　般　颁　板　
７　版　扮　拌　伴　瓣　半　办　绊　邦　帮　
８　梆　榜　膀　绑　棒　磅　蚌　镑　傍　谤　
９　苞　胞　包　褒　剥                                           

100-199
　　　
０　　　薄　雹　保　堡　饱　宝　抱　报　暴　
１　豹　鲍　爆　杯　碑　悲　卑　北　辈　背　
２　贝　钡　倍　狈　备　惫　焙　被　奔　苯　
３　本　笨　崩　绷　甭　泵　蹦　迸　逼　鼻　
４　比　鄙　笔　彼　碧　蓖　蔽　毕　毙　毖　
５　币　庇　痹　闭　敝　弊　必　辟　壁　臂　
６　避　陛　鞭　边　编　贬　扁　便　变　卞　
７　辨　辩　辫　遍　标　彪　膘　表　鳖　憋　
８　别　瘪　彬　斌　濒　滨　宾　摈　兵　冰　
９　柄　丙　秉　饼　炳　

200-299
　　　
０　　　病　并　玻　菠　播　拨　钵　波　博　
１　勃　搏　铂　箔　伯　帛　舶　脖　膊　渤　
２　泊　驳　捕　卜　哺　补　埠　不　布　步　
３　簿　部　怖　擦　猜　裁　材　才　财　睬　
４　踩　采　彩　菜　蔡　餐　参　蚕　残　惭　
５　惨　灿　苍　舱　仓　沧　藏　操　糙　槽　
６　曹　草　厕　策　侧　册　测　层　蹭　插　

７　叉　茬　茶　查　碴　搽　察　岔　差　诧　
８　拆　柴　豺　搀　掺　蝉　馋　谗　缠　铲　
９　产　阐　颤　昌　猖　  

300-399
　　　
０　　　场　尝　常　长　偿　肠　厂　敞　畅　
１　唱　倡　超　抄　钞　朝　嘲　潮　巢　吵　
２　炒　车　扯　撤　掣　彻　澈　郴　臣　辰　
３　尘　晨　忱　沉　陈　趁　衬　撑　称　城　
４　橙　成　呈　乘　程　惩　澄　诚　承　逞　
５　骋　秤　吃　痴　持　匙　池　迟　弛　驰　
６　耻　齿　侈　尺　赤　翅　斥　炽　充　冲　
７　虫　崇　宠　抽　酬　畴　踌　稠　愁　筹　
８　仇　绸　瞅　丑　臭　初　出　橱　厨　躇　
９　锄　雏　滁　除　楚　

400-499
　　　
０　　　础　储　矗　搐　触　处　揣　川　穿　
１　椽　传　船　喘　串　疮　窗　幢　床　闯　
２　创　吹　炊　捶　锤　垂　春　椿　醇　唇　
３　淳　纯　蠢　戳　绰　疵　茨　磁　雌　辞　
４　慈　瓷　词　此　刺　赐　次　聪　葱　囱　
５　匆　从　丛　凑　粗　醋　簇　促　蹿　篡　
６　窜　摧　崔　催　脆　瘁　粹　淬　翠　村　
７　存　寸　磋　撮　搓　措　挫　错　搭　达　
８　答　瘩　打　大　呆　歹　傣　戴　带　殆　
９　代　贷　袋　待　逮　

500-599
　　　
０　　　怠　耽　担　丹　单　郸　掸　胆　旦　
１　氮　但　惮　淡　诞　弹　蛋　当　挡　党　
２　荡　档　刀　捣　蹈　倒　岛　祷　导　到　
３　稻　悼　道　盗　德　得　的　蹬　灯　登　
４　等　瞪　凳　邓　堤　低　滴　迪　敌　笛　
５　狄　涤　翟　嫡　抵　底　地　蒂　第　帝　
６　弟　递　缔　颠　掂　滇　碘　点　典　靛　
７　垫　电　佃　甸　店　惦　奠　淀　殿　碉　
８　叼　雕　凋　刁　掉　吊　钓　调　跌　爹　
９　碟　蝶　迭　谍　叠　

600-699
　　　
０　　　丁　盯　叮　钉　顶　鼎　锭　定　订　
１　丢　东　冬　董　懂　动　栋　侗　恫　冻　
２　洞　兜　抖　斗　陡　豆　逗　痘　都　督　
３　毒　犊　独　读　堵　睹　赌　杜　镀　肚　
４　度　渡　妒　端　短　锻　段　断　缎　堆　
５　兑　队　对　墩　吨　蹲　敦　顿　囤　钝　
６　盾　遁　掇　哆　多　夺　垛　躲　朵　跺　
７　舵　剁　惰　堕　蛾　峨　鹅　俄　额　讹　
８　娥　恶　厄　扼　遏　鄂　饿　恩　而　儿　
９　耳　尔　饵　洱　二　

