Peace, that elusive human quality

When one watches a documentary on the mega-weapons built by the Nazis, even as they were losing WWII, it is astounding. Massive bunkers and fortifications, Ballistic missiles, super tanks. They glorified military power, and yet were crushed by the “inferior” societies they sought to conquer. Just seems to reinforce the idea that warfare seduces more financing than peace ever could.

The present-day defense budgets of major nations, especially the US, underlines this.

Is warfare hard-wired into the human psyche? After we evolved learning to fight off fierce enemies like saber-tooth tigers, we made the shift to killing each other quite easily. We have been doing it ever more effectively, ever since.

Now comes word that someone shot down a civilian airliner with 298 people aboard. Senseless slaughter more on the scale of the Nazi regime. For what? The slaughter of humans by humans goes on. Blame gets thrown around, and the crazy game continues.

It seems like people who have the social and industrial ability to wage war on a massive scale would also have the capability to wage peace. Factories that build weapons can build cars, refrigerators, washing machines, or solar panels. Strategists who work on war plans could work on Peace plans. Humans can engineer large-scale projects in the pursuit of peace as well as war. So why don't we do more of this?

Perhaps the glory, excitement of warfare is too easily inculcated into our youth. Perhaps the instinct is hard-wired, as stated previously. Whatever the cause, we have a duty as an enlightened species to do better than this. We have a duty to work for cooperation, justice, elimination of disease and starvation and brutality. We evolved a higher order of consciousness to make amazing advances. In a hundred thousand years, we evolved from simple hunter-gatherers to a civilization sending space probes beyond the Solar System. It seems ridiculous that we spend so much time trying to kill each other.

Here is hoping that we can somehow find the will to do better than we have. Thanks for reading.

Time Depots

Little time machines are scattered across miles

of farmland, prairie and woods – they stand empty,
or have been moved or even demolished.
But they still speak to us through photographs today...

Once they were gateways to a better future.

Youngsters dressed in their Sunday best

waited on wooden platforms for the giant
engine to come puffing and belching along.
Well-dressed parents nervously checked the time.

When a steam engine came into view,

what a sight it must have seemed,
sending pulses and moods higher all around.
“Alll aboard” for greener pastures ahead!

Now the narrow, tall wood-frame stations

are a gateway still, but to a past that
bespoke of simpler times, needs, wants.
No unknown promises, rather known achievements.

The grainy photos of excited townsfolk standing on

a huge engine, waving and smiling evokes the spirit
of excitement that pervaded those days so long ago.

We feel a glimmer of that once again, as we view

them through the lens of a future they might barely
comprehend, and certainly might not approve of.

- end

 

How to Have Fun

Take a dash of purpose, add motivation,

Allow it to steep in sunshine for a few hours.
Heat the mixture in a passion of love,
immerse it in tender congeniality until
fragrant and soft to the touch.

Consume in moderate measures,

allow the joy to permeate your being,
step outside your door and dance.
Sing determination to live fully,
ignore judgment and comment,
and shout out at the top of your lungs,
“Fun! Fun! Fun!”

Or if you prefer, find a good book to read.

 

     - end

 

Two Voices

The first intoned a gentle refrain:

Southern express route, Northern Special,
Vent car before unloading - Manifest Present,
load limit serial number chemicals inside...
On and on went the official inscriptions.

The second screeched louder than a sticking brake:

KUSH, Vanity Rulz, M8domin8m, Charles was here,
KULZ, SPS6, Always into Something...
Graffiti noise insinuated itself over every orderly
procession of wheels, walls and welds.

I sat there on a bike, musing on the discordant

harmonizing of civilizations influences.
Suddenly a telltale rumble, the loud thrumming
of diesel locomotives pushing the entire
two-toned visual orchestration on by.

Informing voices faded from concern as I

watched the big yellow engines pass.
Time to pedal through the now vacant crossing;
home, dinner and a hungry cat await!

There will be many other chances to watch

those discordant long-distance voices sing
their endless competition with one another.

The switching yard is right around the corner.

 

 - end

 

 

Nature failed to dampen our spirits

A festive weekend was dampened by frequent rain.

Hot humid air the gift we carry into another workweek,

and yet fun was still had by many...

Intermittent fireworks punctuated relaxed times;

The annual antique auto show entertained,

80/35 Rock'N'Roll concert livened up the city,

moderate temperatures kept misery at bay...

Another long weekend is over,

Memories will ring and fade.

It was fun while it lasted,

Time to resume the workaday parade.

 

     - end

 

Raining insects

Lightning and thunder outside

predicts another intense downpour;
ants, flying and crawling all over my room.
They seemed to boil out of a windowsill.

Their swarm storm ignited my own storm-fury,

so I bought some heavy-duty insecticide;
soon toxic peretherin soaked the room,
a short time later, ant bodies littered the floor.

The rain outside finally subsided,

and the ant storm inside was abated
by a fine mist of lethal droplets.
All in all, quite a day for soaked
lawns and carpets both.

At least the dead ants could be vacuumed up,

not so the swollen ponds and rivers.

We need to build a pipeline to the desert

to dispose of all this excess water.
Better yet, send all of the bugs down there too.


   - end

barren lands for future plans

     You drive around two-lane highways, mere ribbons that cut through massive mountain ranges.  Twenty shades of brown, and a few of green, greet your eyes.   The morning mist and shadows, or afternoon rain in the distance, adds a measure of interest.  The miles between attractions eventually are consumed.    And then you arrive at a giant array of radio-telescopes, peering into the universe's past.  Or a city made famous by a supposed flying saucer crash.   Or a giant missile testing range.   Or a purpose-built private spaceport.  

     Desert cacti and heat surround bright spots of technological accomplishment and research.    Scientists and entrepreneurs are helping create the future out in this barren wasteland.   If they succeed, it will become hot real estate in more ways than one.   Heat from rocket exhaust, heat from thousands of visitors car exhausts, heat from politicians eager to get on the bandwagon.  

     Right now, the desert heat surrounds hope and a two-mile long runway.  A few dedicated faithful are working to break it all wide open. I sincerely hope they succeed, if only to not see such a facility as the Spaceport go to waste.   But already I hear that businessmen in Dubai want Sir Richard to build a duplicate spaceport there, and he is seriously considering the idea.  A few other space companies, notably SpaceX, are using the Spaceport to test their own methodologies for getting people in orbit.   A lot is brewing out there in the hot desert scrub.  It will be fun to watch all hell break loose - someday.

     Right now, the security people watch out for stray cows, and the fire crew is bored, washing their shiny vehicles for the umpteenth time.   But it is coming.  Very definitely it is coming, I can feel it.  

What an experience it will be when routine space travel finally arrives out in the New Mexico free range!

land of space enchantment

I am currently touring New Mexico space sites.  For inspiration in writing and in general.  Thoroughly enjoyed Roswell and the Alomogordo space museum.  Now sitting in Truth or Consequences, eagerly awaiting a tour of the Spaceport.   It has been fun - especially some of the geographical and historic sites I never knew existed around here.   Everything from Chisum cattle empire and Billy the Kid to various gorgeous mountain passes.   Cloud Croft was a beautiful 'discovery'.    Onward and upward.

Pride day is here again

Pride day – what a statement.

Do I celebrate my Pride at coming out? That was long ago.
Am I proud of my accomplishments since then? Of course.
I am proud of the friends I have made, great times that were had.
Proud of some of my behavior, taking the high road.
Not so proud of other behavior – I am too fallible at times.

Proud to have stayed alive and relatively well,

when so many others have passed, some by their own hand.
There are forces out there trying to undermine us.
Luckily there are other forces trying to help us.
I'm proud to be a survivor, and see the changes
taking place (despite frequent economic and political difficulties.)

