Sorry, Jim, I know how much you hate YouTube videos in blogs, but I just had to post this one.
For a long time, there's been talking of making Arthur C. Clarke's novel Rendezvous with Rama into a film. Morgan Freeman has been the one doing most of the work in trying to get this done, and I'd love to see it happen. I always thought that Clarke was a brilliant short story writer, but most of his novels were just good, but not great. Rendezvous with Rama was the one exception. It was an amazing novel.
If it's ever made into a film, it would be much like 2001: A Space Odyssey in that it would be a much more intellectual movie than most of what Hollywood makes. There are three reasons why I think that's great. 1) I'd actually like to see more intellectual films coming out of Hollywood. 2) Since I first read the book, I've always wanted to see a movie based on it. 3) If it were successful, Hollywood might want to make more movies of this ilk, and that might be just the motivation I need to finish the screenplay I've been working on off and on for a few months now.
Now, back to the whole YouTube video thing. Here is a short film made by a film student named Aaron Ross. It's great, and it just starts to capture the brilliance of the novel...
Monday, September 10, 2007
September 11th Remembered
Once again we've come up to the anniversary of September 11th. No matter what your political views and no matter how you feel about the war that quickly followed the events of September 11, 2001, I think the most important thing to remember is the victims of the senseless attacks.
Below is a video about the events of that day, put to the song Christmas Eve/Sarajevo by Savatage/Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The video starts out with a strange advertisement for the group that put it together, which is completely incongruous with the rest of the video. It's then followed by phone calls from the planes and from the WTC. It even has Howard Stern interrupting his show to mention what's going on. Then the music starts...
I should warn you that the video contains some graphic material that might disturb you (in fact, it probably should disturb you.) One thing that is shown is the planes going into the buildings, which I know a lot of people have trouble seeing, so consider yourself forewarned...
Below is a video about the events of that day, put to the song Christmas Eve/Sarajevo by Savatage/Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The video starts out with a strange advertisement for the group that put it together, which is completely incongruous with the rest of the video. It's then followed by phone calls from the planes and from the WTC. It even has Howard Stern interrupting his show to mention what's going on. Then the music starts...
I should warn you that the video contains some graphic material that might disturb you (in fact, it probably should disturb you.) One thing that is shown is the planes going into the buildings, which I know a lot of people have trouble seeing, so consider yourself forewarned...
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Disturbing searches
Like many people who have their own websites, I like to check out how people are finding me, and with all of the sites I run, I often see some very disturbing things. Until today, the most disturbing search had been one that found its way to The Genre Mall. At The Mall, there's a publisher called Raw Dog Screaming Press (yeah, you can probably imagine where this is going), and about every two months I get a search that is "Raw sex with a screaming dog." Obviously there are some real sickos out there!
That's nothing compared to the search I found today. Someone had done a google image search for "Naked pictures of J Alan Erwine." As far as I know, and it seems quite likely, I am the only person in the world whose name is spelled like that. The spelling of my first and last name are not exactly common, so I would think that they'd have to be searching for me. That just really bothers me. I think I liked it more when I was getting the hits from the .gov and FBI sites...
That's nothing compared to the search I found today. Someone had done a google image search for "Naked pictures of J Alan Erwine." As far as I know, and it seems quite likely, I am the only person in the world whose name is spelled like that. The spelling of my first and last name are not exactly common, so I would think that they'd have to be searching for me. That just really bothers me. I think I liked it more when I was getting the hits from the .gov and FBI sites...
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
WorldCon 2009
Montreal has announced their guest of honor list for 2009. Kind of makes we want to go even more...
Neil Gaiman - Guest of Honour
Elisabeth Vonarburg - Invitée d'honneur
Taral Wayne - Fan Guest of Honour
David Hartwell - Editor Guest of Honour
Tom Doherty - Publisher Guest of Honour
Julie Czerneda - Master of Ceremonies
Neil Gaiman - Guest of Honour
Elisabeth Vonarburg - Invitée d'honneur
Taral Wayne - Fan Guest of Honour
David Hartwell - Editor Guest of Honour
Tom Doherty - Publisher Guest of Honour
Julie Czerneda - Master of Ceremonies
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Why I don't care about Sen. Craig
Idaho Senator Craig has resigned because of his alleged misdeeds in an airport bathroom. You know what? I really couldn't care less.
