Japan disaster

This is horrible, and a stark reminder that nature holds all the cards.  We build up an enormous, complex society and then the Earth wipes it out in a hearbeat.  All we can do is adapt and survive.  Frightening.  Here is hoping that they can rebuild and go on.  Wonder when California will get hit.   Hopefully not in my lifetime.

Tolkin-esque thoughts.

I have a friend who is writing a fantasy epic, and apparently some writing officials/others have warned him against being too "Tolkien-esque" whatever that is.  It seems to me that JRR Tolkein with his Lord of the Rings trilogy set a new standard in fantasy.  Stories that would include similar elements to Tolkeins, like extensive histories of races of different creatures, would be a gift to modern readers used to blips of info from twitter and cellphone texts.   Once upon a time we sat and read lengthy manuscripts populated with many fantastical creatures - and were vastly enriched and entertained.  I hope the art of reading a long novel will  not disappear from us  (might put some of us out of work  *grin*).  


     For the record, Tolkein merely imitated and adopted myths and legends from Norse, Celtic and other mythology, adding his own twists  (and inventing the Elvish tongue while he was at it).   We all borrow from what was before - guess it is all in how you do the borrowing.    

Live long and prosper everyone  (that is from another series...) 

To Rhyme or not to Rhyme (apologies to Sir William).

     There seems to be an ongoing debate raging about the merits of rhymed poetry vs. “free verse” in all its incarnations.  Academic types might argue that the reader looking for a rhyme scheme is distracted from the message of the poem.  Rhymers will insist the rhyme and meter are part and parcel of a good poem, and enhance the message contained therein.  They most likely ignore each other’s pieces, unless they need something to give their blood pressure a spike that morning. 

     To me, both styles have their merit.  I find that rhyming adds to the enjoyment of a well-written piece.  But sometimes a good free verse poem has a strong impact.  It also may force one to pay closer attention to the words themselves, the metaphors and action verbs, etc.   To exclude one style or the other is to deny readers a full experience of enjoying poetry.   Might as well be inclusive in this day and age. 

     But I suppose that is something left up to the discretion of editors and publishers.  If one magazine or anthology does not want rhyme, another one surely will welcome it.  One can always start their own blog or website these days, and rhyme to their heart’s content.  

     If you want, rhyme it,

     If you can’t or won’t, forget it;

     If you do both, flaunt it!

     In regards to reading it, there is such a variety of poetry out there that every taste surely can be satiated.  From the lush, almost vertiginous sonnets of Shakespeare to slick little ditties by e.e. Cummings.  From pithy offerings by Ogden Nash and Ambrose Bierce, to flowery philosophical renderings by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Horrific mutli-rhymers by E.A. Poe to Whittier and Wordsworth’s stately soliloquies, there is a ton of material out there.  And new poets are adding to the frothing word-broth all the time. 

     With websites like allpoetry.com and thehypertexts.com, online readers have seeming billions of words to peruse even without purchasing e-books of poetry, which they can easily do now if they so choose.     Some rhyme, but most probably do not.  No matter – I still think there is a lot of good material to be enjoyed out there.  Here is hoping that you the reader find what you like and enjoy it, whether it is in perfect iambic pentameter and rhymes, or is a loose free-verse offering.    Happy  writing and reading!

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Getting back to square one.

Just to rehash what we already know  (and vent some frustration): 

Thee is nearly limitless energy coming from the Sun, and other stars - to our view a limitless supply of free energy, billions of watts pouring off its surface every second.  We know that it is possible someday that we could erect giant collectors on and off the Earth's surface to harvest this energy.  The problem lies not in the knowledge - we already know where the juice is - but in the engineering.  It is only a matter of will.  Thanks to Pres. Obama and some other visionaries, the US is finally moving in the direction of building large "harvesting" installations in the deserts of Nevada and California.  Smaller-scale solar collectors are sprouting up darn-near everywhere.  So it looks like we are getting a real clue here, and moving in a good direction.  The only sticking point is transportation.  How can we capture some of those free gigawatts and pipe them into electromotive wheelbases?   Solar to power seawater-conversion plants to get hydrogen?  perhaps.  But the ocean is full of life, much of it contributing to the air we breathe.  We cannot just drain it in our quest to get from here to there.   We need to come up with other ways to get this bounty, this gigantic free supply of energy, into our cars.  Solar-powered battery-charging stations are one way that comes to mind.