Our city and/or event organizers have moved the celebration,

then charged higher entry fees. Everything seems to cost more,
from the entry bracelets (and don't you dare go in the wrong door)
to the food to other items. All of a sudden they all think we are
rich – this while state industry is being privatized and jobs cut.

The truth is, a lot of us are really struggling out there,

and a glossy Pride celebration with high costs for everything
is not going to change that. I hope some of that money gets
to those in need of help. That would make me really Proud
on this, the latest iteration of the Stonewall liberation anniversary.

But I am grateful for all of the progress that has been made

since that fateful day in 1969.

Thanks for reading.

  

Dis Figure

Tattoo covered and metal-pierced wander

nightclubs and streets – an advertisement.
You too can permanently disfigure your
unique body and make a statement.

If it is what you want, then go ahead.

Take ownership of your own flesh

by decoration and artifice, possibly
discouraging anyone interested in you.
Metal and pigments screening reality.

Your friends might give you some

temporary approval, but it will vanish.
The fun and fad will fade, then leave
you with warped wrinkle-tats and sad scars.

Was it worth it, you will wonder,

grimacing into some distant mirror?
Maybe for a short while. The
trips to a remover were more costly
and a lot less glamorous.

Some future person might go all out,

carve away large portions of their flesh,
overlay metal and plastic and lights...
An even larger regret to bear later on.

     - end

Pulling for them

The grasses and dead wood

did not make a sound as I
yanked, tugged and pulled.
But my shrubs and tall Cannas
seemed to utter sighs of relief.

All around me, parents were calling

recalcitrant children to come and eat.
One was threatening starvation,
“I'm not getting up and get you food later...”
Another simply insistent:
“Get inside and eat!” the voice of authority.

I was able to do much more with the weeds

than the hapless parents with their roving kids.
A perverse satisfaction settled in as I pulled,
and even the usual back pains did not dampen
my happy mood at being single and finished
with the yard for another day.
Ahhh, freedom.

     - end

No Reprieve

Am sure glad to have the primary TV ads done with. With a Republican primary become a 7-way race, and another one a 6-way run, the ads became overwhelming. A certain gun-toting lady who castrates hogs took one contest (the males were grateful to escape with their manhood intact?). In any case, we had a reprieve of exactly zero days. Yes, zero. A Republican attack ad against Jack Hatch aired this morning, the day after the primary was decided. The long knives wasted no time. It is enough to make one swear off TV for good. But I just keep having to watch the news – to see what happens next.

Got to have something to gossip about at work ;-) Thanks for reading, and keep those “Mute” buttons handy. You'll want to have them by the time November rolls around.

 

-end

 

First day in June

Cool clear water flowed over

my time-battered feet,
caressing with refreshment.
The feel of sandy gravel underfoot
tingled pleasant up the nerves.
Sunlight splashed green off a foliage carpet,
as the nearby river cut its lazy path southward.

The first day in June acted like it:

Crystal perfection in water, air and sun alike.
Felt good to be a human alive in such a time.
Not another soul for hundreds of yards at least,
it seemed that I was the only person around for miles.

The bitter cold hell of winter

was the price paid for these glorious days,
Yet sometimes it does seem a fair bargain –
As long as those severe thunderstorms stay away
from Central Iowa...

Not likely, so I plan to enjoy

days like this whenever they
show up, and invite me out to play.

(Ever thankful to be mobile and stay

healthy and spry to enjoy these days.)

  - end

From a book printed way back when

From the book "Intro to Data Processing"  by Carl Feingold c.1971, 1975:    Page 41...

“Computer hardware will continue its trend towards miniaturization. The era of the complete circuit is just beginning. It is reasonable to assume that within the next ten years we will see a complete computer on a single chip. A “Microcomputer” with about 8,000 to 16,000 words of storage, an instruction set of 64 to 96 commands, about 16 general-purpose registers, and input-output bus on a single chip will be a reality within the next two to three years. In ten years, such a chip will probably sell for under fifty dollars. The impact of this type of microcomputer will be felt in all walks of life.

P.42 “...Every home could have a built-in communications system similar to cable television, which would allow the user to have the world's information at his immediate disposal without having to leave his home. If we allow our imagination to work on all potential uses of computers, there will be no end.”

p.44 “...Automatic programming to continue to improve, improvement in input and output devices, greater use of video displays, continued miniaturization of computer hardware, computers that can respond to the spoken word, integrated network of systems to transmit data from one system to another, the possible elimination of the paycheck, are just a few of the new innovations being developed. The appearance of the 'microcomputer', a complete circuit on a single chip may affect all aspects of society...”

Hell yes. 
 

Once again convenience rules

How dependent we become on modern convenience - like home Internet always on.   Nine days ago my dial tone and DSL disappeared.   At first, my inquiry found a recorded message about a cable cut.  So I waited, and waited...and finally figured I should call again after a week.  I did, and this time they scheduled a technician to come out, two days later.   They must have found the problem, because today when I got home from work, there was a strong dial tone  (what a sweet sound).    Meantime I had used wi-fi with a tablet at my local library.  

     It was an educational hiatus for sure.  A way to get used to mobile Internetting and computing.   My only limitation is the one-finger typing you do on a virtual keyboard.  But I understand you can get Bluetooth keyboards and such for tablets.  No need for that now, but good to know just in case.   The near-pervasiveness of Wi-Fi is a godsend when things go down at home.  But all of the once-in-awhile sites I visit will finally get re-visited.   Lots of junk mail to delete.    Happy Netting, wherever you access it from.  (In the near future it will probably be hardwired into our brains anyway.)

Some choice selections

Here they are:

www.createspace.com/4281639   - A Strange Enterprise

www.createspace.com/3859469    - Future Property

www.createspace.com/4661301  - The Osmotics

www.createspace.com/3633147  - Mirror Worlds

All science fiction collections for your enjoyment, they are also listed on Amazon.com, and all should currently be available in Kindle e-book form.    Enjoy  :-)

Iowa not-so-secret

Go ahead,

mock yourself with corny bacon humor,
frighten the outsiders with tales of overwork,
tasselling, baling, sweating, shoveling manure
out all over the place for 50 cents and a laugh.

Coat that luscious spring beauty with

bacon grease and tales of woe,
but you won't fool me. I've been around,
seen the beautiful spots, taken in fragrance
of sheer growth surges and color displays.

You hide your secrets well,

your brightened tourist depots,
sunny bike trails and laughing youth,
polite guides charmed to have a visitor,
ready with answers to most questions.

Your picnic tables overflow with

delicious home cooked abundance,
Your river valleys can awe with the
best of the mountain ranges...

All the more so,

since they can be driven to,
no ropes or parachutes required.
Just a bicycle, for the best views.

Go ahead and

throw your manure elsewhere,
your secret is safe with me.


-end

The ol Space Poet

Years have disappeared in the white-hot dust, yet somehow I still remain. The flights are several a day now. Sometimes I still marvel at the growth, but more often I just cover my ears. Why are so many eager to get off this beautiful blue orb hanging in the sky, I wonder. Young men in their hard prime, young women in their comely loveliness shelled by hard exteriors. They can't wait to go out into the void, be pummeled by weightlessness and radiation sickness. The future beckons, and nothing can stand in their way.

I suppose I was that way once. But I was too old before space became a destination for the masses. Birthed along with Sputnik, my hopes soared along with the rest of our generation. A lifetime of survival followed. Space was for the astronauts. Fans like me sat back and watched, waited for the wonders that were supposed to follow, but never came. Finally, in my 50's, I moved to New Mexico, to a desolate strip of desert that held out hope. Hope that someday, regular commercial space flights would happen.