It doesn't seem like there's really much of a case other than his confession to a different crime. It almost looks like the GOP is serving him up as a sacrificial lamb to try to stave off all of their other problems. Maybe he's gay, and maybe he's not. Again, I don't care. Granted, it would be ironic if he turned out to be gay since he's been banging the anti-gay drum pretty loudly...but again, I don't care. If he's in the closet and ashamed of himself, then that just makes him a hypocrite. Are we going to go through Washington and remove every hypocrite in office? There won't be many people left...if anyone. It also may be true that he's an unethical individual. Again, are we going to go through Washington and remove anyone with questionable ethics? Now there really won't be anyone left.
The real reason I don't care about this is because the media is using the story to ignore other more pressing problems. As long as they report on this, they can devote less time to covering the fact that we still have young men and women dying in Iraq fighting an illegal war. Not only that, but last month more than 1800 civilians died in Iraq. As long as the media talks about Sen. Craig, they don't have to report on that. Then there's the illegal wire tapping, the departure of Rove and Gonzalez, the fact that New Orleans is still basically screwed after Katrina, and countless other debacles brought on by the Bush administration.
Sen. Craig serves as a diversion from the real problems we're facing in America. Let's face it, we're always going to have corrupt or immoral politicians. He wasn't the first, and he certainly won't be the last. More and more people in this country are facing foreclosure because of "borderline" illegal practices by the banks, which are getting the backing of the federal government, but the news devotes more time to a guy who may or may not have been horny while in the john.
"Nero plays while Rome burns."
That's what the media and the politicians in America remind me of these days...
It doesn't seem like there's really much of a case other than his confession to a different crime. It almost looks like the GOP is serving him up as a sacrificial lamb to try to stave off all of their other problems. Maybe he's gay, and maybe he's not. Again, I don't care. Granted, it would be ironic if he turned out to be gay since he's been banging the anti-gay drum pretty loudly...but again, I don't care. If he's in the closet and ashamed of himself, then that just makes him a hypocrite. Are we going to go through Washington and remove every hypocrite in office? There won't be many people left...if anyone. It also may be true that he's an unethical individual. Again, are we going to go through Washington and remove anyone with questionable ethics? Now there really won't be anyone left.
The real reason I don't care about this is because the media is using the story to ignore other more pressing problems. As long as they report on this, they can devote less time to covering the fact that we still have young men and women dying in Iraq fighting an illegal war. Not only that, but last month more than 1800 civilians died in Iraq. As long as the media talks about Sen. Craig, they don't have to report on that. Then there's the illegal wire tapping, the departure of Rove and Gonzalez, the fact that New Orleans is still basically screwed after Katrina, and countless other debacles brought on by the Bush administration.
Sen. Craig serves as a diversion from the real problems we're facing in America. Let's face it, we're always going to have corrupt or immoral politicians. He wasn't the first, and he certainly won't be the last. More and more people in this country are facing foreclosure because of "borderline" illegal practices by the banks, which are getting the backing of the federal government, but the news devotes more time to a guy who may or may not have been horny while in the john.
"Nero plays while Rome burns."
That's what the media and the politicians in America remind me of these days...
Montreal anyone?
WorldCon 2009 is going to be in Montreal. I've always wanted to visit Quebec...maybe this would be the perfect opportunity for it. Of course, now we need a passport to get to Canada, and given how well the new passport system seems to be working, I may not get my passport in time...I do, after all, only have two years to wait...
Thursday, August 30, 2007
I'm a little surprised...
| What kind of extremist are you? Your Result: Rational Person You consider these questions obvious straw men, designed to distract people from a meaningful investigation of facts and a serious discussion of relevant political issues. How boring. | |
| Left-Wing Extremist | |
| Moderate Extremist | |
| Right-Wing Extremist | |
| What kind of extremist are you? See All Our Quizzes | |
Monday, August 27, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Let's end this bullshit
As many of you may know, the boyfriend of one of my best friends is currently assigned to a stryker team in Baghdad. Ok, you may have known that he was there, but you probably didn't know what he did. For those of you not in the know, a stryker is one of those big ass armored vehicles they use over there.
