JACK'S BLOG
|
|
TelevisionMY WIFE AND I came late to Masterpiece Theater's Downton Abbey. We rarely watch anything on television as it's aired preferring instead to record programs and watch them sans commercials. Unfortunately, some good information may be lost among advertising messages that we skip. In brief, Downton Abbey is the continuing story of a noble family struggling to keep home and hearth together in the early Twentieth Century as such estates fall into ruin. They are no longer economically viable unless, as in the case of Lord Crawley, a rich American can be snagged in matrimony to revive the family coffers. Before you turn away offended at such rampant perfidy, love blooms between the Lord and his Lady, but she only bears him daughters, and the sole male heir, a consanguine cousin, dies during the sinking of the Titanic. Thus, we are introduced to the drama as a more distant, less noble, cousin arrives to assume the mantel of heir to the family title and estate as well as the fortune derived from the marriage. The program is populated with wonderfully quirky and lovable characters. There are even a few sniveling villains thrown in for balance. We follow their adventures and misadventures from the servants domain in the basement to the family residence on the uppers floors, and the drawing rooms, libraries, and halls in between. The family and their servants evolve into a complex society of interdependent parts. None is more delightful than the dowager Countess played by Maggie Smith. I think that she must have brought her own writers just to compose her lines. She has all the best ones. For some ungodly reason they air these things on PBS in America. I suppose the British are so inured to their own public broadcasting system that they believe ours is the best vehicle for quality programming. Would one of my British friends please tell me if cable has made it to the UK. Is the BBC your only programming choice?
It took some effort for us to catch up with the first two seasons of Downton Abbey which have already been aired in America. We found the first season in its entirety on Netflix. No problem there. We were already subscribers. The entire second season is available on Hulu Plus. We signed up for a free week and watched every episode. Inasmuch as Hulu Plus doesn't offer any advantage to our viewing habits, we canceled it. Sorry about that. The show is a delightful diversion, fully worth the effort of chasing down past episodes, even if you have to sign up for a new Internet service to gain access. Throw a bone to your conscience and pay for a month or two if it helps, but hurry, season three is commencing this coming Sunday.
4 Comments
Good ReadCharles Ray has been writing fiction since his teens when he won a Sunday school magazine short story writing contest. From the late 1960s to the early 1980s he did freelance writing, cartooning, and photography for magazines and newspapers in the U.S. and Asia. From 1978 to 1981 he was editorial cartoonist for the Spring Lake (NC) News, a weekly newspaper in a small town just outside Ft. Bragg, NC where he was stationed with the army. In 2008, he wrote a book on leadership, Things I Learned from My Grandmother About Leadership and Life. In 2009, he returned to his first love, fiction, with the publication of Color Me Dead, the first in his mystery series about a private detective in the Washington, DC area, a place that he has made his home since 1982. He has since written several fantasy novels, two more books on leadership, and a photojournal of his stay in southern Africa from 2009 to 2011. A 20-year veteran of the US Army, Ray retired from the military in 1982 and joined the U.S. Foreign Service, where he continued to travel around the world, keeping notes and writing about his travels and experiences. In 2012, he retired from government service and now devotes full time to writing, photography, art, and public speaking. He lives in suburban Maryland, just outside Washington, DC with his wife Myung. What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability). Dead Men Don’t Answer, latest in my Al Pennyback mystery series, available at Amazon.com in paperback and for Kindle, as well as other retail book sites. Give us a one sentence synopsis. When a woman’s fiancé, supposedly killed six months previously in a car bombing, answers his telephone, the woman goes to Al Pennyback for help explaining how the impossible could have happened. Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie? The main character is Al Pennyback, a retired army officer turned private investigator, who works in Washington, DC on cases that the police have either given up on, or ignored in the first place. In a movie, this is the type character Denzel Washington plays. Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much. Al takes the case, which gets him involved in the African immigrant community in Washington, and the world of corporate greed and scandal. A ghost from his past, his last military special operations mission that went horribly wrong, comes back to complicate his life, at the time he learns that the woman’s fiancé might not be dead, but might, in fact, be a murderer. What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take? This particular book didn’t take too long, since it’s the 14th in the series. The first one, though, took more than four years to write, and rewrite, and rewrite. I’ve lived in the DC area for 30 years, and while I like most of the work that’s been written with DC as a setting, I got tired of the only characters being spies, politicians, and high-powered lobbyists, and decided to do a series about ordinary people. What other books have you written?