The first few years were pretty slow. A tourist flight one week. A NASA suborbital shot the next. But I hung around, finding odd jobs cleaning and driving a tour bus. And then a breakthrough in propulsion tech happened: someone found the perfect combination of electromagnetic and chemical reaction, and managed to contain it in a smaller vessel. And then the race was on to occupy the Solar System, before someone else got there first.

An inventor came out of nowhere. After his standardization of swappable L-ion battery packs for cars, and construction of a hundred exchange stations, he made his first billion. (Just pull in, swap out your Lion pack for a charged one, and off you go, juiced up for another hundred miles).Then, he set his sights on space. His system for paving America's roads with electric cars was not repeated with spacecraft – at least not at first. But he kept at it.

When he tested his first successful hopper-rocket with the new propulsion pack, everyone thought it was a stunt. The second time, the world was watching, and they were suitably stunned. The third time, he had to go into hiding afterward. The one who opened up space to the masses was arguably as popular as Jesus Christ for a time.

I was there, when the hoppers hopped. And when the tourist cruisers followed. An early crash disaster was horrible to witness. But that only slowed things down. When the first asteroid with a gold core was discovered, things really got crazy. Thank god they finally built a couple more spaceports on the coasts, and re-purposed Cape Canaveral and Edwards. Our routine here in New Mexico settled into a steady twenty or so flights a week.

Now, the once-deserted Spaceport is surrounded by glass and diamond coated skyscratchers, and I have my own little spot just off the main terminal. I get to spin poetry and song into an entertaining weave for the traveling masses. They throw coin, nugget and currency into my basket, along with cash-cards.

I was born when the whole space thing started, and I want to live until we reach the first Star. They keep saying the mission is just around the corner, but I am already pushing ninety. Wish they would hurry things up; I can't wait forever, people!

 

     - end

 

Thirteen stories about planets that really exist

It is still out there!

http://www.amazon.com/Keplers-Dozen-Thirteen-Stories-Distant/dp/1885093683

Check this out

A fellow writer and blogger.   Very prolific man.

Stephen L. Brayton
www.stephenbrayton.com
www.stephenbrayton.wordpress.com
www.braytonsbookbuzz.wordpress.com

Thanks for taking a look.

May Ride

Lather delirious purple mother,

and garden less trudge women,
never bed mess crush man juice...
Beneath beauty shadow smooth shine

The pedals churn,

breath flows in and out,
words tumble through the mind.
Cares pushed aside like so many
empty beer cans, useless concerns.

Nothing can be done,

so you might as well enjoy the ride –

Elaborate repulsive whisper friend diamond,

puppy picture sun apparatus frantic goddess,
sordid luscious want peach summer...

and always and ever anon,

I still love you.

-end

Future Present

Science Fiction has to race to stay ahead these days.   If someone made the movie  "The Terminator" in 2014 instead of 1984, that T-800 would not be quite so dumb.  While scanning the humans in infrared and so forth, it would be recording their every move in an onboard 10TB flash drive.  It would also be uploading hi-def video to Skynet.  In turn, Skynet would be doing massive calculations based on past observation of human subjects.  That poor fleeing woman would not have a chance.  The Terminator robot would be thinking three steps ahead, and re-calculating everything based on her current actions.  

     For todays readers, used to cellular everything at their fingertips, these things are not such a stretch.   A networked-in person, 'seeing' a live Net feed in part of their eye, would blink to snap pics, or twitch to upload them, or another action to record full video in a memory implant deep in their Cerebral Cortex.  They could share the pics, videos and documents with other people present, or lock them out, or route messages wherever they want.  All built-in, powered by the body's own metabolism.

     The whole terminology will change.  The Internet (a 1960's term) will morph into something else.   A "text" will become something else, like an e-thought.    Technological Telepathy will arise, and perhaps if we want, we can be hived into certain groups all the time, 24-7.   Or (hopefully) we can decline the implant, or lock out the hive feature, and forestall becoming too Borg-like too soon. 

     Change is happening already.   Perhaps evolution will favor offspring with faster thumbs for a time - until the implant culture takes off.   Then, the fast thumb crowd might be left twitching by the side of the road, passed by a more thoughtful crowd.   Who knows where it will  end up.   My theory is that we will end up becoming tightly organized bundles of pure energy, and nothing will be withheld from our purview.    Unless, of course, we destroy ourselves in some nuclear stupidity first - or some superior race does us in.  But the Sci-fi crowd seems to need to keep running shoes on to keep up with some of this.  At least the older ones like me do  ;-)    Thanks for reading.

Pillaged We Are Defeated

Cut those good jobs and jack that profit up,

flesh and blood people are expendable;
For the boardroom set nothing is off-limits,
as long as drastic moves stop short of their offices.

Do they ever pause in their ugly harvest

and think of the greater cost to society?
How hellish an America they are creating,
as they cut and destroy every job opportunity?

How long will it take for the US to surpass

various “third-world” countries in misery?
Immigration may reverse itself once awareness
of how meager an existence is afforded our citizenry.

Huge corporations, especially high tech, better

wake up and invest in all of us, or we falter
and fail and drop to the bottom, easy fodder
for a superior nation to walk in and conquer.

     - end

 

Musings on a Technological Tuesday

The comm tech chatted about his latest desire,

a projector app attached to his Galaxy phone;
Already surrounded by computing devices,
He wanted still more of them at home.

Outside his work office, many bays and lineups

wink and hum, all busy transporting terabytes...
New management tours the techno-wonderland,
catching up to a speeding train of data transport.

On other floors fibers in bundles move light,

narrow beams modulated to carry gigabytes;
E-mails, videos, photos, faxes and even voices,
all crowd together and ride the same beam-flight.

Humans who work around the speedy transports

are glacial by comparison, architects though they be.
Mountains gave rise to forests, then swift wildlife.
Ultimate life gives rise to ever faster cyber-entities.

Perhaps someday the cyber-life will birth something

even faster, some trans-light particle beings?
The cycle continues, and we flesh-and-blood types
will be left behind with our crude analog droppings.

 - end

Wild Animals live before your eyes

Wildlife Cams

Decorah Eagles

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

Sportsman's Paradise live cams

http://sportsmansparadiseonline.com/Live_Webcams.html

National Geographic Crittercams

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/crittercam-wildcam/

Hancock wildlife cams

http://www.hancockwildlife.org/?topic=cam-sites

Ustream TV live cams

http://www.ustream.tv/explore/animals

Pixcontroller wildlife webcams

http://pixcontroller.com/WebCam/index.htm

Audubon Society top ten webcams

http://mag.audubon.org/articles/blog/top-10-wildlife-web-cams

Global Animal cams

http://www.globalanimal.org/wildcams/

Berry College Eaglecam

http://www.georgiawildlife.com/BerryEagleCam

Explore.org Blue Cavern – guardians of the sea

http://explore.org/live-cams/player/aquarium-pacific-live-cam-2

 

- Enjoy, and also check out www.createspace.com/4661301 .

Hacking the Hacker

I was deep into an algorithm for a recognition engine. We were rapidly forging ahead with our transaction program. Since we had completed two other projects, this was going to be our last, crowning achievement at this year's Hackathon.

“Hows it going, Jack?” A shadow leaned over me.

“Not too bad. I have the bare bones, now I'm tweaking it.” I paused, resenting even this interruption, and took another swig of my energy drink.

Sanjay peered over my shoulder, and studied what I was doing.

“Video purchase? So you are stubbing the video file itself?”

That man was fast. “Yes, the temp file anyway. It preserves the purchase record even if we delete it off an intermediary server. Then the software can re-copy it, and the billing is preserved.”

“Not bad, Jack, not bad at all.” Sanjay grinned, and gave me a thumbs-up. That gave me a rush almost as good as the hypercaffienated drink I was swigging.

“We have two hours to go. Keep it up, man,” said Sanjay. Then he moved off to the next coder.

