One of the most exciting Super Bowls ever, right down to the last seconds. I really thought the Seahawks had it. A great show by two great teams and a fiesta for adrenalin-seeking sports fans. Any team could have won this one…as it should be when two teams get this far. Most of the playoff games this year were spectacular–excitement mixed with strategy in America’s unique game.
Now, back to writing….
Hillary, Jeb, and Mitt. Old duffers in the Senate and House. Most of the SC judges. Naughty or nice, they’re old. But are they effective? Do they have enough stamina to continue a political life? And, most importantly, why aren’t younger people stepping forward? Even Barbara Bush wondered about that, specifically why someone else besides the Clintons and Bushes couldn’t run for president. My ponderings are more general: is politics so tainted that people can’t even imagine running for office? Maybe people just don’t want to subject themselves to the electoral process, which has become beleaguered by political infighting and mudslinging. Another way to put it: you have to be a mentally challenged masochist addicted on power to yearn for public office these days.
I’ve been elected a few times—“volunteered” is the better word—to club positions, committee chairs, even a department head, and I always had more regrets than rewards. Any leadership position requires a tough skin; it’s usually a thankless task where you often feel like the target in a pub game of darts, the latter the barbs directed at you as you attempt to do your job. I can imagine those bad experiences magnified thousands of times, even for local and state government positions, let alone national ones. It’s become so bad that only “experienced people” (read: old has-beens) can stomach it. And we pay the price for that in our Western democracies.
We’re into 2015 a few days now, so two questions come to mind: Will you look back on 2014 positively? Will you look forward to 2015? Depending on your political proclivities, you’ll believe Congress will be worse, stepping up its war against the middle class and poor, now that the GOP controls both Houses; Obama and the rest of the executive branch will muddle along and maybe the economy will improve in spite of what anyone does; and the Supreme Court will continue to wage class warfare too by hiding behind an 18th century interpretation of the Constitution. Or not. So, let’s not worry about the political world. Many of us, in fact, would prefer to ignore ALL the politicians. More a look ahead to what needs to be done, the following topics are more interesting than pure politics…and politicians.
Economy. Despite handwringers and naysayers, the economy in 2014 did pretty well. The horror felt by big oil and gas stockholders at plunging gas prices, mirrored in giant swings on the NYSE, couldn’t match Putin’s as Russia’s oil-based economy started to tank. (Maybe the Soviet Union only fell because Russians, including their inept, Mafia-don-like leaders, don’t understand capitalism?) Why the American economy even worries about big oil and gas now is beyond me. The real JRs of our country are rapacious, energy dinosaurs, so their companies deserve to go under, but that shouldn’t affect the rest of the American economy anymore. I smell a conspiracy. The Wall Street bankers’ celebration of too-big-too-fail might be contagious.
While I’ve tried to portray something about what awaits a veteran when he returns home in some of my books (the homeless man Walter Jones in The Midas Bomb, my detectives Chen and Castilblanco, and, more recently, Mary Jo Melendez of Muddlin Through, are some examples of characters who are veterans—Walter and Mary Jo both talk about a wounded vet’s problems with homecoming, for example), my personal experience with veterans has been via what they tell me, my relatives and friends. For example, one life experience I will always treasure is tutoring a blind veteran in Spanish so he could finish his psych degree—he wanted to help other vets. I probably learned much more from Richard than he learned from me.
Just from Richard, two uncles—one Navy man and one Marine in World War II—and from a nephew who served in the Army in Iraq, I was able to determine that (1) the horrors of war they experienced are hard for anyone to imagine who hasn’t experienced them, and (2) physical wounds are all too often trumped by mental ones. I can’t remember ever hearing the acronym PTSD in relation to Vietnam vets while that war was going on, but Richard’s blindness wasn’t his worst affliction, which is why he wanted a degree in psychology. Back then, and even going farther back in time to WW I and II and the Korean War, the official attitude respect to mental problems from the Defense Department was pretty much, “Man up and get on with your life,” but, like Walter’s case, this isn’t a slam dunk.
Dear Readers,
My blog message for today is simple: VOTE!
Too many countries in this world are sham democracies, despotic states, theocracies, and so forth. We are privileged to live in a country where regular elections and voting are a great tradition. Study the candidates and issues and exercise your right to vote.
Yours in reading and writing,
Steve
Get some “mind candy” for yourself. Raised eyebrows and big eyes, as you wonder if I’m some kind of scalper, dealer, or seller of Super Storm Sandy pre-owned cars, aren’t appropriate. This is a PG-13 website. I’m an introvert who writes books, not a scam artist. “Mind candy” here means “interesting books,” no more no less.