In addition to the Al Pennyback series, I’ve done a series of YA historical novels about the Buffalo Soldiers, set in the period after the Civil War in Texas and New Mexico, five fantasy novels (two sword and sorcery and three urban fantasy), three books on leadership, and a photo journal on my stay in southern Africa from 2009 – 2011. Which authors inspired you, your style? I read everything, and probably unconsciously copy my favorite authors when I write. The writers whose style I most admire are Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, and Robert B. Parker. Each is different, but in some ways similar, in that they focus more on telling a good story than trying to impress with fancy words or overlong descriptive passages. Where can we learn more about you and your books? Information about my books can be found in a number of places: My blog: http://charlesaray.blogspot.com, which has a store where they can be bought, my Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/charlesray/, which lists them, and they’re mentioned occasionally on my other blot at http://charlieray45.wordpress.com/ . As I mentioned previously, they’re also on Amazon.com and other retail book sites. How can we follow you? Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc. I’m pretty active on social networks, with a Twitter account (https://twitter.com/charlieray45), a Facebook author page (http://www.facebook.com/CharlieRay45) , Google+ (https://plus.google.com/u/0/#106101898215720668007/posts/p/pub), and LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=18410940&trk=tab_pro) where I participate in a number of different groups, including several related to writing and publishing. Is there anything else you would like us to know? I’ve been writing fiction since I was 13 and won a Sunday school magazine short story contest. During the mid-60s through the early 80s I did a lot of newspaper and magazine writing, photography, and art; including a stint as editorial cartoonist for the Spring Lake (NC) News, a small weekly paper near Ft. Bragg, NC where I was stationed in the army. For me writing is not just a pastime, it’s something I feel compelled to do. I don’t write for the money or the publicity, although, I don’t turn down royalty checks and I get a bit of a rush when I encounter people who’ve read and like my work, and I save all the nice emails I get from readers. Okay, maybe I do write for the notoriety sometimes. I’m currently working on my 28th book, and soon as it’s done, I’ll start on number 29. Oh Dark ThirtyI MADE A RESOLUTION to avoid writing about New Year's Resolutions. There, I broke it. Isn't that some sort of record? Have you ever broken a resolution any faster than that? I don't know why we do this to ourselves. Don't you feel worse about breaking a resolution to improve something about yourself than you felt about the issue or behavior that you promised to change? It makes you wonder who started this farce.
Wikipedia tells us that New Year's Resolutions are rooted in early religious practices. Well, what more do you need to know. If Wikipedia says it, it must be so. (Maybe I should make a resolution to stay away from that resource.) However, in this case, I'm inclined to believe it. Religion, at least the organized variety, has a colorful record of broken promises. Isn't that what resolutions are all about, promises? They're promises to ourselves, the easiest kind to break. If I've learned one thing in seventy years, it's that it's harder to avoid making promises than to keep them. I've made countless promises without stopping to think if it was one that I could keep. I would have made a helluva a politician, wouldn't I? Think about it. Every political campaign is a promise and everyone expects them to be broken. We just don't put much stock in promises, do we? My son has taught me a new trick. Whenever he hears something that is obviously untrue, he calls it “malarkey”. It's a marvelous word, much more acceptable in polite company than the old standby, “bull shit”. Oops, please forgive that. I didn't mean to print it. (Malarkey!) It's easy to spot malarkey. When a candidate for President (Prime Minister, if you will) says that they will lower unemployment, malarkey. No political leader can improve employment prospects except by not meddling in it, which is, of course, something they will never do. Lower taxes and remove barriers to free enterprise, and employment will rise. Tax anyone, including the rich, and attempt to impose economic stimuli, and employment will fall as businesses fail. That's no malarkey. When a drunk promises to quit drinking, malarkey. When a philanderer promises to be true, malarkey. I'd as soon expect a skunk to spray me with rosewater. Now, write “Malarkey” on a piece of paper and keep it at hand. Glance at it every time you make a resolution this New Years Day. It will make you feel better. Trust me. Malarkey. Good ReadMeet author Laura Libricz as she discussed her new novel, The Master and the Maid. What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability). I have a few works in progress but only one is finished and independently published. It’s called The Master and the Maid, a historical novel set in 17th Century Germany and is available as e-book at Amazon and Smashwords. Give us a one sentence synopsis. Forced into the service of the rich patrician Sebald Tucher, Katarina arrives at his country manor and the care of a mysterious newborn baby is thrust on her, entangling them all in a violent religious clash between two families. Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie? The story is told from the viewpoint of three characters: Katarina, a 24-year-old bar maid; the patrician Sebald Tucher; a young Dutchman named Pieter. I would like to see a less-than-perfect actress play the role of Katarina; a real woman, so to speak. I would have liked to have seen Johnny Depp play Tucher--I like his work in historical films but I’d really like to see some new, fresh talent instead of A-List actors and actresses. Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much. In 17th Century Germany on the brink of the Thirty Years War, 24-year-old Katarina is traded to the patrician Sebald Tucher by her fiancé Willi Prutt in order to pay his debts. Forced to move into the Tucher country estate, Katarina is met by a crazed archer, Hans-Wolfgang, carrying a newborn baby under his cloak. He tells her a confused story of how his beloved was executed by a Jesuit priest for witchcraft right after the birth and makes Katarina swear on her life to protect the child. She could fall in disfavor with her master. She could be hunted by the zealots who killed his beloved. Can Katarina’s love for the baby and Sebald Tucher’s growing desire for her keep the wrath of the zealots at bay? What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take? This project started as sort of a personal joke. I moved to Germany in 1991 and touring around Franconia with my less-than-perfect German comprehension, I understood one thing over and over: this castle / church / village was destroyed in the Thirty Years War. What wasn’t destroyed in the Thirty Years War? I asked myself. I started to research, came across so much information and the horrors of this devastating catastrophe just blew my mind, really. I started to look for novels in the English language, found next to nothing and decided it was time for me to write them! I got down to some serious writing in 2009 and just published the first book in September 2012. The first drafts for the second and third book have been written quicker but now the fun begins with the revisions. What other books have you written?
The Soldier’s Return, the second book in this series, is in the revision stage and I hope to have it published by June 2013. This book revisits Franconia in 1626 when the troop movement really begins to heat up. Ash and Rubble is the third and final book in this series and I just finished the first draft in November with NaNoWriMo. The year is 1632 and Franconia is completely laid to waste. The trick is to pry some hope out of this sort of situation. Which authors inspired you, your style? As a kid, I loved Kurt Vonnegut. I also loved Tolkien and all sorts of fantasy. As an adult, I find there’s no one author or genre that inspires me. I read anything and everything. (I am notorious for laying books away half-finished, though.) I always learn from different styles, points-of-view, crossing-the-line, and so on. Where can we learn more about you and your books? I post short stories and articles on my blog: http://lauralibricz.blogspot.de/ Here’s my link at Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/264468 Here’s my link at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Master-Maid-Heavens-Ponds-ebook/dp/B009AQ6GXU How can we follow you? Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc. Here I am at Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraLibricz Google+: https://plus.google.com/111831453603731460298/posts/p/pub Is there anything else you would like us to know? It took me a long time to reach this point in my life that I could undertake such a serious project. I had started writing stories in the past and always just filed them away or burned them and I never believed that I could actually finish a novel. I am so grateful that I never completely axed the dream or gave in to that negative inner voice that tells us we can’t do something. OpinionYOU'RE ONE OR THE OTHER, a bully or a victim. There is no third option for school children under Zero Tolerance. One day adults may also loose the right to defend themselves. Anyone caught fighting back will be as guilty as the person who started the fight just as it is now in schools. Is this lesson being taught to our children to prepare us? Bullying is similar to combat among males that determines mating rights in almost every herd. In the wild, bullying insures that only the strongest, most viable survival traits are propagated by the dominant male. The same was true among humans in the dawn of time. Do we want to return to those glorious days of yesteryear? (Please, forgive me, Lone Ranger.)