700-799
　　　
０　　　贰　发　罚　筏　伐　乏　阀　法　珐　
１　藩　帆　番　翻　樊　矾　钒　繁　凡　烦　
２　反　返　范　贩　犯　饭　泛　坊　芳　方　
３　肪　房　防　妨　仿　访　纺　放　菲　非　
４　啡　飞　肥　匪　诽　吠　肺　废　沸　费　
５　芬　酚　吩　氛　分　纷　坟　焚　汾　粉　
６　奋　份　忿　愤　粪　丰　封　枫　蜂　峰　
７　锋　风　疯　烽　逢　冯　缝　讽　奉　凤　
８　佛　否　夫　敷　肤　孵　扶　拂　辐　幅　
９　氟　符　伏　俘　服　

800-899
　　　
０　　　浮　涪　福　袱　弗　甫　抚　辅　俯　
１　釜　斧　脯　腑　府　腐　赴　副　覆　赋　
２　复　傅　付　阜　父　腹　负　富　讣　附　
３　妇　缚　咐　噶　嘎　该　改　概　钙　盖　
４　溉　干　甘　杆　柑　竿　肝　赶　感　秆　
５　敢　赣　冈　刚　钢　缸　肛　纲　岗　港　
６　杠　篙　皋　高　膏　羔　糕　搞　镐　稿　
７　告　哥　歌　搁　戈　鸽　胳　疙　割　革　
８　葛　格　蛤　阁　隔　铬　个　各　给　根　
９　跟　耕　更　庚　羹　

900-999
　　　
０　　　埂　耿　梗　工　攻　功　恭　龚　供　
１　躬　公　宫　弓　巩　汞　拱　贡　共　钩　
２　勾　沟　苟　狗　垢　构　购　够　辜　菇　
３　咕　箍　估　沽　孤　姑　鼓　古　蛊　骨　
４　谷　股　故　顾　固　雇　刮　瓜　剐　寡　
５　挂　褂　乖　拐　怪　棺　关　官　冠　观　
６　管　馆　罐　惯　灌　贯　光　广　逛　瑰　
７　规　圭　硅　归　龟　闺　轨　鬼　诡　癸　
８　桂　柜　跪　贵　刽　辊　滚　棍　锅　郭　
９　国　果　裹　过　哈　

1000-1099
　　　
０　　　骸　孩　海　氦　亥　害　骇　酣　憨　
１　邯　韩　含　涵　寒　函　喊　罕　翰　撼

２　捍　旱　憾　悍　焊　汗　汉　夯　杭　航　
３　壕　嚎　豪　毫　郝　好　耗　号　浩　呵　
４　喝　荷　菏　核　禾　和　何　合　盒　貉　
５　阂　河　涸　赫　褐　鹤　贺　嘿　黑　痕　
６　很　狠　恨　哼　亨　横　衡　恒　轰　哄　
７　烘　虹　鸿　洪　宏　弘　红　喉　侯　猴　
８    吼　厚　候　后　呼　乎　忽　瑚　壶　葫　
９　胡　蝴　狐　糊　湖　

1100-1199
　　　
０　　　弧　虎　唬　护　互　沪　户　花　哗　
１　华　猾　滑　画　划　化　话　槐　徊　怀　
２　淮　坏　欢　环　桓　还　缓　换　患　唤　
３　痪　豢　焕　涣　宦　幻　荒　慌　黄　磺　
４　蝗　簧　皇　凰　惶　煌　晃　幌　恍　谎　
５　灰　挥　辉　徽　恢　蛔　回　毁　悔　慧　
６　卉　惠　晦　贿　秽　会　烩　汇　讳　诲　
７　绘　荤　昏　婚　魂　浑　混　豁　活　伙　
８　火　获　或　惑　霍　货　祸　击　圾　基　
９　机　畸　稽　积　箕　

1200-1299
　　　
０　　　肌　饥　迹　激　讥　鸡　姬　绩　缉　
１　吉　极　棘　辑　籍　集　及　急　疾　汲　
２　即　嫉　级　挤　几　脊　己　蓟　技　冀　
３　季　伎　祭　剂　悸　济　寄　寂　计　记　
４　既　忌　际　妓　继　纪　嘉　枷　夹　佳　
５　家　加　荚　颊　贾　甲　钾　假　稼　价　
６　架　驾　嫁　歼　监　坚　尖　笺　间　煎　
７　兼　肩　艰　奸　缄　茧　检　柬　碱　硷　
８　拣　捡　简　俭　剪　减　荐　槛　鉴　践　
９　贱　见　键　箭　件　

1300-1399
　　　
０　　　健　舰　剑　饯　渐　溅　涧　建　僵　
１　姜　将　浆　江　疆　蒋　桨　奖　讲　匠　
２　酱　降　蕉　椒　礁　焦　胶　交　郊　浇　
３　骄　娇　嚼　搅　铰　矫　侥　脚　狡　角　
４　饺　缴　绞　剿　教　酵　轿　较　叫　窖　
５　揭　接　皆　秸　街　阶　截　劫　节　桔　
６　杰　捷　睫　竭　洁　结　解　姐　戒　藉　
７　芥　界　借　介　疥　诫　届　巾　筋　斤　
８　金　今　津　襟　紧　锦　仅　谨　进　靳　
９　晋　禁　近　烬　浸　