But we need to break with our fossilized 20th century model of thinking.  This is a new century we are in.  Time to implement the new solutions.  We need to drink deep, not just sip, from our star's munificent bounty it sheds on us every minute of every day.   Something to think about while we are shelling out over $3.00 a gallon to get to work and back.  Thanks for reading.

     Change sweeps in and leaves us stunned.  Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan...who is next I wonder.  The young people with their social networks and twitter accounts seem to be saying, get rid of the dinosaurs.  The human ones and the political systems rooted in monarchy and despair.  Some of these governments will topple like dominos - and deservedly so.  The secret police and rule by fear is so.....20th century already.  

     It will be fun to watch the governments topple and the old dictators with their minions fleeing like cockroaches.  Only problem is, next time we go to fill up at the pump, the prices will have gone way up.   The price of progress is never cheap, I guess.  Should be a good show.

25^th anniversary of the Challenger disaster.

On the 25^th anniversary of the disaster, where we lost six astronauts and a schoolteacher, we can reflect on what has been accomplished since. 

President Reagan and NASA officials elected to press on, and build a new shuttle to replace Challenger.  They elected to continue the human-crewed space program despite the risks.  Eventually, we got an International Space Station built, a Space Telescope launched and serviced three times since, and a host of other accomplishments.   It has been expensive, but worthwhile.

Now here we are in 2011.  Our space plans and hopes are focused on some commercial operators continuing with human-crewed flights to the ISS and beyond.  There is discussion of building some booster or other to keep NASA employees busy.  But this seems misguided. 

Here is my humble opinion of what we need to do, and it will not cost much.

NASA should go ahead and build the planned Orion Crew Transport and Ares boosters.  This should be viewed and deployed as a baseline project.  A project that will keep American astronauts flying.  And also one that will establish standards and methods that should freely be given to American space companies for use in their own projects, as well as those of friendly nations.   This way, we can keep our astronauts flying, assist the private companies, and establish long-term standards for equipment, booster and life support technologies and the like – thus granting humanity access to space for the foreseeable future.

Don’t we owe it to those astronauts who have given their lives to at least keep a government-run flight program running, however miniscule?  How hard can it be, especially since major components are in the pipeline, such as a J2-X engine upgrade that was recently tested  (posted on spacedaily website).    Let the commercial companies develop, but allow the government take the lead in establishing common standards, especially in the realm of safety and life support.   This will give the commercial operators someplace to occasionally turn to for help. 

Let it not be said that the Challenger Seven gave their lives in vain.  Let’s keep American Astronauts flying in American-built spacecraft.  Thanks for reading.

More lunacy.

So a friend and I were talking at lunch the other day, and he dropped a real zinger.  "I think that some of the northern US states should secede and merge with Canada."  We talked a bit, and I laughed it off.  But later, I was thinking:  another individual had also spoken about this very same idea, at a different venue, months apart.  So some people are at least entertaining this idea.  To me, this is just wrong on so many levels.

  To vent on a few:

To break up an integrated country such as the US would be a monumental undertaking.  We would have to create a whole new border, with stations at pretty much every north-south road.  This is assuming that people could decide on which states would stay and which would go - surely entailing repeated voting, discussion, argument and the like.  If we could actually decide on which states would go, many would be migrating north or south, unhappy with the turn of events.  Then, someone would have to convince Canada to accept the runaway states.   I doubt that many Canadians would be happy with the idea. 