Predation is not bullying, but among humans, bullies often are predators. In the wild, the herd will shield their young and go to their defense when a predator breaks into their perimeter. Herds identify predators easily. They look like predators. However, in human encounters, predators aren't clearly distinguishable from their victims except by behavior and this recognition often comes too late. Humans have an uncanny ability to rationalize the abhorrent behavior of bullies as harmless aggression until it is too late. In fact, many bullies are celebrated. Influential Americans went so far as to praise Hitler for his domestic accomplishments: “Herr Hitler likes martial demonstrations, but he keeps the railroads running on time”. Similar praise was heard in France and England. Thus, although at the outset of World War II the French possessed a much stronger army than Germany and the British possessed a much stronger navy, they stood by as Hitler expropriated his neighbors' territory and people, deeming it somehow justified. Their reluctance to enforce limits only served to encourage the Nazis and millions of deaths ensued. They should have observed the common wisdom that held that the best way to handle bullies was to stand up to them. Such wisdom was common because it worked. When confronted with equal or greater force, the bully would seek a victim elsewhere. If victims could not apply sufficient force to defend themselves, they cooperated, presenting an unassailable front, much as a herd forces the lion to retreat. But, as I observed at the outset, this tactic has been outlawed by a new breed of bully, the progressives. Progressives seem to abhor individuality. They use the law to bully us into conforming. They are the ones who instituted Zero Tolerance in our schools. They arrange pointless games for our children so that no one should suffer the indignation of losing. They are now pressing to confiscate more and more of the money earned by those who succeed. The result is that successful traits are repressed and the human herd is weakened. Does anyone think that a weakened herd will survive? Progressives argue that the authorities will protect us from the bullies. Really? The school teacher will always be there to stop the bullies before they attack the victims? The policeman will always be there to stop the crime? Actually, they rarely are. Listen carefully to the introduction of the popular television series Law & Order: “In the criminal justice system, there are two separate and distinct groups, the police who investigate crimes and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders...” The narration is absolutely correct. The police investigate crime. To serve and protect sounds nice, but even the dumbest criminals at least make an attempt to commit crimes when the police aren't there. In school, under Zero Tolerance, the teachers simply apprehend and punish everyone without any attempt to sort out the bullies and their victims. That is the world that the progressives will fashion for us when they deny us the right to protect ourselves. 12/29/2012 2 Comments Who can resist a good read about the mystical, mythical world of ancient Egypt?Good ReadLester Picker of Havre de Grace, Maryland, is a nature, travel, and landscape photographer and writer. Meet him in this brief interview as he discusses his novel, The First Pharaoh, now available on Amazon. What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability). The First Pharaoh, a work of historical fiction. It is available on Amazon, Smashwords, iBooks, and all other major platforms. Give us a one sentence synopsis. The First Pharaoh follows the life, battles, court intrigues and loves of King Narmer, the man who united Upper and Lower Egypt into one nation in 3,100BC, a civilization that was to last for 3,000 years. Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie? There is King Narmer himself, who we get to know intimately, from his birth under the "wings of Horus" into his final years. I'd have to leave the acting decisions (since we see Narmer as a precocious child, an adult and an elderly man) to Steven Spielberg or Peter Jackson. There is also Anhotek, King Narmer's vizier and shaman. I imagine he would be played by a distinguished actor, like Ben Kingsley. Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much. We are all familiar with the Ramses Kings, as well as Tutankhamon, and Hatshepsut. They reigned during Egypt's heyday. But what has always intrigued me is the question of how did Dynastic Egypt start? The fact is that Egypt was a collection of small villages, with Upper and Lower Egypt constantly fighting with each other. In the span of a generation, one man, King Narmer, united both kingdoms into one mighty nation. It is that man and his incredible vision that always fascinated me. From his birth under what Anhotek believes to be the protection of Horus, through his education and his painful relationship with his father, King Scorpion, we watch Narmer mature under Anhotek's loving hand. After he ascends to the throne, we follow Narmer's courtship and marriage to Neith-Hotep, as well as his internal Royal Court battles with his nemesis, Queen Mersyankh. Finally, Narmer achieves the long-sought dream of Unification, yet all is far from well in the Two Lands, as Mersyankh plots to undo all he has done and to establish her own son on the throne. What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take? When I was a child, my father would take me to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where I was fascinated by ancient Egypt. When I was a University faculty, I was a consultant to the Egyptian government. Despite all the marvelous ruins from later periods, I was always captivated by the Unification story that set Egypt on a path to greatness. So, I researched more and more and was fortunate to have two wonderful Egyptologist mentors to help with my research. Finally, after more than five years of research, I sat down to write, which took another year. I describe the process on my website. What other books have you written?