1400-1499
　　　
０　　　尽　劲　荆　兢　茎　睛　晶　鲸　京　
１　惊　精　粳　经　井　警　景　颈　静　境　
２　敬　镜　径　痉　靖　竟　竞　净　炯　窘　
３　揪　究　纠　玖　韭　久　灸　九　酒　厩　
４　救　旧　臼　舅　咎　就　疚　鞠　拘　狙　
５　疽　居　驹　菊　局　咀　矩　举　沮　聚　
６　拒　据　巨　具　距　踞　锯　俱　句　惧　
７　炬　剧　捐　鹃　娟　倦　眷　卷　绢　撅　
８　攫　抉　掘　倔　爵　觉　决　诀　绝　均　
９　菌　钧　军　君　峻　

1500-1599
　　　
０　　　俊　竣　浚　郡　骏　喀　咖　卡　咯　
１　开　揩　楷　凯　慨　刊　堪　勘　坎　砍　
２　看　康　慷　糠　扛　抗　亢　炕　考　拷　
３　烤　靠　坷　苛　柯　棵　磕　颗　科　壳　
４　咳　可　渴　克　刻　客　课　肯　啃　垦　
５　恳　坑　吭　空　恐　孔　控　抠　口　扣　
６　寇　枯　哭　窟　苦　酷　库　裤　夸　垮　
７　挎　跨　胯　块　筷　侩　快　宽　款　匡　
８　筐　狂　框　矿　眶　旷　况　亏　盔　岿　
９　窥　葵　奎　魁　傀　

1600-1699
　　　
０　　　馈　愧　溃　坤　昆　捆　困　括　扩　
１　廓　阔　垃　拉　喇　蜡　腊　辣　啦　莱　
２　来　赖　蓝　婪　栏　拦　篮　阑　兰　澜　
３　谰　揽　览　懒　缆　烂　滥　琅　榔　狼　
４　廊　郎　朗　浪　捞　劳　牢　老　佬　姥　
５　酪　烙　涝　勒　乐　雷　镭　蕾　磊　累　
６　儡　垒　擂　肋　类　泪　棱　楞　冷　厘　
７　梨　犁　黎　篱　狸　离　漓　理　李　里　
８　鲤　礼　莉　荔　吏　栗　丽　厉　励　砾　
９　历　利　傈　例　俐　

1700-1799
　　　
０　　　痢　立　粒　沥　隶　力　璃　哩　俩　
１　联　莲　连　镰　廉　怜　涟　帘　敛　脸　
２　链　恋　炼　练　粮　凉　梁　粱　良　两　
３　辆　量　晾　亮　谅　撩　聊　僚　疗　燎　
４　寥　辽　潦　了　撂　镣　廖　料　列　裂　
５　烈　劣　猎　琳　林　磷　霖　临　邻　鳞　
６　淋　凛　赁　吝　拎　玲　菱　零　龄　铃　
７　伶　羚　凌　灵　陵　岭　领　另　令　溜　
８　琉　榴　硫　馏　留　刘　瘤　流　柳　六　
９　龙　聋　咙　笼　窿　

1800-1899
　　　
０　　　隆　垄　拢　陇　楼　娄　搂　篓　漏　
１　陋　芦　卢　颅　庐　炉　掳　卤　虏　鲁　
２　麓　碌　露　路　赂　鹿　潞　禄　录　陆　
３　戮　驴　吕　铝　侣　旅　履　屡　缕　虑　
４　氯　律　率　滤　绿　峦　挛　孪　滦　卵　
５　乱　掠　略　抡　轮　伦　仑　沦　纶　论　
６　萝　螺　罗　逻　锣　箩　骡　裸　落　洛　
７　骆　络　妈　麻　玛　码　蚂　马　骂　嘛　
８　吗　埋　买　麦　卖　迈　脉　瞒　馒　蛮　
９　满　蔓　曼　慢　漫　

1900-1999
　　　
０　　　谩　芒　茫　盲　氓　忙　莽　猫　茅　
１　锚　毛　矛　铆　卯　茂　冒　帽　貌　贸　
２　么　玫　枚　梅　酶　霉　煤　没　眉　媒　
３　镁　每　美　昧　寐　妹　媚　门　闷　们　
４　萌　蒙　檬　盟　锰　猛　梦　孟　眯　醚　
５　靡　糜　迷　谜　弥　米　秘　觅　泌　蜜　
６　密　幂　棉　眠　绵　冕　免　勉　娩　缅　
７　面　苗　描　瞄　藐　秒　渺　庙　妙　蔑　
８　灭　民　抿　皿　敏　悯　闽　明　螟　鸣　
９　铭　名　命　谬　摸　

2000-2099
　　　
０　　　摹　蘑　模　膜　磨　摩　魔　抹　末　
１　莫　墨　默　沫　漠　寞　陌　谋　牟　某　
２　拇　牡　亩　姆　母　墓　暮　幕　募　慕　
３　木　目　睦　牧　穆　拿　哪　呐　钠　那　
４　娜　纳　氖　乃　奶　耐　奈　南　男　难　
５　囊　挠　脑　恼　闹　淖　呢　馁　内　嫩　
６　能　妮　霓　倪　泥　尼　拟　你　匿　腻　
７　逆　溺　蔫　拈　年　碾　撵　捻　念　娘　
８　酿　鸟　尿　捏　聂　孽　啮　镊　镍　涅　
９　您　柠　狞　凝　宁　