Assuming all this could be done, then there would have to be integration with Canada, new reconfiguring of borders and voting districts, representation in their Parliament, and so forth.     More mammoth expenses.  And who pays?  Surely not Canadian taxpayers, are you kidding?  Meanwhile, goods and services that formerly flowed up and down highways would now have to be processed through ports.  Who is to say that some Southern state wouldn't slap 100 percent tariffs on cotton, or oil, or coal, or some other vital commodity?   Would the Canada-US state coalition then go to war over it? 

     The whole idea is ridiculous - it would weaken the remaining states, sow confusion and human suffering all around.  We fought a civil war over the secession idea 136 years ago.  That should have settled the whole issue.  We are one nation of fifty states.  Northern cities are just as messed up as southern, indeed they carry enormous debt loads.  Just look at Detroit, or Boston, or even Baltimore.  There are lots of messed up cities all over.    Breaking the US into pieces will not help anyone - it will merely add to the pain, and weaken us even more so our enemies can then come in and mop up the mess.

The North and the South have been slow-dancing for the last century plus - we gotta keep dancing, folks - "ain't no other way to do it."      Thanks for reading.

Economic Uncertainties.

The papers are saying that now 2011 could be the worst year for the housing market, generally speaking.  Previous articles in the business section had suggested that things are turning around, things are looking up.  But now I read about how some housing markets have not hit bottom yet in terms of number of foreclosures - there will be more this year than ever!  It's scary to contemplate.  I don't have any ideas to contribute, other than stricter regulation of the shadowy financial markets and transactions that contributed to this mess.  There was very good reason why the US government imposed restrictions on securities markets in the 1930's.  Repealing those in the '90's helped create the meltdown that came later.   To sum it up - we are human beings ruled by impulsive "wetware" and we need to protect ourselves - from each other.  It's ironic and strange - but the regulators in the 1930's had the right idea.  Time to get back to sanity and common sense.  Here is wishing everyone a happy new year - and hoping all can hang on until 2012!

Welcome to the Nightmare   - (a Pantoum)

What do you do when your holiday gets arrested?

Imprisoned and faced with repeating bland motifs;

Even after the TSA leaves you feeling molested,

You get assaulted with crappy advertising reliefs.

Imprisoned and faced with repeating bland motifs,

How many times until you want to just scream?

You get assaulted with crappy advertising reliefs,

You sit and nod off, wishing to awake from the dream.

How many times until you want to just scream,

Another flight gets cancelled, another mob circulates;

You sit and nod off, wishing to awake from the dream,

This snowstorm has closed airports in neighboring states.

Another flight gets cancelled, another mob circulates,

How many displaced people will it take to start a riot?

This snowstorm has closed airports in neighboring states,

Ruined holidays are propagating around the planet!

How many displaced people will it take to start a riot?

One more bagel and water is going to make me sick;

Ruined holidays are propagating around the planet,

How can one keep their sanity here, is there some trick?

One more bagel and water is going to make me sick,

Even after the TSA leaves you feeling molested;

How can one keep their sanity here, is there some trick?

What do you do when your holiday gets arrested?

(referring to the snowstorms that shut down airports in Europe and the US.)

There once was a guy named Obama,
Did he think these things up in pajamas?
He pushed a tax bill on the hill,
Ran up debt for short-term thrills,
Now the world is saying,  "Yo Mama!"

Borrow billions more for social security,
Borrow billions for money for the rich,
Borrow biullions for school lunch nutrition,
Borrow billions for, gosh, darn near everything -
What happens when the world cuts off our credit card?

Don't cry for me, distant Beijing -
You knew we would feel debt's harsh sting,
We have no common sense left over here,
Only greed, partisanship, misery and fear
A whole nation sold out for capitol hill Bling-Bling.

Times we find ourselves in

The Democrats are rebelling against Obama big time.  They say hell no, we won't go along with the latest giveaway to the super-rish.  Looks like more late nights in DC. 