I have written a sequel to The First Pharaoh, titled The Dagger of Isis. It follows the life of Meryt-Neith, King Narmer's great-granddaughter. She was, in fact, the very first female ruler of a united Egypt. She had to have been amazing, since her large tomb and its holy placement indicate she was revered. I am now in the process of writing the final book in that trilogy, about the last King of the First Dynasty, during a time of turmoil and transition. I have also written two works of general fiction, which I have been told are more in the genre of women's fiction. The first is called Sargent Mountain, which concerns a woman who finds out years after the death of her husband that he had been unfaithful for fully half of their marriage. Worse yet, the affair was with one woman, as different from the protagonist as any two women can be. The book is a story of love, betrayal and the bonds of family and friends. My other book of general fiction is called The Underground. It describes how Lisa, a New York Times reporter, finds out after the death of her beloved father, that her mother had been brutally murdered in a subway tunnel. But why did her father, who had adopted her from birth, hide this from her for her entire life? Who were her true birth parents? What were her roots? In her struggle to uncover the truth, Lisa uncovers one mystery after another. In the end she finds out the true meaning of family… and love. Which authors inspired you, your style? I was blessed to spend a day with John Steinbeck when I was 15 or 16. I always loved his writing. But there were also many others along the way who inspired me, as well as contemporary authors who I enjoy. Where can we learn more about you and your books? My writing website is: www.lesterpicker.com. My Amazon Author Page is: http://www.amazon.com/Lester-Picker/e/B009E6U9R0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1356725668&sr=1-2-ent How can we follow you? Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc. I am on Facebook and Twitter and Linked-In. Is there anything else you would like us to know? I am also an award-winning nature and wildlife photographer, with credits in National Geographic books and magazines, as well as dozens of others. In 2011 I was honored to receive the Canada Northern Lights Award for Best Travel Photography. My photo site is: www.lesterpickerphoto.com 12/28/2012 0 Comments Can you imagine a modern teen transported back to Victorian times? Melanie-Robertson King didGood ReadMelanie Robertson-King lives in Ontario, Canada. Her debut novel, A Shadow in the Past, was released in September, 2012. Join us now for a brief interview with this breakout author. What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability). A Shadow in the Past is a YA Crossover set in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that was released in September 2012. Give us a one sentence synopsis. When a contemporary teen is transported back through time to the Victorian era, she becomes A Shadow in the Past. Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie? Since my Scottish heritage is so important to me and my novel is set in Scotland, then the actors playing my main characters would also have to be Scottish. Sarah Shand is a typical nineteen year-old girl dealing with peer pressures and boyfriend woes that is, until she finds herself transported back to the year 1886. So for the role of Sarah, I would choose Shirley Henderson, who played Isobel Sutherland on the TV series Hamish MacBeth. Robert is a kind and gentle man unlike the boys Sarah grew up with, and totally opposite of her ex-boyfriend who recently dumped her for her best friend. Robert, would have to be played by John Hannah who starred in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Rebus and MacCallum and many other programs/movies. In addition to these actors being Scottish, they physically resemble my characters, although that’s not where the visualization for them came from. Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much. Nineteen-year-old Sarah Shand finds herself thrust back into the past. There she struggles to keep her real identity from a society that finds her comments and ideas strange and her speech and actions forward, unlike Victorian women. When Sarah verbally confronts confining social practices, including arranged marriages, powerful enemies commit her to a lunatic asylum. After falling in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, Robert Robertson, she must decide whether to find her way back to her own time or to remain in the past with him. What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take?