2100-2199 　　
　
０　　　拧　泞　牛　扭　钮　纽　脓　浓　农　
１　弄　奴　努　怒　女　暖　虐　疟　挪　懦　
２　糯　诺　哦　欧　鸥　殴　藕　呕　偶　沤　
３　啪　趴　爬　帕　怕　琶　拍　排　牌　徘　
４　湃　派　攀　潘　盘　磐　盼　畔　判　叛　
５　乓　庞　旁　耪　胖　抛　咆　刨　炮　袍　
６　跑　泡　呸　胚　培　裴　赔　陪　配　佩　
７　沛　喷　盆　砰　抨　烹　澎　彭　蓬　棚　
８　硼　篷　膨　朋　鹏　捧　碰　坯　砒　霹　
９　批　披　劈　琵　毗　

2200-2299
　　
０　　　啤　脾　疲　皮　匹　痞　僻　屁　譬　
１　篇　偏　片　骗　飘　漂　瓢　票　撇　瞥　
２　拼　频　贫　品　聘　乒　坪　苹　萍　平　
３　凭　瓶　评　屏　坡　泼　颇　婆　破　魄　
４　迫　粕　剖　扑　铺　仆　莆　葡　菩　蒲　
５　埔　朴　圃　普　浦　谱　曝　瀑　期　欺　
６　栖　戚　妻　七　凄　漆　柒　沏　其　棋　
７　奇　歧　畦　崎　脐　齐　旗　祈　祁　骑　
８　起　岂　乞　企　启　契　砌　器　气　迄　
９　弃　汽　泣　讫　掐　

2300-2399
　　　
０　　　恰　洽　牵　扦　钎　铅　千　迁　签　
１　仟　谦　乾　黔　钱　钳　前　潜　遣　浅　
２　谴　堑　嵌　欠　歉　枪　呛　腔　羌　墙　
３　蔷　强　抢　橇　锹　敲　悄　桥　瞧　乔　
４　侨　巧　鞘　撬　翘　峭　俏　窍　切　茄　
５　且　怯　窃　钦　侵　亲　秦　琴　勤　芹　
６　擒　禽　寝　沁　青　轻　氢　倾　卿　清　
７　擎　晴　氰　情　顷　请　庆　琼　穷　秋　
８　丘　邱　球　求　囚　酋　泅　趋　区　蛆　
９　曲　躯　屈　驱　渠　

2400-2499
　　　
０　　　取　娶　龋　趣　去　圈　颧　权　醛　
１　泉　全　痊　拳　犬　券　劝　缺　炔　瘸　
２　却　鹊　榷　确　雀　裙　群　然　燃　冉　
３　染　瓤　壤　攘　嚷　让　饶　扰　绕　惹　
４　热　壬　仁　人　忍　韧　任　认　刃　妊　
５　纫　扔　仍　日　戎　茸　蓉　荣　融　熔　
６　溶　容　绒　冗　揉　柔　肉　茹　蠕　儒　
７　孺　如　辱　乳　汝　入　褥　软　阮　蕊　
８　瑞　锐　闰　润　若　弱　撒　洒　萨　腮　
９　鳃　塞　赛　三　叁　

2500-2599
　　　
０　　　伞　散　桑　嗓　丧　搔　骚　扫　嫂　
１　瑟　色　涩　森　僧　莎　砂　杀　刹　沙　
２　纱　傻　啥　煞　筛　晒　珊　苫　杉　山　
３　删　煽　衫　闪　陕　擅　赡　膳　善　汕　
４　扇　缮　墒　伤　商　赏　晌　上　尚　裳　
５　梢　捎　稍　烧　芍　勺　韶　少　哨　邵　
６　绍　奢　赊　蛇　舌　舍　赦　摄　射　慑　
７　涉　社　设　砷　申　呻　伸　身　深　娠　
８　绅　神　沈　审　婶　甚　肾　慎　渗　声　
９　生　甥　牲　升　绳　

2600-2699
　　　
０　　　省　盛　剩　胜　圣　师　失　狮　施　
１　湿　诗　尸　虱　十　石　拾　时　什　食　
２　蚀　实　识　史　矢　使　屎　驶　始　式　
３　示　士　世　柿　事　拭　誓　逝　势　是　
４　嗜　噬　适　仕　侍　释　饰　氏　市　恃　
５　室　视　试　收　手　首　守　寿　授　售　
６　受　瘦　兽　蔬　枢　梳　殊　抒　输　叔　
７　舒　淑　疏　书　赎　孰　熟　薯　暑　曙　
８　署　蜀　黍　鼠　属　术　述　树　束　戍　
９　竖　墅　庶　数　漱　