Running through Nov. 5, three of my 2014 ebooks are on sale, each one for $1.99. That’s a $3 savings on each book! The books will revert to the usual prices of $4.99 on Nov. 6. I realize you’re very good about your diet and avoid all the sugary and/or salty treats you hand out and your kids bring home. This promo allows you to indulge and brag to everyone how healthy you are (no one needs to know about the Snickers or Reese’s Pieces you sneak from your kids’ haul, right?).
The three books are: Soldiers of God (second ed.), Aristocrats and Assassins, and Muddlin’ Through. The first ebook is the bridge between the “Clones and Mutants Series” and the “Chaos Chronicles Trilogy.” It was available previously only as an expensive Infinity trade paperback. The second book is the last entry in the “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series.” A new release in that series is coming up soon, so you can hit the ground running and build to the new release (there’s even a contest with rules specified at the end of A&A that will allow you to snatch up the new release for free!). The final ebook is the first in the “Mary Jo Melendez Mysteries”; the second book in that series will appear early next year.
Of course, this “mind candy” isn’t completely healthy. There’s a chance you will lose sleep and be breathless as you read each book—that’s why they’re also called thrillers, although all three are crossovers, that is, mystery/suspense/thriller. Maybe you should check your BP while you read, but you won’t have to worry about the sugar intake (leave the kids’ bags alone!).
This is a great opportunity to purchase three recent books at a bargain price. Tell your friends and relatives. Remember, you don’t even need a Kindle because Amazon sells a Kindle app that allows you to read an ebook formatted for a Kindle on most any device. Note that lending is enabled for these ebooks—you only need to buy one per family (or book club, if yours works that way).
There are other new bargain ebooks that might interest you too. World Enough and Crime, a new crime anthology, contains my short story “The Case of the Carriageless Horse,” a tale about Detective Castilblanco’s first homicide case. And The Collector, the next Chen and Castilblanco tale, will be out soon, at $4.99, still a bargain compared to the ebooks from major publishers that are generally start at twice this price—I run my writing business on a shoestring budget and pass the savings on to you, dear reader.
Happy Spooky, Freaky, Scary, and Weird Halloween!
Do you turn news programs off when they start up with “pop news”? Do you look at the magazines at the supermarket checkout with disgust? Are you tired of paparazzi pursuing cult figures, and cult figures smacking around the paparazzi? Are you fed up with the media turning killers into cult figures? My answer to these questions is yes. Maybe ordinary people’s lives are just so damn boring and dull that they become fascinated with personalities. As a result, some become so larger-than-life from the media’s snowball effect that it always amuses me. While part of human nature, following this seems a poor investment for a person’s time, though.
The Clintons, that shining example of marital bliss and fidelity, are having a grandchild. Whoopee! The media immediately creates the question, will this affect Hillary’s decision to run for president? I don’t care. You shouldn’t either. But let’s hope her decision is made independently, weighing considerations that actually have something to do with a presidential run. George Clooney, that shining example of liberal and progressive Hollywood thought, just tied the knot. Given the fact that the wedding was estimated to have cost $13 million, it would seem that an elopement was in order so that the money could be better spent on his innumerable causes. The one-percenters who get rich and then become do-gooders—the Clintons and the Clooneys are but two examples—make me suspicious. They do their do-gooding after they become rich and famous. Much appreciated, but why should Clinton’s Global Initiative or Clooney’s charity work and causes receive any more media attention than ordinary people’s where they’re working for charities like food banks and soup kitchens or taking up causes like campaigns to preserve the environment or stop global warming?
[Este mensaje se traduce abajo para todos mis amigos hispanicos.]
I should ask Google why it didn’t come up on today’s banner to remind me (they have young people there with better memories than mine), but this is the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Our celebration runs from today to October 15.
I say “our” because I love most things Hispanic—without being Hispanic. Food, music, and other aspects of the culture. Hispanic countries with their beautiful landscapes, lively and friendly people, and wonderful ability to be optimistic in times of trouble and suffering. I grew up in California with the watchful parenting of two ethnic food lovers. The main drag through my undergraduate college town was named Embarcadero del Norte. I speak fluent Spanish and love the musicality of the language because I lived in Colombia, South America, for 10+ years and visited many South American countries.