Apparently, today he was able to call her, and he let it slip that his unit had been hit by an IED, and although he's ok, he's apparently very shaken up...especially given that one of his friends lost his leg in the attack. Granted, it could have been much worse, but again I have to ask...how many of our young people are going to be asked to give their lives and limbs in an illegal war?
If you don't think this is an illegal war, then you obviously don't know what an illegal war is. Simply put, it's any war that the UN doesn't approve, and no matter what the Fox "News" Network might try to tell you, the UN did not approve this war. If Russia were to invade Georgia, you can bet that the US would be pissed off about it, because it wouldn't be approved, and would therefore be illegal. Just being American doesn't give us the right to do whatever the hell we want, and it's time we get out of Iraq. We need to pursue a diplomatic solution with Iraq, and with Iran before things get out of hand. As long as we have soldiers on the ground in the Middle East, we'll continue to have problems...
Apparently, today he was able to call her, and he let it slip that his unit had been hit by an IED, and although he's ok, he's apparently very shaken up...especially given that one of his friends lost his leg in the attack. Granted, it could have been much worse, but again I have to ask...how many of our young people are going to be asked to give their lives and limbs in an illegal war?
If you don't think this is an illegal war, then you obviously don't know what an illegal war is. Simply put, it's any war that the UN doesn't approve, and no matter what the Fox "News" Network might try to tell you, the UN did not approve this war. If Russia were to invade Georgia, you can bet that the US would be pissed off about it, because it wouldn't be approved, and would therefore be illegal. Just being American doesn't give us the right to do whatever the hell we want, and it's time we get out of Iraq. We need to pursue a diplomatic solution with Iraq, and with Iran before things get out of hand. As long as we have soldiers on the ground in the Middle East, we'll continue to have problems...
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Books you've probably never heard of, but should read just the same
This is a list at Amazon put together by book reviewer "Book of the Moment." It features quite a few books, many of which look interesting. I'm definitely interested in The Plot to Save Socrates by Paul Levinson...and yes, The Opium of the People is on this list.
Click on the title of this entry, and have a look around...
Click on the title of this entry, and have a look around...
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
The Galton Principle
Since the idea of expanding my story into a novel has generated quite a bit of discussion, I thought I'd post it on my website for you to read...should you want to.
The writing's a bit rough, as it was roughly a decade ago that I wrote it, but there are some decent things in it...and a fascist state still seems very realistic to me as the future of America...although what form it would take to bring about this type of government is still a mystery to me.
Obviously, if I were to expand it, the main character's story would only be a portion of it...much as was the case with The Opium of the People. That story was originally just a short story. When I expanded it into a novel, Albert who became Edward, was just one of the stories. He was still the main story, but there were several other characters introduced...some of whom interacted with him, and others who didn't.
Now, I must leave you...keep talking amongst yourselves.
The writing's a bit rough, as it was roughly a decade ago that I wrote it, but there are some decent things in it...and a fascist state still seems very realistic to me as the future of America...although what form it would take to bring about this type of government is still a mystery to me.
Obviously, if I were to expand it, the main character's story would only be a portion of it...much as was the case with The Opium of the People. That story was originally just a short story. When I expanded it into a novel, Albert who became Edward, was just one of the stories. He was still the main story, but there were several other characters introduced...some of whom interacted with him, and others who didn't.
Now, I must leave you...keep talking amongst yourselves.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
I'm not sure what to think of this...
Jay Lake linked to this in his LiveJournal, and I'm still trying to get over the sickening feeling I got from reading it...
Exclusive: Conquering the Drawbacks of Democracy
Philip Atkinson
Author: Philip Atkinson
Source: The Family Security Foundation, Inc.
Date: August 3, 2007
While democratic government is better than dictatorships and theocracies, it has its pitfalls. FSM Contributing Editor Philip Atkinson describes some of the difficulties facing President Bush today.