     The college agers are rioting in London.  Even poor Prince Charles and Camilla felt their wrath.  Buck up, brits:  We endure regular tuition increases here in the states.  Hell, we may have a spiraling inflation rate, but at least our minimum wage is going up.  When they manage to breed a human that can work three shifts without food or rest, we'll have it made, be the envy of the world.  Where are watson and crick when you need them?  Corporate profits rule!

     Anger drifts in the iar like a noxious cloud, and it is floating all around the world.  Populations are increasing, resources dwindling, greed multiplying in developing countries who want a piece of the pie, too.  Since the pie is shrinking, they have to take ours.   There is already a fair amount of shooting going on around the world, and it could get much worse.  This time, we are already sapped over here.  It would be nice if we could just sit this one out. 

     Hang on, we could be in for a real rough ride folks.

Applause, Applause

Some well-deserved approval for the US congress.  A bipartisan committee has been giving recommendations for cutting the budget deficit, and while they are tough, they seem practical and well-intended.  It is a starting point, and already the haggling is intense.  But credit should go where credit is due, so in my ever so humble opinion, I applaud some members of Congress for at least trying to get a handle on things.    - all 4 now.

Help participate in the E-book revolution.  A new way to read, from most any portable electronic device these days.

http://www.slideshare.net/Smashwords/introduction-to-smashwords-ebook-publishing-and-distribution-made-easy 

Thanks for taking a look. 

Kids in a Schoolyard

They are seemingly equally capable of coming to an agreement as our Congress is.  Our national debt is in the trillions, and running up more and more.  And all they can do is argue about earmarks, and wage partisan battles.   It is easy to take potshots from the outside, and I don't understand all the mechanics.  But I do understand that we seem to be headed for hyperinflation and collapse if the idiots don't put aside the BS and DO somenting about it, and Now.  If you have to cut five percent from every funded program out there, irregardless of any circumstance, DO IT!  You can't buy groceries on a credit card, endlessly, and not get cut off.  Well, it is time to get cut off and get responsible.  Please don't destroy the USA with your financial recklessness and foolishness.  Cut Spending and raise taxes, and balance this budget!  

     Get out of the schoolyard, and into the classroom - sharpen those pencils, and cut everything across the board.  Raise a few taxes.  Get our House in order, Please   - just a plea from one of the people you supposedly represent. 

A writer's life takes many twists and turns.  Sometimes the blogs get forgotten entirely as other projects take over, or real life just gets in the way.  My apologies to anyone who has been checking this space lately looking for something, anything.  But, below is a link to my latest poetry chapbook, very reasonably priced at only one US dollar.  Thanks to anyone for taking a look!   Have a wonderful day.

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/28909

     There is no rhyme or reason to it.

People always seem to default to the same behaviors.  
They cannot stand it when someone goes about their own business,
doing well in school, mastering a musical instrument, generally 
exhibiting contentedness with an orientation and lifestyle different than their own.
Greater society cringes, and seems to conspire to crush the life out of
successful differences in people.

Thinking about the Rutgers student driven to suicide, along with the other teen suicides,
I also think about my own experiences.  People seem like they cannot stand the thought of one living a happy life who also prefer the company of the same sex in all ways.

It makes me glad to see the publicity about the suicides, especially on this, national coming out day.  Our society can be educated again about the differences among us, and the fact that differences are not threatening - indeed, they can be enhancing to us all.   American society is showing a leadership role in grappling with these issues, even if we slip backwards at times.  The value of equality for all human beings cannot be overstated - everyone has something to contribute, some story to tell, or song to sing.  

     So let us celebrate our diversity, and not castigate someone because he or she is not our idea of an adult or a sexually mature person.  We could all learn something from each other. 
We should not judge each other cruelly, but rather embrace our differences and work together to solve the challenges that face every one of us.  Thanks for reading.

A new hope for the United States Economy  (and it's people)

Pres. Obama has just signed a bill supporting small business to help boost economic growth, and this is great. But there is something more he and Congress could do to really energize the economy. That is, provide low-interest loans and grants to companies for the purpose of projects in space, especially near-earth. Proposals for a resort hotel, or other scientific or recreational projects, could be helped along by some federal dollars. A public show of support would also help.