There were ten of us in all, and you could cut through the hacker smell with a knife. Every hormone and brain cell in this group focused in on one goal: To put out this last jewel of a product, and take home a trifecta – the 2014 coding challenge trophy. Each member would also win a thousand-dollar scholarship, not to mention the name recognition.

But Theta Team and Omega Team knew this too. They had both put out some usable product already. This would not be an easy race: Whenever I glanced over at them, they were working furiously. They must be on to something. We had to move, or they would take the prize.

Another hour into it, and I was about where I was the last time. I had to tear down some of my main program to make room for more recursive checks and buffer writes.

Damn it. I may not be able to pull this off.

Sanjay hovered worriedly, offering help to one or another of our team. A fellow programmer, Ivan, took him up on it, and the two of them began digging in. He was working on the GUI. That was going to be our window to the world. I glanced over the rest of us – two rows of five geeks, typing away. Well, almost all were. Mason sat there on the end, just staring at his screen.

“Mason? What's wrong,” I whispered.

“Nothing, man. Don't worry about it,” and he waved me off. So I just ignored him and kept on with what I was doing.

I heard some swearing a while later, and looked at the computer clock.

23 minutes left. I was just about done. I chanced another look over at Mason. He was staring, and then typing. Damn it. I looked for Sanjay, but he was still working with Ivan.

“Sanjay!” I said, and when he looked up, I pointed at Mason. “Help him?”

Sanjay glared at me, and said, “Don't worry about him. Finish yours.”

Feeling pissed off, I tried to calm myself and dig back in.

If Mason spoiled it for all of us, I will kick his ass later. I need to finish and save my project.

So I kept at it. Soon, the last algorithm strings were saved. I switched to the IDE, ran it, and it crashed. Not unusual, since it was version.001

I went back and tweaked, and fixed. Finally, it ran without crashing, and accepted a test transaction. Got it on the seventh try – hooray! I looked at the clock. Four minutes left. I looked up, and two other coders were staring at me. I raised my arms and gave the thumbs up. They grinned, and returned the sign.

I looked to the end of our table, at Mason. He was just sitting and looking at the monitor. Tears ran down his face. Sanjay finally looked up from Ivan's desk. They had just finished. He walked over to Mason's computer, and looked to see what the problem was.

Sanjay put a hand to his mouth, and said, “Oh my. Mason, what in the hell? What is the idea?”

Mason turned to him and said, “I was hacked. I did not do this. They hacked my desktop. I was trying to get rid of it...” He threw his arms up, and then finally ran from the room.

Theta group let out a big shout. They had all finished, and even completed a fully integrated product. The event organizer came in, and looking at his watch, yelled, “Times up everyone! Looks like Theta finished. How about the others?”

Omega finished too, and shouted. The organizer finally came over to us. “What happened here, guys? Looks like you were close.”

Sanjay said, “We almost finished too, but unfortunately someone cheated. Look, someone hacked one of our members machines,” and pointed to Mason's desktop screen. The organizer walked over, and stared at the image – a nude image of Mason himself. I figured he must have posted it somewhere on the net, and an unscrupulous person had found it. All it took was for them to telnet into Mason's machine while he was networked with the rest of us, and not paying attention. The image was enough to distract him, upset him out of even trying anymore.

The event organizer cleared his throat, and then announced in a loud voice,

“All right. We have a new bonus challenge for the 2014 hackathon. The winner of this one takes all. The loser is the one who sent that image to one of Sigma Team's computers. We begin now!”

Despite any lingering fatigue, I dug in with a vengeance.

The End

Humming our Appreciation

We sing a hymn to the Almighty,

our voices coalescing around a tune,
some ahead, some behind, the sound confused
chasing itself, indistinct yet flowing,
a common frail human
aspiration to betterment.

Some of us are here, sitting in church,

young and old, rich and poor, man and woman,
Dressed-up children squirm and fidget.
But everyone is here, united in this hour
towards a higher attainment.

Forgive us, heavenly father,

for we are imperfect
yet aspire to be better.
Do not read our dirty minds,
just honor our sincere intent.

We know what we want

fantasize in many directions,
yet still know that we can
do better than our usual
expression of all appetites.

Help us along –

we are ever grateful,
your warped children,
whom you made and
always have to forgive.
Oh, and hey, thanks a lot.

 - end

Act Two

     So now we have another Cold War. It seemed to spring up so fast, relatively speaking. One minute everyone was going to the Sochi Olympics, and the next we are facing off in the Ukraine. It is dizzying, how fast things can deteriorate. Makes one wonder if everyone has been watching too many episodes of some battle epic, or playing too many violent video games. Has everyone forgotten how expensive and dangerous a real war is?

      I was leafing through an old Time Magazine picture book of World War II today, and it really hit home just how all-encompassing a true world war can be. Families separated, never to be re-united. Young men, boys dying on distant fields for some ridiculous reason. A man who was saving scrap metal on his farm had it confiscated by the military. If you were the wrong race you were confined in camps (in the US) or gassed or worked to death (in Germany). Everyone was affected in countless ways, not to mention around 30 million dead. And this in a mostly pre-nuclear time, with conventional weapons (except for Japan at the close).

     Now the US and Russia still have many hundreds of nuclear missiles, and probably thousands of warheads. Enough to turn the world into a wasteland that would not sustain human life. These new leaders who have no memory of what a truly devastating war was like should think long and hard before starting a new one. There is no reason, religious, political or economic – no reason whatsoever for the destruction of all we know. No reason to destroy human civilization. Especially now when we are on the threshold of moving out into our solar system and enjoying a far greater bounty. Like many a stupid schoolyard fight, it doesn't matter how it started. It is time to put a stop to this nonsense, before it gets out of hand. The sooner the better. Thanks for reading.

The real zombies are here

Just think, a zombie you can chat with,

conversant with answers from the past.
They remember way back when our
present was created in various laboratories.

If you befriend one, they might even

buy you lunch or dinner, take you to
a movie, and sit through it without
asking if they can eat your brains.

Some of these zombies are parents,

grandparents or great-uncles.
They are also called by another name:
Baby Boomers –

– when long ago, they

were bright-eyed flaxen-haired youth,
wild and free and rebellious and creative.
Cars were made just for them, and they
generated mass movements and social changes:
a radical departure from anything seen before.

Befriend a living zombie today,

you might be surprised at how
much you enjoy their company.

 - end

 

That special time of year

The freezing mark stands firm,

no longer penetrated by temps;
Fragrant ground with active worms,
fertile for new plants to be set in.

Good Friday and time to plant potatoes,

onions and get ready for May tomatoes.
Grass greens up in anticipation of flocks
of violets and dandelions, a color tornado.

How high do I set my ambition this year,

when I would like to do a whole vegetable garden?
My time and bodily strength I hold dear,
So maybe I'll just settle for a row of zinnias.

The mowing and weeding are just around the corner,

so I may as well enjoy this honeymoon of mid-spring;
Yard yields up bright surprises, defying lingering winter.
Hikes in the woods reveal mysterious flowering things.

By the time summers drudgery arrives,

my garden will be well established.
Time for travel and long car rides,
Welcomed back by a garden that thrives...

...on inattention and a few lucky rainstorms.

Happy Springtime and Easter all.

A cultural phenomenon

Phasers on stun, full speed ahead,

Klingons off the port bow,
Torpedoes away! Direct hit!
Their weapons systems are disabled.
Their propulsion nacelles are destroyed.
They are dead in the water, Captain!

Before there ever was a Jim Kirk,

Spock, Scotty or McCoy;
There existed another fine crew,
Archer, T'pol, Mayweather. Tucker and Tripp
All flew the very first Enterprise.