Conquering the Drawbacks of Democracy
By Philip Atkinson
President George W. Bush is the 43rd President of the United States. He was sworn in for a second term on January 20, 2005 after being chosen by the majority of citizens in America to be president.
Yet in 2007 he is generally despised, with many citizens of Western civilization expressing contempt for his person and his policies, sentiments which now abound on the Internet. This rage at President Bush is an inevitable result of the system of government demanded by the people, which is Democracy.
The inadequacy of Democracy, rule by the majority, is undeniable – for it demands adopting ideas because they are popular, rather than because they are wise. This means that any man chosen to act as an agent of the people is placed in an invidious position: if he commits folly because it is popular, then he will be held responsible for the inevitable result. If he refuses to commit folly, then he will be detested by most citizens because he is frustrating their demands.
When faced with the possible threat that the Iraqis might be amassing terrible weapons that could be used to slay millions of citizens of Western Civilization, President Bush took the only action prudence demanded and the electorate allowed: he conquered Iraq with an army.
This dangerous and expensive act did destroy the Iraqi regime, but left an American army without any clear purpose in a hostile country and subject to attack. If the Army merely returns to its home, then the threat it ended would simply return.
The wisest course would have been for President Bush to use his nuclear weapons to slaughter Iraqis until they complied with his demands, or until they were all dead. Then there would be little risk or expense and no American army would be left exposed. But if he did this, his cowardly electorate would have instantly ended his term of office, if not his freedom or his life.
The simple truth that modern weapons now mean a nation must practice genocide or commit suicide. Israel provides the perfect example. If the Israelis do not raze Iran, the Iranians will fulfill their boast and wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Yet Israel is not popular, and so is denied permission to defend itself. In the same vein, President Bush cannot do what is necessary for the survival of Americans. He cannot use the nation's powerful weapons. All he can do is try and discover a result that will be popular with Americans.
As there appears to be no sensible result of the invasion of Iraq that will be popular with his countrymen other than retreat, President Bush is reviled; he has become another victim of Democracy.
By elevating popular fancy over truth, Democracy is clearly an enemy of not just truth, but duty and justice, which makes it the worst form of government. President Bush must overcome not just the situation in Iraq, but democratic government.
However, President Bush has a valuable historical example that he could choose to follow.
When the ancient Roman general Julius Caesar was struggling to conquer ancient Gaul, he not only had to defeat the Gauls, but he also had to defeat his political enemies in Rome who would destroy him the moment his tenure as consul (president) ended.
Caesar pacified Gaul by mass slaughter; he then used his successful army to crush all political opposition at home and establish himself as permanent ruler of ancient Rome. This brilliant action not only ended the personal threat to Caesar, but ended the civil chaos that was threatening anarchy in ancient Rome – thus marking the start of the ancient Roman Empire that gave peace and prosperity to the known world.
If President Bush copied Julius Caesar by ordering his army to empty Iraq of Arabs and repopulate the country with Americans, he would achieve immediate results: popularity with his military; enrichment of America by converting an Arabian Iraq into an American Iraq (therefore turning it from a liability to an asset); and boost American prestiege while terrifying American enemies.
He could then follow Caesar's example and use his newfound popularity with the military to wield military power to become the first permanent president of America, and end the civil chaos caused by the continually squabbling Congress and the out-of-control Supreme Court.
President Bush can fail in his duty to himself, his country, and his God, by becoming “ex-president” Bush or he can become “President-for-Life” Bush: the conqueror of Iraq, who brings sense to the Congress and sanity to the Supreme Court. Then who would be able to stop Bush from emulating Augustus Caesar and becoming ruler of the world? For only an America united under one ruler has the power to save humanity from the threat of a new Dark Age wrought by terrorists armed with nuclear weapons.
Exclusive: Conquering the Drawbacks of Democracy
Philip Atkinson
Author: Philip Atkinson
Source: The Family Security Foundation, Inc.
Date: August 3, 2007
While democratic government is better than dictatorships and theocracies, it has its pitfalls. FSM Contributing Editor Philip Atkinson describes some of the difficulties facing President Bush today.