2700-2799
　　　
０　　　恕　刷　耍　摔　衰　甩　帅　栓　拴　
１　霜　双　爽　谁　水　睡　税　吮　瞬　顺　
２　舜　说　硕　朔　烁　斯　撕　嘶　思　私　
３　司　丝　死　肆　寺　嗣　四　伺　似　饲　
４　巳　松　耸　怂　颂　送　宋　讼　诵　搜　
５　艘　擞　嗽　苏　酥　俗　素　速　粟　僳　
６　塑　溯　宿　诉　肃　酸　蒜　算　虽　隋　
７　随　绥　髓　碎　岁　穗　遂　隧　祟　孙　
８　损　笋　蓑　梭　唆　缩　琐　索　锁　所　
９　塌　他　它　她　塔　

2800-2899
　　　
０　　　獭　挞　蹋　踏　胎　苔　抬　台　泰　
１　酞　太　态　汰　坍　摊　贪　瘫　滩　坛　
２　檀　痰　潭　谭　谈　坦　毯　袒　碳　探　
３　叹　炭　汤　塘　搪　堂　棠　膛　唐　糖　
４　倘　躺　淌　趟　烫　掏　涛　滔　绦　萄　
５　桃　逃　淘　陶　讨　套　特　藤　腾　疼　
６　誊　梯　剔　踢　锑　提　题　蹄　啼　体　
７　替　嚏　惕　涕　剃　屉　天　添　填　田　
８　甜　恬　舔　腆　挑　条　迢　眺　跳　贴　
９　铁　帖　厅　听　烃　

2900-2999
　　　
０　　　汀　廷　停　亭　庭　挺　艇　通　桐　
１　酮　瞳　同　铜　彤　童　桶　捅　筒　统　
２　痛　偷　投　头　透　凸　秃　突　图　徒　
３　途　涂　屠　土　吐　兔　湍　团　推　颓　
４　腿　蜕　褪　退　吞　屯　臀　拖　托　脱　
５　鸵　陀　驮　驼　椭　妥　拓　唾　挖　哇　
６　蛙　洼　娃　瓦　袜　歪　外　豌　弯　湾　
７　玩　顽　丸　烷　完　碗　挽　晚　皖　惋　
８　宛　婉　万　腕　汪　王　亡　枉　网　往　
９　旺　望　忘　妄　威　

3000-3099
　　　
０　　　巍　微　危　韦　违　桅　围　唯　惟　
１　为　潍　维　苇　萎　委　伟　伪　尾　纬　
２　未　蔚　味　畏　胃　喂　魏　位　渭　谓　
３　尉　慰　卫　瘟　温　蚊　文　闻　纹　吻　
４　稳　紊　问　嗡　翁　瓮　挝　蜗　涡　窝　
５　我　斡　卧　握　沃　巫　呜　钨　乌　污　
６　诬　屋　无　芜　梧　吾　吴　毋　武　五　
７　捂　午　舞　伍　侮　坞　戊　雾　晤　物　
８　勿　务　悟　误　昔　熙　析　西　硒　矽　
９　晰　嘻　吸　锡　牺　

3100-3199
　　　
０　　　稀　息　希　悉　膝　夕　惜　熄　烯　
１　溪　汐　犀　檄　袭　席　习　媳　喜　铣　
２　洗　系　隙　戏　细　瞎　虾　匣　霞　辖　
３　暇　峡　侠　狭　下　厦　夏　吓　掀　锨　
４　先　仙　鲜　纤　咸　贤　衔　舷　闲　涎　
５　弦　嫌　显　险　现　献　县　腺　馅　羡　
６　宪　陷　限　线　相　厢　镶　香　箱　襄　
７　湘　乡　翔　祥　详　想　响　享　项　巷　
８　橡　像　向　象　萧　硝　霄　削　哮　嚣　
９　销　消　宵　淆　晓　

3200-3299
　　　
０　　　小　孝　校　肖　啸　笑　效　楔　些　
１　歇　蝎　鞋　协　挟　携　邪　斜　胁　谐　
２　写　械　卸　蟹　懈　泄　泻　谢　屑　薪　
３　芯　锌　欣　辛　新　忻　心　信　衅　星　
４　腥　猩　惺　兴　刑　型　形　邢　行　醒　
５　幸　杏　性　姓　兄　凶　胸　匈　汹　雄　
６　熊　休　修　羞　朽　嗅　锈　秀　袖　绣　
７　墟　戌　需　虚　嘘　须　徐　许　蓄　酗　
８　叙　旭　序　畜　恤　絮　婿　绪　续　轩　
９　喧　宣　悬　旋　玄　

3300-3399
　　　
０　　　选　癣　眩　绚　靴　薛　学　穴　雪　
１　血　勋　熏　循　旬　询　寻　驯　巡　殉　
２　汛　训　讯　逊　迅　压　押　鸦　鸭　呀　
３　丫　芽　牙　蚜　崖　衙　涯　雅　哑　亚　
４　讶　焉　咽　阉　烟　淹　盐　严　研　蜒　
５　岩　延　言　颜　阎　炎　沿　奄　掩　眼　
６　衍　演　艳　堰　燕　厌　砚　雁　唁　彦　
７　焰　宴　谚　验　殃　央　鸯　秧　杨　扬　
８　佯　疡　羊　洋　阳　氧　仰　痒　养　样　
９　漾　邀　腰　妖　瑶　