The NX-01 broke through many boundaries,

cleared a path at an amazing Warp Five –
With rudimentary high-tech weaponry,
this crew held off many hostiles, and stayed alive.

Discovering many wondrous things,

Fighting various threats unforeseen,
As far as the warp engines could fling
the ship, much knowledge was gleaned.

Finally defeating the Xindi schemers,

The crew set the entire Timeline right;
With a final few pesky threats eliminated,
the NX-01 helped create the Federation.

Archer saved the planet, and went out a hero,

Kirk merely built on his enduring legacy.
Those other captains were shirttail hangers-on,
important in their time perhaps.
But Archer and the First Enterprise
Were the equal of Zephram Cockran.
Giants in their time.

(Just an ephemeral trekking muse for today –

I may change my mind after the next movie.)

-end

sci link of the day

here you go:   

http://www.hightechscience.org/funfacts.htm

Brought to you by the author of this:  www.createspace.com/4281639 

Have a nice day.

What If

Our entire existence,

from the big bang to a future final whimper,
was nothing more than a school experiment?
Creation in one day, cessation in the next.

Some student makes fine adjustments,

compacts just the right particle mix,
applies trillions of Earth gravities...
Then drops the thing into a black bottle,
releasing the energy while observing intently.

The birth and death, destruction, loss,

cruelty, unjust travesty, disease, tragedy
all carefully studied and categorized.
Was it adequate for the assignment?
Would the teacher take points off for
happiness, serendipity, and good fortune?
Or add them for those same qualities.

We'll never know, as poof

goes our world – beyond our control.
But we can imagine such things.

So someone got a good grade that day...

Someday it may be us taking the test.

Sure hope we get it right!

To celebrate the Red Moon

Here is a link to some basic science facts, with supporting hyperlinks, in celebration of our recent eclipse, or 'Red Moon'

http://www.x-raytechnicianschools.org/50-simple-science-facts-everyone-should-know-but-doesnt/

Enjoy!

The Scientific Method

A four-step process of testing what we think we know about reality in all forms.   Something to remember in this day and age of mysticism and fantasy.  Fantasy can be entertaining, as long as it ends there.  Follow this link to read on and be enlightened...

http://teacher.nsrl.rochester.edu/phy_labs/appendixe/appendixe.html

Enjoy  :-)

Big event this Saturday

April 12, 2014 - will be at the Ankeny Authors Fair with 39 other local writers.   We cover every genre from mystery, through science fiction, to Romance and more.   From 9 AM to Noon.

Hope you can make it.   Here is the official Ankeny Page.    See you there.

In Pursuit of Excellence

Most of us seek a higher goal of one kind or another. We are in pursuit of a particular kind of excellence – excellence to improve our lot, and the lot of those we love. Whether it be in our careers, or a particular hobby, to achieve excellence and success is what most of us desire.

One does not become excellent at any pursuit without some sacrifice. You cannot climb Mt. Everest with only a weeks' training. You don't start a business and get to the million-dollar mark in a month. Every meaningful college degree is gotten only with many hours of study, years of classes and the like. A very high degree of achievement takes a lot of work, let's face it.

But of course, it pays off. The one percenters running our world did not all have it handed to them. Many had to work their way up the ladder, rung by painful rung. They had to go where their bosses wanted, do what they were told, perhaps take more schooling on the side. The ones who persevered, and maybe had luck on their side as well, made it to the top. Luck may play a role, but luck alone will not produce excellent results. Hard work can in effect create its own luck too.

So, here are a few ideas on pursuing and achieving excellence in whatever you set out to do.

Work on your desired outcome or objective every day. Don't let anything stand in your way, either. If there is some emergency, handle it, and then get back to your goal as soon as possible. You have to want it so bad that it burns in your gut, and does not leave you alone. Then, let nothing stand in your way.

If you are exhausted, or frustrated, and just want to hang it up for the day. Or if you want to table or scrap your project, do this first: Follow the one more time rule. My father told me this in a roundabout way, by suggesting once, “You don't want to play just one more game?”

Follow the one more rule: Do it one more time. Go over your project or proposal one more time. Practice one more swing. Everything happens one thing at a time. Be determined to go beyond – to do it just 'one more time.' You don't have millions and multitudes all at once in you. But you can do it just one more time. So do it. One. More. Time.

Take good care of yourself. You are all you ultimately have, all you were born with, all you will die with. Take care of your physical and emotional health, as though you were your own loved one. You are worth it. You are ultimately all you have in this world. Treat yourself kindly, with respect, and like royalty. You deserve it, and you are worth it.

Keep a tight grip on your finances, as much as possible. Finances have to come first. Face it, we all live in a capitalist, money-driven society these days. Money has to be managed, or it will manage you. You manage it, and keep control of your destiny.

Good relationships are a tonic for the soul, and a high motivator. Try and cultivate a few friendships, especially in your chosen field. Inviting a colleague out for dinner or coffee can pay rich dividends in morale and information both. And try to keep in mind, it is not really that difficult to be nice to people. And it is well worth the effort.

Make a master goal board, and set your goals a few years out. Then, break them down into smaller pieces. For example: Participate in a major golf tournament, time five years. Minor tourneys, in one year. Drive five buckets of balls, five days a week. Every month play at least ten 18-hole games. And so forth.

Re-assess and re-work your goals on occasion. Excellence recognizes that fate throws us ugly curves at times. As excellently-designed human beings, we can ADAPT and re-configure ourselves and our goals. Adapt, change direction if need be, and go on. Let nothing stop you, nothing defeat you on your journey to excellence in your field.

Routine and ritual can help keep you on track. Saturday is golf day. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are weight room day. Sunday is church, or cleaning day, or whatever. And every day, you can take a moment to think, what have I done to push myself towards excellence in my desired pursuit? A regular routine can simplify the process of getting from here to excellence.

Good luck in all your pursuits, and thanks for reading.

Earth to Robinson, do you copy?

From 1964 to the Present Time

     Here am I, sitting in the easy chair, turning on Netflix. My Smart TV pulls down thousands of IP packets, and paints me a trip back, down memory lane. It is around 1964, and the hot new movie out is called “Robinson Crusoe on Mars.” A human crew consisting of two astronauts, crammed into what looks like a large, yellow Gemini craft. Existing on tubes of food paste. They have made the long trip to Mars, on good spirits, cheerful to the last. A soft orchestral tune plays in the background. They realize a huge meteor is going to hit them. They fire retros to avoid it, but end up in a degraded orbit. Each has to land their personal capsule on the bleak Martian surface.

     It goes on from there, and in my opinion, it is kind of engaging, even now. Takes me back to a time when all we had were capsules, test chimps and high hopes. Of course, by 1964, we had concluded the Mercury program, so we had some experience in low Earth orbit. But the Moon still beckoned distant, and it would be five more years before we landed – Neil and Buzz stepping onto the powdery surface.

     Still, we had space fever then. You could see it in popular culture, and feel it in the air. We were flying test planes ever higher in the stratosphere, soaring in fact as well as in dreams. It is easy to understand the enthusiasm felt by, say, the Chinese and Indians now regarding space, when you look at how we were in those days.

     As I flash through memories to the present, it can be gratifying. Our successful Moon landings. The first station, Skylab. Then a long hiatus before the Shuttle flew. But when it did, what a sight that was. Our first real re-usable spaceship, that landed like a plane. It lofted many satellites and labs, and staged dramatic capture and repair of some platforms. Culminating, of course, in the construction of the International Space Station - a wonder unto itself.  Even though it took a long time to “turn it around” the sight of shuttles were always enjoyable, and gave one the feeling of a true “Spaceliner” .