Conquering the Drawbacks of Democracy
By Philip Atkinson
President George W. Bush is the 43rd President of the United States. He was sworn in for a second term on January 20, 2005 after being chosen by the majority of citizens in America to be president.
Yet in 2007 he is generally despised, with many citizens of Western civilization expressing contempt for his person and his policies, sentiments which now abound on the Internet. This rage at President Bush is an inevitable result of the system of government demanded by the people, which is Democracy.
The inadequacy of Democracy, rule by the majority, is undeniable – for it demands adopting ideas because they are popular, rather than because they are wise. This means that any man chosen to act as an agent of the people is placed in an invidious position: if he commits folly because it is popular, then he will be held responsible for the inevitable result. If he refuses to commit folly, then he will be detested by most citizens because he is frustrating their demands.
When faced with the possible threat that the Iraqis might be amassing terrible weapons that could be used to slay millions of citizens of Western Civilization, President Bush took the only action prudence demanded and the electorate allowed: he conquered Iraq with an army.
This dangerous and expensive act did destroy the Iraqi regime, but left an American army without any clear purpose in a hostile country and subject to attack. If the Army merely returns to its home, then the threat it ended would simply return.
The wisest course would have been for President Bush to use his nuclear weapons to slaughter Iraqis until they complied with his demands, or until they were all dead. Then there would be little risk or expense and no American army would be left exposed. But if he did this, his cowardly electorate would have instantly ended his term of office, if not his freedom or his life.
The simple truth that modern weapons now mean a nation must practice genocide or commit suicide. Israel provides the perfect example. If the Israelis do not raze Iran, the Iranians will fulfill their boast and wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Yet Israel is not popular, and so is denied permission to defend itself. In the same vein, President Bush cannot do what is necessary for the survival of Americans. He cannot use the nation's powerful weapons. All he can do is try and discover a result that will be popular with Americans.
As there appears to be no sensible result of the invasion of Iraq that will be popular with his countrymen other than retreat, President Bush is reviled; he has become another victim of Democracy.
By elevating popular fancy over truth, Democracy is clearly an enemy of not just truth, but duty and justice, which makes it the worst form of government. President Bush must overcome not just the situation in Iraq, but democratic government.
However, President Bush has a valuable historical example that he could choose to follow.
When the ancient Roman general Julius Caesar was struggling to conquer ancient Gaul, he not only had to defeat the Gauls, but he also had to defeat his political enemies in Rome who would destroy him the moment his tenure as consul (president) ended.
Caesar pacified Gaul by mass slaughter; he then used his successful army to crush all political opposition at home and establish himself as permanent ruler of ancient Rome. This brilliant action not only ended the personal threat to Caesar, but ended the civil chaos that was threatening anarchy in ancient Rome – thus marking the start of the ancient Roman Empire that gave peace and prosperity to the known world.
If President Bush copied Julius Caesar by ordering his army to empty Iraq of Arabs and repopulate the country with Americans, he would achieve immediate results: popularity with his military; enrichment of America by converting an Arabian Iraq into an American Iraq (therefore turning it from a liability to an asset); and boost American prestiege while terrifying American enemies.
He could then follow Caesar's example and use his newfound popularity with the military to wield military power to become the first permanent president of America, and end the civil chaos caused by the continually squabbling Congress and the out-of-control Supreme Court.
President Bush can fail in his duty to himself, his country, and his God, by becoming “ex-president” Bush or he can become “President-for-Life” Bush: the conqueror of Iraq, who brings sense to the Congress and sanity to the Supreme Court. Then who would be able to stop Bush from emulating Augustus Caesar and becoming ruler of the world? For only an America united under one ruler has the power to save humanity from the threat of a new Dark Age wrought by terrorists armed with nuclear weapons.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
To expand or not
Many years ago I wrote a short story called "The Galton Principle." The premise behind it was that a fascist US arises where eugenics is used to control the population. The story was almost 6000 words, and it was the only story I ever wrote in one sitting...non-stop 6,000 words. That's how much the story grabbed me. It was also the first story I wrote about a fascist US, a concept that has always fascinated me...and finally culminated in The Opium of the People.