Think Niagara Falls is great? You haven’t been to Iguazu and seen the Devil’s Throat. Our Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains are pretty decent, but they don’t compare to the Andes, that massive chain that rips through South American skies from Colombia to Chile. Like Pirates of the Caribbean? San Juan, Puerto Rico and Cartagena, Colombia have old forts to revisit those days. In the latter city, mothers still might scare young children into obedience by threatening them with that monster pirate Drake.
As a writer, I also love to read. I’ve read some good books written in Spanish, most notably ones by Garcia Marquez. (My book Survivors of the Chaos has what I consider an homage to magical realism, although some might just call it paranormal funny-business.) A book about the Dirty War in Argentina is a featured read on “Steve’s Bookshelf.” And I’ve included characters with Hispanic heritage in my novels, from Jay Sandoval and her friend Dolores in Full Medical, to Mary Jo Melendez in Muddlin’ Through, my most recent book. Detective Castilblanco is surely an old friend by now.
So, dear reader, help us celebrate this special month. Eat, drink, and be merry with our Hispanic brethren. You’ll enjoy it. I know I will!
***
[The following is a translation of the above to Spanish. My writing skills in Spanish are probably not as good as my speaking skills. Disculpame, por favor.]
Debo preguntar a Google porque este mes no apparezca en su bandera de hoy para recordarme (tiene jovenes quienes recuerdan cosas mejor que yo), pero hoy comienza el Mes de la Herencia Hispanica. Nuestro mes festivo corre desde hoy hasta el 15 de octubre.
Digo “nuestro” porque quiero todas las cosas hispanicas—sin ser hispanico. La comida, musica, y otros aspectos de la cultura. Paises hispanicos con sus pasajes lindos, gentes alegres, y abilidad asombrosa para estar optimistas durante tiempos problematicos. Me criaron un papa y mama en California y la comida tipica le gusto mucho a ellos. El camino principal por mi ciudad universitaria w llamo Embarcadero del Norte. Hablo buen espanol y quiero mucho a la musica del idioma porque vivia en Colombia, Sur America, durante diez anos y visitaba muchos paises de America del Sur.
Cree Ud. que las cataratas del Niagara son expectaculares? Entonces no ha estado Ud. a las del Iguazu o visto la Gargantua del Diablo. Nuestras montanas, las Sierra Nevadas y los Rockys, son impresionantes pero no comparan a los Andes, esa cadena masiva que rompe por los cielos del America del Sur desde Colombia hasta Chile. Le gusta la pelicula Los Piratas del Caribe? San Juan, Puerto Rico y Cartagena, Colombia tienen fortalezas antiguas que revisitan esos dias. En la segunda ciudad, las mamas ya podrian asustar los ninos para obedecer utilizando el nombre del pirata Drake.
Como escritor, me gusta leer tambien. He leido muy buen libros escritos en espanol, notablemente ellos de Garcia Marquez. (Mi libro Survivor of the Chaos tiene lo que considero un homage al realismo magico, aunque algunos quiza lo llamarian paranormal.) Un libro sobre la Guerra Sucia en Argentina esta en “Steve’s Bookshelf.” Y he incluido caracteres con herencia hispanica en mis novelas, desde Jay Sandoval y su amiga Dolores en Full Medical hasta Mary Jo Melendez en Muddlin’ Through, mi novela mas receinte. El detective Castilblanco debe ser un buen amigo ahora.
Asi, querido lector, ayudenos celebrar este mes especial. Come, bebe, y este alegre en compania con nuestros hermanos hispanicos. Le gustara. A mi tambien!
I’ve watched it unfold in the World Cup. I’ve seen it in most pro sports—football, basketball, and hockey. I’ve seen it in most collegiate sports. The referee’s conundrum in an intense game or match is deciding how close to call the fouls and how much to let the players play. While I don’t usually do sports op-eds in this blog because players, coaches, fans, and even referees can become very emotional in the “fog of war,” a recent incident in the Brazil-Colombia World Cup match merits a comment.
Some people are up in arms against the Colombian who, by accident, broke the vertebrae of a Brazilian player, the star striker. I saw the event, knew it was an accident, and also knew that in most games the Colombian would receive a yellow card, even if it was an accident. That would be calling the fouls close. I won’t side with Brazilian fans who want the Colombian player banned. Their own players were guilty of egregious fouls that weren’t called up to that point too. The referee let that game get out of control.
Happy Fourth of July! Please celebrate well but take care with drinking, driving, and fireworks….
To the rest of the world, especially those in the British Commonwealth: pardon us while we take a few days to celebrate. I know you’ll understand….