I had just finished reading the first four books in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series and had fallen in love with them. The storylines were good, the characters were strong, believable and I was able to identify with them, not to mention the settings were great (I mentioned my Scottish heritage being important). A friend and co-worker, also a DG fan, thought I could write something like that (I’d written a number of short stories but never anything as long as a novel) so I thought why not and wrote a novella called Sarah’s Gift. Years later, I dusted off that early manuscript and gradually turned it into a full length novel for a creative writing course I was taking. While I was working on this, I was also working full time. Once the course was over and a number of unsuccessful attempts at getting a publisher, I shelved it again. It wasn’t until 2011 that I pulled it out and worked on it with an eye to publication again. By now, I had a better title – A Shadow in the Past – and in October of that year, I had a piece that was worthy of pitching to an editor. I did, was asked to submit and a short time later was offered a contract. But how long did it take? I would say, from the very humble beginnings, if I was to have worked on it steady (40+ hours per week) it would have taken two-three years but because of the breaks in between it was closer to eleven years. What other books have you written? I’m currently working on the second book in the series, tentatively entitled Shadows from her Past, which was originally part two of my published novel. While I was working on finding my voice and the genre I was most comfortable writing, I wrote another complete manuscript and the beginning and end for another. But with the revisions my only published novel went through on its journey, these others don’t fit anymore, but they might eventually see the light of day with new characters, revised plots and possibly written under a different pen name. Which authors inspired you, your style? From the time I could read, I almost always had my face stuck in a book so probably any of the authors I’ve read had some influence – Lucy Maude Montgomery, Anna Sewell, Harper Lee, George Orwell, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King but probably most of all, I would have to say Diana Gabaldon since reading her books were the trigger that got me writing. I can’t give her credit for the Scottish setting since I used the area where my father was born for that. Is there anything else you would like us to know? I live in Eastern Ontario, Canada in the Thousand Islands area in a city on the shore of the St. Lawrence River. If you stand on the sidewalk in front of my house, and look south, you can see the river and New York state on the other side. 12/27/2012 0 Comments Was Batista's Cuba as successful as it appeared to tourists come to play on its beaches & gamble in its casinos?CubaALTHOUGH FULGENCIO BATISTA may have courted the help of the communists for his 1952 coup, he quickly cast them aside when he declared undying hostility to the Soviet bloc. Batista was attempting to legitimize his usurpation of the constitutional government and encourage support from American businessmen and gangsters. Without their continued investment, he could not maintain his hold on the reins of government. Much like Castro, Batista began his reign with a disavowal of any ambition for power. He insisted that he only acted out of deep affection for his patria and that his only interest was in restoring public tranquility. Batista claimed that the president he had deposed, Carlos Prío Socarrás, was plotting to overturn the upcoming elections and inaugurate a new revolutionary era. His coup thus forestalled an inevitable period of strife on the island. President Prío had allowed Batista to stand for election in abstentia, and some claimed that Batista only acted because he feared that he would not be legitimately elected. A prominent political scholar of the time declared that the 1952 seizure was merely an example of the violence inherent in Cuban politics. The real tragedy, wrote Herbert Matthews, a correspondent for the New York Times who found a role in my novel, Rebels on the Mountain, was the loss of faith in Cuban political leadership. Regardless of anyone's opinion about the legitimacy of his government, Batista seemed more interested in a speedy return to “business as usual” that had won him many friends and supporters, especially among the Americans. To outside observers, Batista's Cuba possessed all the earmarks of capitalism at its best: political stability, encouragement of tourism, protection of foreign investment, and an expanding market for industrial products. Advertisements for goods imported from the United States filled Havana's newspapers: autos, tractors, sewing machines – the list was endless. Hollywood loved Havana. Movie marquees shone with its impact. In Guys and Dolls, a hit musical, the hero, Sky Masterson, won the heart of a Salvation Army worker after a night on the town in Havana. Tourists loved Havana. They flocked to the island to gamble in its casinos and play on its beaches.