     But they were also enormously expensive, and it came out later, some engines had to be entirely re-built between missions. Some of them were like totally re-built or 'new' spacecraft. Not as re-usable as we thought, and they cost a lot more. But still, we built them, we did it, and we learned. NASA was always trying to improve and uprate the engines, or it looked that way to me. I mourn the loss of the shuttles. Just hope our private industry companies can begin to match that engineering excellence shown by those NASA teams.

       Anyway, this rant is not about that. I just enjoyed the trip back in memory lane to those hope-filled, analog, toggle switch, metallic frame 1960's days. We would build our way to the Moon if we had to hammer every rivet in ourselves. And we did. Where did that spirit go?

      Robinson Crusoe on Mars. Maybe it is time for a Robinson Crusoe on Beta Centauri. Thanks for reading.

    -end

 

A strange week

It has been one around here.  The Younkers fire - then the revelations of secret payments of hush money to former state employees.  We celebrated the fifth anniversary of legalizing Gay Marriage in Iowa.   Our supreme court made a completely impartial decision, and got thrown out for their efforts.  But, progress has been made.  Not to mention high winds, blizzards and other assorted crazy weather.  Winter would not let go.   But now it is Saturday, the sun is out, and it is supposed to reach the 50's F. this afternoon.   The horse show next door ought to do well today.  We shall see what the next week brings  :-)  

strange link

here it is:  www.createspace.com/4281639  

Dissapearing Act

The two policemen sat stoically across a natural wood table from their main suspect. Old-fashioned steel manacles kept his hands and feet safely contained. He had been searched repeatedly.

“Interview with suspect Randall Crane, March 5, 2029, 10:00 A.M. Begin Record,” said one of the cops, named Bernie Halpin. He leaned back, and stared at Randall. Randall, a wiry man with a mop of brown hair, looked dwarfed by the too-large jail duds he wore. He returned the stare.

The other cop, Gregg Mackintosh, continued to speak. “Well, Randy, care to tell us what happened?”

“I have nothing to hide, officer,” Randy said with a snicker. The two cops shifted uncomfortably.

“Just tell us what took place from your perspective,” said Det. Gregg.

“Easy. When your guy was chasing me, I did the only thing I could; sent a drain code to kill his phone.”

“You did more than that. How did you make his clothes dissolve.”

“Clothes? I didn't know anything about that. Just sent the codes so his phone would dissolve.”

Bernie growled. “Quit lying, dirtbag, and this will go easier for you.”

“What's the matter, didn't you want the world to see that banana tattoo?” said Randy, and chuckled.

“Let me hit him, just once – please?” said Bernie to Gregg. Gregg held him back with a hand, and said, “Please, let me handle this.”

“So somehow you dusted his clothes, or one of your friends did.”

“I guess someone must have,” said Randy. “I would have gotten away, if the partner hadn't been following so close. But it was not me.”

Gregg scowled; “Not you. But you know who? Tell us all and we can offer you a reduced sentence. Otherwise, you are looking at twenty-plus years of hard time.” Gregg and Bernie both stared at Randy.

“I'm sorry, officers, but the only thing worse than hard time is snitching out your friends. I will admit to draining your phone only. I did nothing else. That is all I have to say.”

“You piece of shit. Interview is over, take him away,” said Bernie. Gregg just nodded. A uniformed officer opened the door to the interview room and took Randy back to his cell.

The two sat a moment. Gregg softly asked, “Do you mind just going through it one more time for me, so it is clear in my head what happened.”

Bernie sighed, but relented. “Well, I was following him through the Citymall atrium, and he caught on somehow. He sped up, and so did I. I got my phone out to alert my partner. But the damned thing quit on me, and then it dissolved in my hand. Randy triggered the drain program somehow – on the run, no less.”

“Probably via his wrist cell. Go on.”

“You know the rest. I chased him out the door and down the block, before I noticed my shoes turning into sticky goo. So I shucked them, and tried to pursue barefoot. Then my goddamned clothes began to dissolve. I mean they shredded right off me. Do you know how humiliating that was?”

“I'm sorry for you, Bernie. And right in front of all the city cameras too.” Gregg managed to keep a straight face.

“The only thing I held onto was my badge and car keys. By then, the guy had run up the block and disappeared. My partner came up, and I told him where. Lucky for us there was another team watching. They caught the guy trying to get in to an old warehouse.”

“Yeah, his own people locked him out. How about that, and he won't even tell on them,” said Gregg.

“My partner gave me his jacket, at least. But before I got back to our vehicle, that was dissolving too. Some of the duster chemicals must have stuck to my skin. Luckily they didn't harm me. Yuck. I finally showered them off.”

“And when we got into the warehouse, the gang was gone. Not a trace. Weird,” said Gregg.

Bernie shrugged. “Well, what the heck. We got Randy there. That will put a dent into the theft ring. And he is in a metal-and-concrete cell. I'd like to see them try and dissolve that!”

Gregg was forming the thought to say, “don't underestimate these guys...” when the noise said it for him. Rumbling explosions, crashing masonry. The two men dived under the table to avoid the mayhem, but they were injured anyway.

With much masonry dissolved by conventional high explosives, the team of four heavily-armed criminals swarmed in and quickly rescued their leader. Before taking off, one of them sprinkled a little dust over the table where the two men were sprawled.

“See if they can follow us naked again,” he snickered.

The End    (c) 2014 Mike Wilson

(Researchers at Iowa State University recently discovered a process for manufacturing dissolvable electronics - reported on local news, and where the idea for this comes from).

Time

Time

The 21-year-old me might not be happy,

since that million-dollar mark was missed.
But he would have to admit, I kept busy,
traded years to cross things off the 'bucket list.'

Perhaps I could be nicer,

perhaps I could smile more;
Subject to frailties and errors,
Mistakes and missteps galore.

Years to my fifties bought a lot of memories --

Hopefully by my seventies I will feel ahead,
more good will come despite random vagaries,
mostly satisfied, unless, of course I am dead.

But the most important things are people,

those wonderful souls who walk by my side;
Patient companions friendly and conversable,
we share experience as down time's lanes we ride.

Time's passage need not be some horror,
with you by my side, the journey is a pleasure.

- end
 

 

 

A Lost Downtown Icon

Back in the day “Once upon a time”

window shoppers strolled past this icon,
gazed in at ever-changing fashionable displays,
Or perhaps ducked in to browse the latest styles.

Some rode the modern escalator to the

mezzanine for more bargains to see.
Others visited the Tea Room to catch
up on the latest morsels from high society.

Then the inevitable curtain drop,

an inglorious ending to a special place.
The Younker Brothers emporium had
to bow to twin fates: buyout and change.

Even though it sat empty for several years,

valiant rescue efforts had seemed to succeed.
A conversion to apartments and retail shops,
metamorphosis to a future that honored the past.

Some casual cruel fire ended those dreams today,

Three-alarm blaze burned Des Moines hopes away.

We will clean up the mess and recover, to be sure;

Remember, make those new projects fire-insured.


     - end

Anything goes here

www.4chan.org   

Not for the kiddos here.

Poetry title

www.createspace.com/4113022

Enjoy!

She Knows

Some old poetry for today.

She Knows

Avoids my footsteps,

squeaks submissive at my approach.
Follows and darts and meows just so.
“Feed me, take care of me, love me.”

I clumsily do my very best,

she rewards me with purring affection.
Her only discipline the butt and tail
in my face treatment.
Comes at the oddest times.

Cold winter days progress one by one,

she snuggles on the bed faithfully.
I am with you now no matter what,
she seems to purr at me.


Come the warm summer I learn the truth:
I was but a temporary respite.
Now she wants to be on her own,
left completely alone.

She doesn't realize I hold the trump card:

Cranked-up A/C.
She decides maybe my lap is worth
another try after all.
Hah!