3400-3499
　　　
０　　　摇　尧　遥　窑　谣　姚　咬　舀　药　
１　要　耀　椰　噎　耶　爷　野　冶　也　页　
２　掖　业　叶　曳　腋　夜　液　一　壹　医　
３　揖　铱　依　伊　衣　颐　夷　遗　移　仪　
４　胰　疑　沂　宜　姨　彝　椅　蚁　倚　已　
５　乙　矣　以　艺　抑　易　邑　屹　亿　役　
６　臆　逸　肄　疫　亦　裔　意　毅　忆　义　
７　益　溢　诣　议　谊　译　异　翼　翌　绎　
８　茵　荫　因　殷　音　阴　姻　吟　银　淫　
９　寅　饮　尹　引　隐　

3500-3599
　　　
０　　　印　英　樱　婴　鹰　应　缨　莹　萤　
１　营　荧　蝇　迎　赢　盈　影　颖　硬　映　
２　哟　拥　佣　臃　痈　庸　雍　踊　蛹　咏　
３　泳　涌　永　恿　勇　用　幽　优　悠　忧　
４　尤　由　邮　铀　犹　油　游　酉　有　友　
５　右　佑　釉　诱　又　幼　迂　淤　于　盂　
６　榆　虞　愚　舆　余　俞　逾　鱼　愉　渝　
７　渔　隅　予　娱　雨　与　屿　禹　宇　语　
８　羽　玉　域　芋　郁　吁　遇　喻　峪　御　
９　愈　欲　狱　育　誉　

3600-3699
　　　
０　　　浴　寓　裕　预　豫　驭　鸳　渊　冤　
１　元　垣　袁　原　援　辕　园　员　圆　猿　
２　源　缘　远　苑　愿　怨　院　曰　约　越　
３　跃　钥　岳　粤　月　悦　阅　耘　云　郧　
４　匀　陨　允　运　蕴　酝　晕　韵　孕　匝　
５　砸　杂　栽　哉　灾　宰　载　再　在　咱　
６　攒　暂　赞　赃　脏　葬　遭　糟　凿　藻　
７　枣　早　澡　蚤　躁　噪　造　皂　灶　燥　
８　责　择　则　泽　贼　怎　增　憎　曾　赠　
９　扎　喳　渣　札　轧　

3700-3799
　　　
０　　　铡　闸　眨　栅　榨　咋　乍　炸　诈　
１　摘　斋　宅　窄　债　寨　瞻　毡　詹　粘　
２　沾　盏　斩　辗　崭　展　蘸　栈　占　战　
３　站　湛　绽　樟　章　彰　漳　张　掌　涨　
４　杖　丈　帐　账　仗　胀　瘴　障　招　昭　
５　找　沼　赵　照　罩　兆　肇　召　遮　折　
６　哲　蛰　辙　者　锗　蔗　这　浙　珍　斟　
７　真　甄　砧　臻　贞　针　侦　枕　疹　诊　
８　震　振　镇　阵　蒸　挣　睁　征　狰　争　
９　怔　整　拯　正　政　

3800-3899
　　　
０　　　帧　症　郑　证　芝　枝　支　吱　蜘　
１　知　肢　脂　汁　之　织　职　直　植　殖　
２　执　值　侄　址　指　止　趾　只　旨　纸　
３　志　挚　掷　至　致　置　帜　峙　制　智　
４　秩　稚　质　炙　痔　滞　治　窒　中　盅　
５　忠　钟　衷　终　种　肿　重　仲　众　舟　
６　周　州　洲　诌　粥　轴　肘　帚　咒　皱　
７　宙　昼　骤　珠　株　蛛　朱　猪　诸　诛　
８　逐　竹　烛　煮　拄　瞩　嘱　主　著　柱　
９　助　蛀　贮　铸　筑　

3900-3989

０　　　住　注　祝　驻　抓　爪　拽　专　砖　
１　转　撰　赚　篆　桩　庄　装　妆　撞　壮　
２　状　椎　锥　追　赘　坠　缀　谆　准　捉　
３　拙　卓　桌　琢　茁　酌　啄　着　灼　浊　
４　兹　咨　资　姿　滋　淄　孜　紫　仔　籽　
５　滓　子　自　渍　字　鬃　棕　踪　宗　综　
６　总　纵　邹　走　奏　揍　租　足　卒　族　
７　祖　诅　阻　组　钻　纂　嘴　醉　最　罪　
８　尊　遵　昨　左　佐　柞　做　作　坐　座

Major League Soccer Officiating is the Pits

Yesterday I was watching a Major League Soccer match between Orlando City and the Chicago Fire, held in Orlando's new soccer stadium and shown on FoxSports.  It was a tough game to get through, not because "our" Golden Lions lost...no, they drew 0-0...nor because it was so hot and humid there that I thought some of the players were close to passing out.  No, the big...and I mean MAJOR big...problem I had with this contest was the officiating.  And it's not just this game, it's a big recurring problem across a league that is struggling to gain prestige and status in the world...