The future is out there, and other countries know this. That is why India and China are ramping up their programs, and other countries are trying to get in on the space rush. One way the US could retain it's position, and even enhance it, is for the federal government to provide financial assistance to space tourism and the like, in the same way loans are made to other types of businesses. A solidly funded suite of financial supports, together with public speeches and moral support, could get a US private space industry going strong. This in turn would provide jobs, a boost to technology research, and more importantly, a boost to peoples hopes and dreams.

For the young people in the US and the world, a brighter future would beckon - one with hopes for a spacious new area for settlement and trade. We already have an orbiting space station, so we are basically there. Now is the time to give it a real commercial push, to make it happen for the majority of people. We could bring space down to Earth, and more of the Earth into space.

The more commercial projects reaching up and out of Earths gravity well, the more resources in space can be utilized by the people of Earth. The Democrats can and should paint themselves as the party for a brighter future by pushing the concept of moving out and taking hold of the boundless resources in our Solar System and beyond. Thanks for reading.

Earmarks and Taxes. 

     I was meditating on the budgetary mess that the US is in these days.  While I realize it is an enormously complex problem to solve, I have an idea or two.  These are not new ideas, but I still have to get them off my chest.  With our budget deficits spiralling out of control, we need to get a grip in it somehow.

     So - we need to declare an immediate moratoriam on all earmarks.  Period - no exceptions, no matter how seemingly critical.  Like a person with maxed out credit cards, the first thing is to stop spending.  Then, go to plan B.

Plan B is a national sales tax.  Oh now, everyone is howling regressive tax and its hard on the poor.  But I feel that  a crashed economy, a second-rate country, a dsimal outlook will be harder on the poor than a 1 or 2 percent sales tax ever would.  The national sales tax will do several things.  It will show the rest of the world we are getting serious about our budget problems.  It will make those poor think a bit harder before spending any unneccesary cash on things like tobacco or alchohol.  And it will provide extra funds, which should be designated as deficit redution money, and Nothing else - not social security, medicare, defense or anything.  The national sales tax money would be to pay down the national debt - period.  It is Americans finally owning up to our collective debt.

     Lets face it - we have all benefitted from the constant earmarks applied by our congresspersons.  Our government is a huge bloat-ocracy, trying to feed too many greedy fish at once.  This has got to end.  It can end, if we show some spine and do what needs to be done.  Perhaps the end of earmarks and the sales tax could be in one single bill - a two-headed axe chopping away at our humongous debts.   C'mon Congress, time to get serious about paying the bills.  Thanks for reading.

Chelsea and the new Investment Banker hubby

Congratulations on your marriage.   I hope that in your time of happiness, you give thought to just how priveleged you are.  Like royalty, you have a whole town turning out signs and putting out the welcome mat for you.   In the meantime we are mired in an endless war, with some soldiers doing multiple duty stretches in Iraq or Afghanistan.  Our economy is in the doldrums.  We are graduating less engineers and IT professionals, while India and China are overtaking us.  There are multiple crises besetting us.  So celebrate your entrance into the ruling class of America.  They will soon be your headaches too, and you will get to eat the same fare the rest of us have been choking on all these years.   

     Celebrate a lot, enjoy the champagne - the tough times are right around the corner.   For the rest of us, they are already here.

New general

So McChrystal is out, just like that,

And Petraeus steps in to take his place;

Seems him and Obama got into a spat,

These events happened at a rapid pace.

Almost as if McChrystal wanted to leave,

He gave a interview criticizing Pres. Obama,

Perhaps preparing the way to get the heave --

A preplanned scenario executed with drama?

Whatever the case, we have a new one in charge

Of an unending war, sapping our strength and will;

I sincerely hope this person can achieve large

progress in dislodging the Taliban hidden in the hills.

Gen. Petraeus accomplished good results before in Iraq,

Hopefully he can do the same with the Afghanistan map.

(this is an unmetered elizabethan sonnet)