- end

The things people do to pass the time these days

http://www.michaelaligclubkids.com/

Drugs are still not the answer

Strange Stuff

A Strange Enterprise   is only 6 bucks now.

www.createspace.com/4281639

Video is not the greatest, but still

Some of this sh** is funny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubfEZkg4bdE

Yesterdays coffee=tomorrows coffee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEtBs-RKxCA

Interesting video about water treatment on the ISS .

A Unique Place

Downtown Des Moines is the place to be,

with many new and appealing attractions;
Brimming with activities for you and me.

Lots of things there are absolutely free,

Sculpture displays to tour to your satisfaction;
Downtown Des Moines is the place to be.

The skywalks offer a different vantage to see

our city's unique architectural dimensions;
Brimming with excitement for you and me.

The new social club has events to bring glee,

hot bands and live theater to grab attention;
Downtown Des Moines is the place to be.

Performing arts arenas liven up the scene,

National teams and acts get a good reception;
Packed with excitement for you and me.

East village places to welcome a shopping spree,

humorous and exotic arts to tickle the perception;
Downtown Des Moines is the place to be.
Full of fun things to do for you and me.

-end

 

Once more, with Feeling!

The links to some of my latest works for you to enjoy:

Poetry book - www.createspace.com/4113022

Future Property - speculative fiction - www.createspace.com/3859469

A Strange Enterprise - spec science fiction - www.createspace.com/4281639

Thank you very much for taking a look.

questions

What if the Russians held a war and nobody showed up?

Where do you hide an enormous jetliner?

Why does the Dow go up, but everyone's sense of well-being stays down low?

Why do things seem so different at the opposite end of the aging telescope? 

Questions, questions permeate my mind.
Elusive answers so hard to find --
Life anymore does not make much sense
I try real hard, that is my biggest defense.

Really want to do right and harm no one.
Really get tired of clouds and desire the sun.
Food and shelter my main blessing to count,
Friendship and fun bonus to make me shout.

Friday is almost here and I am still alive,
healthy and wallet-full enough to thrive.
Look out, I still walk the corridors of time,
Leave me alone, everything will be fine.

Springtime is coming - finally!

The Robins keep saying that spring is coming,

The sky dumps more snow to quiet them down.
Below-zero shivers give way to sun shining,
Yielding to Earths inevitable tilt around.

More hours of daylight gently remind

us that better days surely lie ahead.
Rabbits do a dance and squirrels start to climb.
other creatures peer out with sun-warmed heads.

The state legislature swings into high gear,

Heatedly debating some controversial bills;
Common sense and acumen aren't very clear
judging by the accusations thrown on the hill.

We know we will have made it to warmer seasons,

when grass greens up, and spring bulbs bloom aplenty;
Hot vitriol has vented, legislators given last reasons,
Laws passed, innocent protected, justice meted to guilty.

     - end

 

correction

The review site I posted should have read as follows:

http://kitmossreviews.blogspot.com

Thanks for taking a look.

More exciting sites

Check these out, from a prolific LGBT author/reviewer with many years of experience:

www.speakitsname.com
 and the review site
kitmossreveiws.com

Enjoy!

New titles available

Be sure and check out these new books.  

www.smashwords.com/books/view/413457    - Four short stories for only 99 cents.

www.createspace.com/4661301     - Science Fiction novelette, very unique. 

Thanks for reading and have a great day.

Be grateful - a flashfic

“And the Lord said, Behold! The land is complete and it is just and good...” The priest droned on.

Jebbudah let the words flow over his tired, sweating body. He was being allowed to sit, and there was even a bit of shade. The water maiden was seated for the time being, but thirst was not too overpowering. He rested, and listened. The priest droned on.

“The Amonites violated our sacred laws, and most grievously took from the King's stock of concubines. They have been punished on the field of battle, and our Lord has seen fit in his wisdom to grant us another swift victory.”

Another man seated next to Jebbudah lifted his battered head, one eye nearly closed from a recent beating. He snorted. “Hah. We snuck up on 'em, ambushed em is what it was.”

“Have a care, Zacker. Did the overseer not beat you enough today, that you wish more?”

“Hmph. True.” Zacker lowered his head, and then seemed to doze.

Sensible. Too soon it will be back to work, and dusk is a long way off. Best rest while I am able.

Jebbudah closed his eyes. The words rang out over them and their hundreds of fellow workers, all seated on low hills near the dias where the preist stood. He finished speaking, and then two guards presented the first of ten luckless Amonites – all recent captures. The man was forced to kneel, and look out over the gathering, straight ahead. His hair was grabbed and a sword drawn swiftly across his neck. Not even a chance to pray to whatever god he believed in, life spurted out of him swift. He was unceremoniously dropped forward, and pushed off the dias into a shallow pit dug for that purpose.

The next man was drug up, this time struggling and fighting. Two more guards came up from the rear, kicking and beating him, forcing him down. He finally ceased to struggle. He received the same swift death. And so it went.

Zacker opened his eyes, in time to see the last two succumb and be sacrificed. He cleared his throat, and spoke.

“You know, I used to work in a temple.”

“Is that so, Zacker? You never said.”

“Oh yes. There was always a place for a comely boy in the temples.”

“So what is your point, Zacker?” Jebuhdah grunted.

“In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve. We are all sons and daughters of Adam and Eve.” Zacker turned and fixed a gaze at Jebbudah.

“Yes, that is what we were all taught in Sabbath Classes. So?”

“So what kind of a god would divide his people so, and enslave some such as us into servitude, living so rudely. And others get exhalted, lording over us. We are all sons and daughters. What was our sin, Jebbudah? Why enslave us? We are mixed blood, no enemies of Judah.”

Jebbudah looked at his friend, battered, sweaty and bound to him as he was to the man on either side. Their owner did not want anyone running off before the workday was complete. Though the bounds were mere thin cords, they were but a reminder of the punishment befalling anyone trying to escape.

“What did we do, Jebbudah, except be born in the wrong tribe? What kind of creator would separate us like this?”

“I don't know, Zacker.”

They both silently watched the spectacle unfold. The ten fresh corpses were being set afire: A burnt offering to the Lord, the smell sweet to His nostrils. Jebbudah caught himself wondering, Did an omnipotent God, creator of the Universe, even have nostrils? The ceremony concluded, and a horrible smell finally wafted down over the assembled manservants. Thankfully a water maiden came by and gave them a drink, spiced with cinnamon and clover. The Priest kept yelling, “God is good. Be glad you are here. God is good. Be grateful to our lord!”

Then, the ceremony concluded, overseers with whips began to prod the assembled into motion again. “Fun time's over! Get back to work, you worthless lazy scum!” cra-ack!

The End

 

 

Current Events - two cents worth

Just my two cents worth on some things, you can take it or leave it.

I don't know where we come off, telling Russia what to do along it's borders. To me, they have a legitimate military interest in armed unrest right on their border. As do we, right on our border with, say, Mexico and the drug gangs. We should butt out.

On a more local note: If we build it they will come. So we keep erecting apartment buildings in downtown Des Moines for the office workers. Only those rents seem astronomical, especially considering wages around here aren't going anywhere but sideways or down. Good luck with all the fancy-shmancy places. At least they will have a grocery store, whether or not they can afford the prices there.

Meanwhile, our city can't balance the budget, but must keep laying off people and cutting expenses. The franchise fee debacle is only the latest chapter. It seems that around a decade ago the State cut off some kind of aid for the city, and the city has been struggling ever since to recoup. Since the State Capitol and various office buildings all reside here, and the State is running a budget surplus, the least they could do is offer to help the city of Des Moines a little financial help. This city is supposed to be the top city of its kind in the nation, according to many recent magazine articles (like the ones in Forbes). And they can't ever make a budget balance, no matter how much they cut.