In soccer, most fouls are called on the spot and the ball goes over to the other team with play quickly resuming.  Some fouls are more flagrant, though, and the referee will assign a "yellow" card to the offending player...get a second yellow and he's kicked out of the game, leaving his team short one player for the duration of the game.  But there's also the "red card" option in case a foul is extremely flagrant...in this case the player is ejected at once and the team once again has to play at a numerical disadvantage.  In yesterday's Orlando-Chicago game, Orlando players were twice given red cards and ejected, putting the team at a two-player shortage for much of the game.  The problem is that the fouls, according to what I could see as well as the TV announcers' reactions, weren't even remotely close to being flagrant...even giving out yellow cards would have been debatable.  But this is nothing new: I've seen this problem with the officials overreacting and awarding red cards ever since I began following this league three years ago and there seems to be no sign of it letting up...

It's true that the caliber of play in Major League Soccer, the premier professional league for the United States and Canada, is much lower than those top leagues in Europe like the English Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga, or Spain's La Liga.  It's even lower than its chief North American competitor, Mexico's Liga MX.  But as inferior to the other leagues that our play may be, it pales in comparison to how bad the officiating is here.  I'm getting sick of watching MLS games, to be perfectly candid, and for one reason: there is a high probability that at some time during the game officials will blow a crucial call and unfairly hand it over to one team over the other.  That Orlando was able to pull out a draw in their match yesterday made me proud, but they were cheated out of a probable victory because of lousy officiating.  When is the league going to do something about this? If they don't Major League Soccer will continue to be just a second-rate league...

Just Finished Reading Louisa May Alcott's Little Women

There was a copy of Louisa May Alcott's book Little Women in my home when I was growing up...but being a boy I wasn't about to read it...although come to think of it I did end up reading all of my sister's Donna Parker, Trixie Beldon, and Lennon Sisters books...but Little Women was old.  Well, more than fifty years later it's that much older, but I've aged as well and finally decided to delve into it.  I'm glad I did...

The setting at the start of Little Women is the early 1860s during the American Civil War as the family of a mother and her four adolescent daughters living somewhere (unnamed) in the northeastern U.S. copes with economic hardships while the father is away serving as a Union army chaplain.  The girls, in descending order of age, are Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy...each with her own distinct personality and interests. Meg is the most domestically inclined, Jo is the tomboy with a flair for writing, Beth is a shy, mercifully-inclined lover of music, and Amy, the "baby", is more self-centered and materialistic than the others and loves art.  The story concerns itself with how these girls, in their own individual ways, grow up as they help (and often challenge) each other...while their mother "Marmee" dispenses her own brand of loving wisdom throughout.  Not all is so rosy, though, and tragedies threaten and sadly strike this sweet-spirited family as well.  I wouldn't recommend Little Women for its plot and narrative as much as for its philosophical tone and unforgettable characters, and not just Meg/Jo/Beth/Amy.  The lessons contained in it for better living are not just applicable to young women: demonstrating grace, patience, forgiveness, and generosity, especially during times of hardship, are virtues sourly lacking across the demographic spectrum in today's dog-eat-dog world. Why not check out this great old American classic novel and learn a little for yourself?  Can't hurt...I came out of the experience wanting to read the sequel Little Men, which I understand also features the spunky and outspoken Jo, by far my favorite character in Little Women...

Assorted Meanderings on a Saturday Afternoon

This is one of those articles that I haven't planned...I'm just sitting here in "my" Magnolia Parke Starbucks in northern Gainesville waiting for my iced coffee...excuse me a moment, there it is.  So, where was I...oh, yes, this is more of an impromptu writing, so forgive me if I meander a bit.  Let's see, it's supposed to rain a lot up here this weekend, but it's late afternoon and so far we haven't had any rain...but the clouds are threatening.  I love overcast skies...but only when it doesn't rain.  It's also my favorite condition for going running, something I'm bent on doing more of as I try to build my endurance back up for future half-marathons...

I left for Starbucks right in the middle of professional soccer's UEFA (European) Champions League finale between Real Madrid and Juventus.  When I turned it off, the game was in the second half and tied 1-1.  And it was very exciting and obviously featured two of the best teams in the entire world...as well as possibly the greatest player,  Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.  But I've never been all that interested in these tournaments, instead focusing on the different leagues...and except for "our" Major League Soccer, all the rest have just finished their seasons.  And yes, I intend to watch an MLS match later this evening on ESPN [correction: it's tomorrow when ESPN shows the game]...

Politically, I feel like I am making myself into something of an outcast to both sides of the ongoing Trump melodrama, wanting the man to succeed at being president but also suspicious of his weird affections for Russia's authoritarian Putin regime.  I don't think he should have decided to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Accords on climate change, but he was right about criticizing how different nations were being treated differently.  That being said, I have been frustrated looking at Facebook from time to time and seeing post after post either excoriating Trump in the most vicious terms or praising him to high heaven as America's savior.  To those pursuing their respective political agendas here, it's all personal...each "side" treats everything as if the fate of the world hangs in the balance: either stop Trump or else it's all over or stop those trying to stop Trump or else it's all over...sorry, folks, you're welcome to take me off your political message list as I'm tired of seeing all this crap.  Our president, whom I did not support in the election last year, is still our president and I respect his office and the process that elected him there.  Just because I think he's a jerk doesn't change that and I will root for him to do good things in office as well as continuing to criticize him when he flubs up...and will most likely (but not definitely) vote for someone else in the next election...but let's please get away from the apocalyptic doomsaying, okay?  Oops, sorry again, I probably offended some of you by saying that...

