Just Finished Reading The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

Toward the end of our stay in Austin last week, my sister Anita gave me several books she thought I'd be interested in reading.  One of these, John Wyndham's 1951 science fiction novel The Day of the Triffids, I recognized from long ago at our childhood home in Hollywood, Florida.  Well, I didn't waste any time in reading it: I finished it yesterday...

There are many angles one can take regarding The Day of the Triffids.  It is an apocalyptic story concerning humankind's self-destructive folly when it comes to warfare, strongly criticizing the weaponization of space and biological research...very prescient for a story published six years before the first space satellite was even launched.  It also examines the very fragile, delicate structure holding our relatively comfortable modern society together and how one single strong blow to it, delivered over just the span of a few hours, can bring it all toppling down.  But what I found the most fascinating was how the main character Bill Masen, along with those he meets on his odyssey through London and southern England, adapts to his new world and the new social rules forced upon it...

I know I haven't offered much in terms of what actually happens in The Day of the Triffids.  Let me just give a little hint: when handing me this book Anita, who knows how much I like to star-gaze, said I might just have second thoughts about looking up at the night sky after reading it.  It happens that one night there is a spectacular celestial display of lights...green lights...when the Earth apparently passes through some comet debris.  But our hero Bill, completely bandaged over his eyes in a hospital while recovering from an injury, completely misses the show that almost everyone else revels in.  The next morning...oh that next morning...

Read the book, it's a good one.  They later adapted it to film and television, but I'm confident you're not going to get the full impact of John Wyndham's story unless you read it first...there's a lot of food for thought here...

Our Visit to Austin, Texas

 

 

 

 

 

 

From June 23rd to the 27th Melissa and I visited my sister Anita and her husband Jim...and family...in Austin, Texas.  They had just recently moved there from Plano (a suburb of Dallas) and we wanted to see how different it was in the state's capital...and of course to see my wonderful relatives there.  We stayed at their house, where my nephew Gregory...very talented at foreign languages and music...is also residing.  Also down the street lives my niece Teresa, who with her husband Joe has started her own family with little "Baby James"...and another on the way.  Our hosts showed us the town...including a very funny bus tour, complete with duck whistles to toot at the passers-by with...and we got a very good initial impression of Austin.  It was fun to walk through the state capitol building and look into its supreme court, house of representatives, and senate chambers.  The landscape in front of it was also beautiful, and they had a fitting memorial to African-American history there.

Austin, of course, is not only the capital city of Texas but is also the site of the University of Texas, where the Longhorns rule.  We saw the tower from which the terrible sniper attack occurred in 1966 and walked the downtown streets, where I was told they shut down traffic on weekend nights and make it all one big festival for night-lifers.  There is Lake Austin, a drainable, damned-up reservoir along the sides of which dwell many of the ultra-rich. Austin also has a great park that runs along the sides of its river and is a magnet for runners, walkers, bikers, and dog-walkers.  Speaking of dogs, this city is reputedly very friendly to them, with many businesses open to allowing them in their doors.  There is also a bridge downtown underneath which a multitude of bats live and come out in a spectacle at twilight...of course, we have something similar in Gainesville across from Lake Alice at the University of Florida.  For such a conservative state as Texas, Austin is an oasis of liberal thought and lifestyle...oh yeah, that reminds me: we had lunch at an enormous restaurant called The Oasis that overlooks a pretty lake a few miles west-northwest of town...

The love and hospitality that Anita, Jim, Greg, Teresa, Joe...and even little James...showed us would have been enough to merit return visits, but Austin is definitely an additional incentive to get back on a plane in the not-so-distant future and pop back on in.  Oh, I forgot to mention their pets: Gracie the very big orange cat, and Ellie and Violet the sweet little dogs...

Here's a description of the above photos:
#1: Walking to the Texas state capitol, with Anita leading and Jim following...
#2: Selfie of Melissa and me within the capitol dome...
#3: Shot of Greg and Anita from The Oasis restaurant...
#4: Same location: Teresa and little James...
#5: The funny tour bus we went on...it converts into a boat midway through the tour...
#6: The African-American History Memorial in front of the state capitol...

Just Finished Reading Ruth Rendell's The Babes in the Wood

In about a two-month span from September to November last year, I read eight different Ruth Rendell novels.  She is a renowned mystery writer from England and her stories strongly reflect her homeland and its society.  Some of the books have been standalone, but I also began to read her Inspector Wexford series.  I stopped reading Rendell last year because there was a disruption concerning my checking out of books from a download/borrowing provider in conjunction with my local public library.  But that glitch has been resolved and I'm back to reading this excellent author's works.  I picked The Babes in the Wood, which is the nineteenth Inspector Wexford book, coming out in 2002.  I was a little hesitant about jumping ahead in the series (I was earlier reading them in chronological order) only because with these types of ongoing series there are two story lines: the main mystery...in which it doesn't matter what order you read them in, and the personal lives of the main continuous characters like Wexford and Burden and their families...this book was a little disorienting as a lot had happened to them over the course of the previous stories...

In The Babes in the Wood, the town of Kingsmarkham's Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford, Inspector Mike Burden, and their team have to find three missing people: two teenagers...a brother and sister...and their babysitter.  The search is complicated by heavy rains and flooding, which at the start prompts some to suspect that they all had drowned.  Wexford, Burden, and company go around questioning all involved and soon discover a peculiar fundamentalist sect to which the boy had recently joined: is there any connection?  Add to this several suspicious leads and you have a mystery that won't let you down: the ending makes sense while Rendell deftly creates an array of interesting...and very flawed...characters.  But why believe me when you can read it for yourself? 

I wonder, what will be the next Ruth Rendell book for me?

My June 2017 Running Report

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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..

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... 

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!

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...

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]...

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...

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...