For a long time now, Tyree Campbell at Sam's Dot has been trying to talk me into expanding the story into a novel, and I have been tempted, but I'm not sure if it would really be that good of an idea. For one thing, the plausibility of the idea worries me. Could this really happen? I'm not so sure anymore, especially given the state of science in the US now. Plus, I've had a few people tell me that the premise of Opium is hard to believe...which seems a bit naive to me. Maybe it wouldn't be as drastic as I what I painted, but it certainly is possible for the Christian Right to seize control of the US government.
Another concern I have is that I already have one novel out about fascists taking over America, do I really want to go back to that well again?
Still, I have a friend who keeps saying to me that people should have a certain IQ before they're allowed to breathe...so maybe eugenics is plausible, although I don't think IQ would be the criterion used to determine who can and can't reproduce.
Any thoughts?
For a long time now, Tyree Campbell at Sam's Dot has been trying to talk me into expanding the story into a novel, and I have been tempted, but I'm not sure if it would really be that good of an idea. For one thing, the plausibility of the idea worries me. Could this really happen? I'm not so sure anymore, especially given the state of science in the US now. Plus, I've had a few people tell me that the premise of Opium is hard to believe...which seems a bit naive to me. Maybe it wouldn't be as drastic as I what I painted, but it certainly is possible for the Christian Right to seize control of the US government.
Another concern I have is that I already have one novel out about fascists taking over America, do I really want to go back to that well again?
Still, I have a friend who keeps saying to me that people should have a certain IQ before they're allowed to breathe...so maybe eugenics is plausible, although I don't think IQ would be the criterion used to determine who can and can't reproduce.
Any thoughts?
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Another Book Meme
I liked the result of this one, so I thought I'd post it. Let me know how the rest of you score...unless it's Spencer and The Great Gatsby...hated that book.
You're The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe!
by C.S. Lewis
You were just looking for some decent clothes when everything changed
quite dramatically. For the better or for the worse, it is still hard to tell. Now it
seems like winter will never end and you feel cursed. Soon there will be an epic
struggle between two forces in your life and you are very concerned about a betrayal
that could turn the balance. If this makes it sound like you're re-enacting Christian
theological events, that may or may not be coincidence. When in doubt, put your trust
in zoo animals.
Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.
Why I must see Henry again
In my last post, I mentioned that I would be going to see Henry Rollins again in October. For those of you unfamiliar with him, he was the lead singer for Black Flag (a pioneering punk band), and then later for The Rollins Band. I have to admit that I was never a big fan of their music, but they had a message that rang true.
Later, he would go on to write poetry, star in movies, and then he started doing spoken word tours. Basically, he stands before an audience and mouths off about his opinions on things for two to three hours, but he's a very smart man, and his opinions are backed up by good data...which is very important!!! He has a very in your face style that I like. He refuses to accept anything without a challenge, and for that I admire him. In some ways, I reflect his attitudes, but my actions don't always follow my attitudes. Perhaps I've been too beaten down by the system, or perhaps I haven't yet found the courage to really express myself as I would like. Of course, he also has some money...and that can go a long way in our society.
These days, a lot of punks think that he's sold out because he does Hollywood movies and has his own talk show on IFC...but being punk (or a rebel of any kind) is about more than dressing a certain way, or wearing your hair a certain way. It's about having the heart and courage to really stand up for the things that you believe in...and actually believing in them in your heart...not just believing them because the rest of your clique does.
So, here are some Henry excerpts...
Later, he would go on to write poetry, star in movies, and then he started doing spoken word tours. Basically, he stands before an audience and mouths off about his opinions on things for two to three hours, but he's a very smart man, and his opinions are backed up by good data...which is very important!!! He has a very in your face style that I like. He refuses to accept anything without a challenge, and for that I admire him. In some ways, I reflect his attitudes, but my actions don't always follow my attitudes. Perhaps I've been too beaten down by the system, or perhaps I haven't yet found the courage to really express myself as I would like. Of course, he also has some money...and that can go a long way in our society.
These days, a lot of punks think that he's sold out because he does Hollywood movies and has his own talk show on IFC...but being punk (or a rebel of any kind) is about more than dressing a certain way, or wearing your hair a certain way. It's about having the heart and courage to really stand up for the things that you believe in...and actually believing in them in your heart...not just believing them because the rest of your clique does.