When I get home from work, my shift ending at midnight, I often watch Rod Serling's old Twilight Zone series, shown at 12:30 on MeTV (Cox Channel 115 in Gainesville).  But right after that program ends, they show Alfred Hitchcock Presents, a series older than Twilight Zone that goes back to the 1950s.  I hadn't seen these shows but the other night watched an episode titled "Breakdown", which starred Joseph Cotton as a man paralyzed in a car accident trying to convince others that he isn't really dead...as they wheel him into the morgue to perform an autopsy...scary stuff!  I may be finding myself looking a bit more into this series that I've managed somehow to ignore all my life...

Speaking of TV series, I've heard they're working on the next (and final?) season to Game of Thrones, based on the George R.R. Martin fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire.  Unfortunately for Martin's loyal readers, he has reneged on his duties as an author and lapsed with writing the next book, The Winds of Winter.  So the television series has actually gone ahead of the written series, something I find hard to forgive.  If Martin doesn't want to take up the task of concluding his series, then he should hand the work off to someone else...someone like Brandon Sanderson.  Sanderson is a very good fantasy author in his own right and finished the interminable Wheel of Time series after the original author, Robert Jordan, passed away after putting out eleven books with no end in sight and numerous subplots and new characters muddling everything beyond comprehension...which is what Martin's series is beginning to look like...

Quote of the Week...from Kevin Durant

I learned how to pass when I was real young. That's one thing I always knew how to do was find the open man.                                            ---Kevin Durant.

Actually, I have two quotes from one of the greatest basketball players of our time, Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant...who last night dominated the opening championship series game against Cleveland with his 38 points and deft ball handling, passing, rebounding, and defense.  Let me focus on the above quote for now: passing in basketball has been an underrated skill as I experienced the sport, but it is crucial to employ it in order for an offense to penetrate the defense around the basket.  When I used to watch my son...and later, my daughter, play as kids in local basketball leagues, the coaches were all very good at teaching their young players how to play defense.  But offense? It was often near-impossible to score...I remember one game that went 2-0.  The reasons are fourfold: one, children don't as yet possess the arm strength to effectively throw the ball hard and fast enough to a teammate without someone on defense catching on and intercepting it.  Two, in order for an offense to be consistently effective, all five players need to be in on passing and positioning themselves...usually in these "little" leagues there are maybe two or three who are strong players and the rest tag along, mostly ineffective.  Three, effective passing in basketball involves a well-drilled appreciation of the sport's dynamism: you pass where your teammate will be, not necessarily where he or she is right now. And four, there is a tendency...more in youth sports...for those more aggressive (and admittedly often very talented) players to hog the ball and completely forego passing, instead just bulling their way through the defense and to the basket.  The problem with all this is the false notion that to pass the ball to another is a tacit admission that they are somehow better players than oneself and can handle the ball better...when in fact it's the opposite that is probably true.  Kudos to Durant for recognizing at a very early age that there is more to basketball than fancy dribbling...any coach's son can be trained to do that...

And now for Kevin Durant's second quote: When people are used to you doing something, they want you to stay in that lane.  This statement of his carries a much broader life meaning than just basketball, and I couldn't agree with it more.  People tend to feel uncomfortable being around another who is undergoing major changes in his or her life and would prefer the old...even less mature and more selfish...version that they are used to dealing with.  What was that line in the Judy Collins song Both Sides Now?  Oh yeah, "But now old friends are acting strange, they shake their heads, they say I've changed. But something's lost but something's gained in living every day."  Growth is a very crucial aspect of a healthy life, and it is manifested in change that will cause resistance and opposition on the part of others, even if that change is for the better...

5/28 Sermon on 1 John, Part 7

Let There Be Light is the name of Pastor Philip Griffin's ongoing Sunday morning message series here at Gainesville's Family Church, based on the New Testament book of 1 John.  The most recent installment, form May 28th, is titled Relate and is based on Chapter 3, Verses 16-24: you can read the scripture passage via Bible Gateway through this link: [link]...

Pastor Philip's focus in this sermon is how real faith is reflected in our relationships, both with others and with God.  The emphasis is on placing others before ourselves, both in regard to our generosity and love as well as our expectations...especially when it comes to who needs to be "Jesus" and assume the higher role.  And that love and generosity doesn't just apply to family and friends: enemies and strangers should be recipients as well...although I'd like to add a caveat that this doesn't mean to deny reality and forego prudence and protection.  As far as our relationship with our heavenly father is concerned, by living in God's presence...as our pastor stressed...he exposes our flaws and enables us to overcome them...and empowers us to go against our more selfish inclinations and love our family, friends, and even strangers and enemies, as ourselves...

If you'd like to see this message yourself, you can click on the following link to the church's YouTube video website: [link]. The Family Church, at 2022 SW 122nd Street, holds its Sunday morning services at 9:30 and 11. Along with the pastor's sermon is exciting praise music, welcoming people, and good coffee.  A nice place to spend your Sunday morning...