Batista attracted commercial interest by his support of government agencies such as an Agricultural and Industrial Development Bank, a Cuban Foreign Trade Bank, and a Technological Research Institute. Although the sugar industry still vastly overshadowed other economic areas, announced a U.S. Department of Commerce bulletin, Cuba was not underdeveloped. Its people, they boasted, had the highest standard of living in Latin America. In truth, Batista's Cuba was a magnificent facade. Behind the facade of prosperity and happiness, was an economic colony. The reformist ideals expressed in the 1940 constitution, that Batista helped craft, especially those relating to land reform, remained largely unsatisfied. 12/27/2012 2 Comments Could a man who lost his wife find a new life with his son on a football field?Good ReadBert Carson - Huntsville, Alabama, USA - is a Vietnam Veteran who writes stories about men and women who speak the truth and do the right thing. What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability). I’ve published four books on the Kindle/Amazon platform, and self-published another. The one I’m focused on today is Fourth and Forever. Genre is difficult to pinpoint – it has shown up as Men’s fiction, though women love it equally well. Originally I called it mainstream fiction, though I’m no longer sure there is a stream running through the main body of readers. Most recently it has been mentioned as a boomer book. If I were forced to put it in a single genre, it would be inspirational fiction or maybe just, a good read for everyone, though I’m pretty sure that isn’t a category. The short answer is, Fourth and Forever falls into a number of categories and doesn’t fit into anyone of them. Fourth and Forever is available as a Kindle book or a paperback, both from amazon.com. Give us a one sentence synopsis. Fourth and Forever is the story of a man who lost his wife, thought that meant he had lost everything, then discovered that wasn’t true, and built a new life based on his relationship with his son. Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie? The main characters are Josh Edwards, a 44 year old Vietnam Vet, and his 18 year old son Bobby. I wrote the first draft more than twenty years ago. In that time, my choice to play Josh has changed a number of times, as actors, like books, age. Today, I think I’d opt for either Matthew McConaughey (43) or Josh Brolin (44) to play Josh. I should note that Denzel Washington, George Clooney, and Kevin Spacey have all been serious contenders for the role, then they turned 50. I don’t have a choice to play Bobby, since I don’t know any 18 year old male actors. That is probably a product of my being 70 years old. Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much. I unintentionally created a marketing obstacle for the book when I titled it Fourth and Forever, which implies that it’s a book about football. It isn’t. The book is about relationships, compassion and love. It also includes a lot of first-hand knowledge about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; what it is, who is affected by it, and how to deal with it. All of that is there, strung on the framework of a story about a man who retires from the Army and joins his son as a freshman at the University of Montana. Of course, the fact that the man, Josh Edwards, becomes the starting quarterback for the University of Montana Grizzlies probably has a lot to do with people’s idea that it’s a football book. What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take? From 1985 through 1995, I was a professional speaker, a trade I plied in 48 states, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and tough it was, Tahiti. On my first trip to Missoula, Montana, in November 1987, I left my hotel for an early morning run. I crossed a footbridge and found myself on the campus of The University of Montana just as the first snowfall of the season arrived. I stopped on the edge of the football practice field and stood a long time in the early Sunday morning silence, as the snow quickly covered the ground. In those magic moments, at age 45, it came to me that I could play football on that field. Instantly the whole story, with the exception of the parts about PTSD sprang into my mind. I wrote the first draft, between speaking engagements. It took less than a month to make it presentable. But, it was too short to be a novel, so I stuck it in a desk drawer. Then in 1993, I organized a group of Vietnam Veterans – Vietnam Veterans Southern Command. The experiences that came from Vietnam Veterans Southern Command gave me the material I needed to finish the book. What other books have you written?