So, here are some Henry excerpts...
Friday, August 17, 2007
Henry!!!!
I just bought my tickets for the Henry Rollins show. October 23rd at the Paramount here in Denver. I saw him a couple of years ago, and it was a great show. I'm definitely looking forward to this one!
Books, books, and more books
For some reason of late, I've been getting a lot of e-mails asking me about my books...not the ones I've written, but rather the ones I own. People have wanted to know what I've read, what subjects interest me, how many books I own...and so on.
So, rather than going into detailed answers, I figured I'd post pictures of my bookshelves. They're raw, and you can't read some of the titles, but I figured it was worth posting...
So, rather than going into detailed answers, I figured I'd post pictures of my bookshelves. They're raw, and you can't read some of the titles, but I figured it was worth posting...
Saturday, August 11, 2007
No more slush piles!!!!
I just replied to the last manuscript in the multitude of slush piles that I had to read through! That's such a great feeling. Granted, tomorrow morning when I open my e-mails, I'm sure there will be more stories to read, but for now, I'm telling myself that the piles are empty...
Where's the Ethanol???
We've been hearing a lot lately about ethanol. Prices on just about everything we buy have gone up as corn production is diverted to fuel production and farmers change over from wheat and other crops to produce corn. There is, of course, a "trickle down" in all of this as meat prices go up because farmers can't use corn to feed their livestock...
...so my question is, where is the ethanol? I haven't seen ethanol stations popping up, and I haven't seen ethanol at my corner gas station. Granted I don't get out much, and I'm sure ethanol is being pumped at some stations...but shouldn't we be seeing a lot more of it, given what we're spending on food items?
In some ways, the whole ethanol thing is a bit of a scam. Yes, it is a good alternative fuel, but when the scientists were first giving ideas for alternative fuel sources, they listed ethanol as one of many that used together could cut down on our oil dependence...but politicians simply ran with ethanol. I don't know for sure, but my best guess would be that it was politicians from corn states that really pushed ethanol through, basically ignoring the other natural fuel sources.
I can remember when I was a kid we had the energy crisis, and at that time, people were talking about alternative energy sources, but then we elected Reagan and Papa Bush, and senators and representatives that belonged to the oil companies, and the whole idea of alternative fuel sources became something associated with tree huggers and other smelly hippies. As a result of our short-sightedness (pretty typical of modern America) we now find ourselves facing rising fuel costs, catastrophic damage to the environment, and terrorists that have been funded by our insane need for oil.
We need to stop doing things the old way, and try to find a better way...for starters, we need to develop other alternative fuel sources in addition to ethanol. And if we're going to be paying higher prices for food, can we at least know where we can get ethanol????
...so my question is, where is the ethanol? I haven't seen ethanol stations popping up, and I haven't seen ethanol at my corner gas station. Granted I don't get out much, and I'm sure ethanol is being pumped at some stations...but shouldn't we be seeing a lot more of it, given what we're spending on food items?
In some ways, the whole ethanol thing is a bit of a scam. Yes, it is a good alternative fuel, but when the scientists were first giving ideas for alternative fuel sources, they listed ethanol as one of many that used together could cut down on our oil dependence...but politicians simply ran with ethanol. I don't know for sure, but my best guess would be that it was politicians from corn states that really pushed ethanol through, basically ignoring the other natural fuel sources.
I can remember when I was a kid we had the energy crisis, and at that time, people were talking about alternative energy sources, but then we elected Reagan and Papa Bush, and senators and representatives that belonged to the oil companies, and the whole idea of alternative fuel sources became something associated with tree huggers and other smelly hippies. As a result of our short-sightedness (pretty typical of modern America) we now find ourselves facing rising fuel costs, catastrophic damage to the environment, and terrorists that have been funded by our insane need for oil.
We need to stop doing things the old way, and try to find a better way...for starters, we need to develop other alternative fuel sources in addition to ethanol. And if we're going to be paying higher prices for food, can we at least know where we can get ethanol????
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