I applaud the city for all of the fine redevelopment that has taken place. But these ongoing budget struggles seem ridiculous. Oh sure, I'll vote for the franchise fee increase – better than an unfair property tax jump. But I find myself wondering how else they could get revenue. A user fee for some parks? I don't know the answer. It is just ridiculous how they constantly have to struggle.

This winter has been harsh, no doubt about it. But we have experienced many of these in the past. And just think, there will be less mosquitos and other bugs this summer, thanks to that killing frost. When we get another inch or two, people will kind of freak “More snow? Ohmigod!” But it isn't that bad. We can get through it. We will get through it.

Now if our government gets us into another world war over something stupid, that is a reason to get upset. Someone ought to test the water in DC, and make sure they aren't all hallucinating or something.

Thanks for reading.

 

Travel

     Oh the magic of modern flight. Jet planes to whisk you away to exotic locales. Images of efficient schedules, beautiful destinations, pleasant experiences. The illusion gets shattered as soon as you encounter the security checkpoints, flight delays and crowded boarding procedures. Everyone has those precious possessions to lug onto the plane as carry-on, size rules or no. You shoehorn yourself into a seat, surrounded by strangers that you hope are friendly. It takes a while for everyone to get stuff stowed, and seated. Then, the spiel about what to do if the plane crashes in water, or on land. And a final reminder to fasten seat belts. Then the take off. A few bumps and away you go.

     Once you get to cruising altitude, you are served free soft drinks. You can pay extra for peanuts or something more substantial, or alcoholic drinks. Then, the advertisement for extra miles, or to sign up for their special card. The whole flight can seem like one long infomercial. You try and read with the overhead lamp, and find they don't work. But at least you arrive on time, safely if not very rested.

      Instead of driving for two or three days, you have flown for a few hours, and covered the same distance. Despite any minor irritations, you saved a lot of time. And you feel happy to be at your destination.

     Later, you read about the rarities. The turbulence that injured five people, some severely. Or the plane crash that killed 28. And you feel even happier at being there without mishap.

      Vacations are fun, and most of the time, the trip there and back can be part of the enjoyment. Mine was no exception. Palm Springs was exceptionally beautiful in February. Balmy temperatures, flowers everywhere, great service, friendly people. Many wonderful sights: everything from expensive cars flocking the streets to unique art shops, to a tramway up an 8,000 foot mountaintop. Lots to see and do, and I did as much as I reasonably could. I feel lucky and honored to finally make the visit there. Thanks for reading.

Change of mind

Not too often I change my mind on some environmental issue.  But in the case of the Keystone XL pipeline, I have had a change of mind.   Not approving the pipeline from Canada to the US will have as bad or worse environmental consequences than building it - due to train derailments and pollution.   I do advocate for re-routing the pipeline away from sensitive areas where spillage could leak into the underground aquifers, as much as is reasonably feasible.  Overturned tank cars leaking crude can also spill into streams and rivers, etc.   And, it would be easy for Canada to sell that crude oil to someone else, like say, China, overland. 

     Let's get over our collective BS and get this pipeline approved somehow.   It will be beneficial for all of us.  Until we use 100 percent bicycles and electric cars to get around in, we will need gas.  And I would rather we buy it from our friendly neighbor to the north than from anywhere else.   Thanks for reading.

By a Rover, Darkly

The intelligent rover bumped its way across red gravel hills. Its laser flashed, computers directed forward motion, and then it stopped before the selected specimen. The Boom extended, rotated, and a sampling drill lowered. A core taken, it deposited it into a heating chamber and scanned results. Precursor elements of life were found in a dry riverbed.

The days work done, this workhorse paused, uplinked to an orbiting satellite, and sent the days results. Then it awaited instructions for the next trip out.

When it approached the next blunted hill, the laser flashed like it always did. But this “rock” awoke, and quickly swelled to engulf the entire rover.

***

“Where did it go?” asked one of the mission controllers at JPL. “One minute it was there, the next, nothing.”

“Here, let me have a look,” said his shift supervisor, hurrying over. They studied the screen.

"Try all of the alternate freq's, then repeat at one-minute intervals. Check with the deep-space network for faults. There has to be a logical explanation.” The technicians went into overdrive, checking and re-checking everything humanly possible.

The entity had been listening in on transmissions, and took little time to understand the primitive craft sent from the blue planet. The alien creature, although automatic compared to it's builders, was still sentient at a level far above anything humans could devise. It rapidly made some modifications to the rover, and set Curiosity back on its predetermined path.

“Hey, Chet! Curiosity is back!” said the controller who first noticed it missing. “Look here.”

Several other technicians crowded around, then raced back to their own stations to confirm various telemetry feeds. A muted cheer went up.

The supervisor came over and looked, and then raised his voice: “It appears we have re-acquired Curiosity. We still need to figure out what went wrong, but for the time being, it looks like we are in business. Good work, everyone.”

The international crew had few problems on the way to Mars, twenty years later. Their landing craft separated properly, and they came down in a flat area near some intriguing crevices. There would be a lot to study, and they would only have a month before departing once again. As their huge lander made a controlled descent, and got closer and closer, they began to notice discrepancies between the radar imager and the visual display.

“Hey Cap, the visual shows a flat plain. Radar is telling me there are giant boulders all over the place. What gives?”

Captain Valdez leaned over in his seat and scanned the long, narrow panel graphics. Red lights blossomed within the images. An alarm sounded.

“It's too late to abort. Take it to manual and try to find a radar-flat spot. That is an order!”

Pilot Armstrong moved fingers rapidly through 3-d images, gaining manual control from a bevy of computers. He tried to slow and hover, and barely succeeded.

“Fuel at 5%. 4%. Still large rocks on radar. 3%. Radar gone. Repeat, I've lost radar image. Visual still shows flat. I've got to try and set it down, Cap'n.”

Captain Valdez hesitated, then said, “Go ahead. Set down. Brace everyone.”

The last of the retro fuel was expended as the three-story lander set down in a field of three-meter high boulders. The landing struts caromed off of rock, and three of them bent at very unhealthy angles. The huge lander slammed down at a tilt, and finally, unceremoniously fell over on its side.

“So much for our landing on Mars. Emergency procedures, everyone. Get those suits on!” Valdez yelled.

The astronauts within went into emergency routines. But when Captain Valdez crawled out of an auxiliary hatch, he was still not prepared for the sight that greeted him. An old, beat-up bus-sized rover, extending a boom towards him. On the end of the boom were spinning blades. They made short work of his suit, and then him. The rest of the crew managed to stay alive for a day, before the rover finally found them.



              - The End.

How did we get Older

Sat in church and listened politely,
washed clothes again, brewed coffee again.
Drove in to work again, serviced the car,
drove in again, flipped light switches
a hundred times plus, over again.

Things wore out as we wore on.
Brittle light fixtures finally broke.
Furnaces got old and broke down,
so did lawnmowers and computers.

Everything became obsolescent,
then one day we noticed our wrinkled
hands and faces sending us a message.
We have rounded the corner too.

So we watch the world change
faster and faster, thankful if we are
well enough to witness the wonders.
Anything to postpone that day of
our final reckoning.

- end

Another year is upon us

All of the political scandals, the economic gyrations, stock market swings. The warm summer days, sweating in a t-shirt, even in September. All of a sudden it was time to layer up in coats for the cold winter walk to work. Rapid changes, sudden shifts, the ground moving underfoot. Hard to keep up with things at times, and at other times, time can't move fast enough (Monday morning comes to mind). I and others suffered the loss of some dear friends.

Here is hoping that 2014 is better. That Congress gets more done in Washington. Hoping that more people get jobs, and get ahead. Hoping for less loss and uncertainty and hopelessness and hunger. Hope is cheap, results cost dear. We will see what happens.