Other books I’ve published on the amazon platform are,Another Place Another Time, Maddog and Miss Kitty, and Southern Investigation. Which authors inspired you, your style? There is only one. Before I tell who it is, I should note that I’m only considering author’s with a body of work, not one or two books. By that method of reckoning, I must exclude To Kill a Mockingbird, Gone With the Wind, and a number of other single book authors that I love. However, in all honesty, the one I’m about to mention overshadows them all, as far as I’m concerned. His name is Nevil Shute – actually that’s his pen name. His “real name” is Nevil Shute Norway. He used the pen name to protect his engineering career, since, in the beginning, he wrote only to pass the time after a long work day. Shute wrote twenty-two novels and a play. I read him continuously and learn more with every re-reading of his work. My favorite Shute book is Round the Bend, followed closely by Trustee from the Toolroom, and then whatever I’m currently reading, which, today is So Disdained. Where can we learn more about you and your books? I have an Authors Page on Amazon, and three active blog sites: http://bertcarsonauthor.com/ , http://www.bert-blogging.com/ and http://anotherplace-thebook.blogspot.com/ - and one other website that isn’t active, but still has a lot of good content http://bertcarson.com/ How can we follow you? Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc. All of my social media links are here http://bertcarsonauthor.com/ scroll down the page and you’ll find them near the bottom of the right side column Is there anything else you would like us to know? I’m in the process of working through the final edit of the sequel to Southern Investigation called Southern Investigation-Tucson. I’m also writing a three volume series called The Mystic Trilogy – the first book in the series is The Sages. It’s being serialized and published in episodes by Venture Galleries – The tenth episode was just posted – click here to read it. 12/26/2012 3 Comments Could it be that the communists helped reinstall Bastista as president of Cuba in 1952?CubaTHERE IS EVIDENCE that Batista had communist backing when he returned to Cuba in 1952. If so, how was Batista the darling of the Americans? Throughout the Cold War Era, Latin American dictators easily solicited help from the United States simply by alleging that communists were lurking in their banana plantations. The Marines would land only days ahead of massive foreign aide for the tyrant. As unlikely as it sounds, that policy may not have applied in Cuba, at least not until Castro took over. Had the Cuban president who replaced Batista in 1944, Grau San Martín, and his successor, Carlos Prío Socarrás, satisfied the revolutionary promises of 1933 and the reformist plan of the 1940 constitution, Cuba might have avoided the strife of Castro's rebellion in the 1950's. Grau committed his administration to industrialization, debt reduction, and agricultural diversification, but every plan failed. So long as America dominated the island's economy, Cuba would never be for Cubans. To make matters worse, Grau and his ministers began misappropriating public funds just as every administration before them.
When Grau turned over the presidency to Prío in 1948, the Cuban revolutionary movement had no substance. It soon became apparent to Cubans that Grau's Auténtico party didn't represent the authentic spirit of the 1933 revolution any more than Batista had. Prío did sponsor a national bank, promote crop diversification, and encourage low-cost housing, but these hardly touched the major issues of land redistribution and the power of foreign investment. In 1950, Cuba was still an economic colony. Only Bolivia and Haiti had a more prolonged period of economic stagnation. Most of the sugar plantations remained in the hands of foreign investors who sent their product to industrialized nations at great profits, profits that never made their way back to the island. In 1950, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development surveyed the Cuban economy and concluded that sugar dominated the island more than ever. The IBRD pointed to diversification as the answer. They based their findings on Cuba's favorable geography, fertile soil, mineral resources, and, most importantly, its proximity to the American market. Although Batista did not enjoy popular support, he was able to return to the Presidential Palace via another barracks coup on March 10, 1952. The military, supported by the labor unions, facilitated a lightning-like strike that restored Batista with the loss of just two lives. Everything was well timed and executed. The police headquarters were seized as the military converged on the presidential palace, and a prepared address was read over Havana radio while union leaders rallied the workers to Batista's banner. Batista was so confident that he didn't even bother to have a plane at his disposal to escape should something have gone wrong. Obviously, Batista had maintained close relationships with the army officers who had helped win his earlier coup in 1930. However, it also appears that he may have had the appreciation of communist leaders whose party Batista had legitimized while he was president. Probably, of even greater importance, Batista had the financial backing of American businessmen and gangsters who never lost faith that he alone could restore stability in Cuban government and protect their interests and didn't care one wit about the communists. |
More than 500 postings have accumulated since 2011. Some categories (listed below) are self explanatory, others require some explanation (see below):
CategoriesAll America Army Life Blogging Cuba Election 2012 Election 2014 Election 2016 Entrepreneurs Food Good Reads History Humor Infantry School In The News Korea Middle East Oh Dark Thirty Opinion Sea Scouts Short Story Sponsored Survey Technology Television Terrorism Today's Chuckle Veterans Vietnam Writing Explanations |
Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 Jack Durish All rights reserved
|
Web Hosting by iPage
|