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July 28, 2010
From books to cars, I have always wondered what connotates a classic. The little black dress as opposed to the little lavender dress; a roast beef dinner as opposed to a fried chicken dinner; “The Old Man and the Sea” as opposed to many books out there. Why pearls instead of bits of string? Why a black limo instead of a station wagon?
I really want to know opinions on this and I’d like to hear them all. Somewhere along the way a ‘they’ came into being that created firmament of perfection called classics.
And a lot of classics I don’t understand.
July 26, 2010
If you are reading this post there you are not poverty stricken. You have a way to get to the world wide web even if it means going to the library or sitting at a neighbor’s computer. Maybe you grew up poor and worked your way out of a bad situation. Maybe you cry poor whenever someone asks you for help. You may regret living from paycheck to paycheck, you may eat meat only once a week, go to the movies only once a year. Your cable may be turned off and you dropped your cell phone and can’t afford to get a new one until it’s time to renew the contract. We know what it is to have expensive taste with little money but trust me, right now, we don’t know poverty. Continue reading We Don’t Know Poverty
July 26, 2010
The following is a work in progress discussing some prevalent, though not very well known, issues involved with domestic violence.
“Do I have to do something this time?” Sobbed Marie.
She was in tears sitting in the dark bathroom while he snored contentedly in bed.
He had gone to Happy Hour again. Things are especially hard when he stops for drinks after work, and comes home drunk. You see Marie’s husband is an angry drunk.
“I can’t believe what he did to the poor dog. The kids were terrorized.” Marie told Kathy at the Hotline. “It all started when he said he was sick of always having string beans. String beans! Then he began screaming and cursing. He kept getting louder until my little ones got scared. I was trying to stay out of his way but then he twists the dog’s ear yelling at my daughters to stop crying or he’ll break the dog’s neck.”
Then it happened. “As I rushed by him to pick up my crying daughter he pushed me into the refrigerator. Hard. Before I knew what I was doing I turned to face him but he lashed out and punched me right in the face.” Continue reading Violence at What Address?
July 25, 2010
 “Isolation tempers the strong.” Paul Cezanne was impeccably correct—creative artists require the furnace of isolation to temper and forge the fragments of themselves and their experiences that inevitably arise to define their work. Such isolation can spawn great art and consequently foster a sense of balance, or wholeness, in the often asymmetrical personality of the artist. In the words of Lahn Jung JuLes, award-winning painter, “authentic creative work makes us whole—by releasing what imprisons us.”
In JuLes’ work, the theme of isolation in its most positive form—contemplation—is strongly evoked. Through masterful, haunting images—oblique shades and shadows—she emphasizes what is one of the greatest challenges of the modern world: how to find one’s spiritual center in the information age, when the mayhem of living tears constantly at one’s time and eventually one’s soul. It is not just her battle, but the universal war all in the industrialized nations of the West must face—the irresistible onslaught of superficial materialistic form over spiritual substance.
Invasion of the Self
 JuLes’ painting Invasion illuminates what we all are feeling in this age of too much information, too much responsibility, and too much stress: shadows of figures assailed by hands grasping from every direction, pulling them apart—and down. Is there any respite? Yes—one must go into oneself on an inner journey of reflection and meditation. Invasion, in a sense, lays the groundwork for this voyage into introspection and eventual apotheosis.
Shout is a visceral reaction to this invasion of self: screaming faces, disassociated from their merging, spectral bodies—anguished and gnawed by doubt, fear and confusion—until their very essence borders on the point of annihilation. Where is the human spirit—overwhelmed by a culture of production, consumption and endless marketing of wares? Continue reading Equilibrium
July 24, 2010
When taxes become destructive they surpass the consent of the governed bending to the will of tyranny. When regulations strangle competition instead of securing it from evil combinations they become counterproductive and defeat the very purpose for which they were proposed. When foreign entanglements bleed the nation but do not secure the peace or defeat the enemy they become interventionist vehicles for vested interests. When spending becomes a hemorrhaging of assists leading to national bankruptcy those who continue to pile debt upon debt seek not the good of the nation but instead its destruction. When leaders selected to unite instead do all they can to divide they no longer advance the interest of the whole and are instead partisan leaders in a factional fight.
A social contract is one made between a people and their government. It is an agreement whereby the people surrender certain aspects of their independence for the guarantee of corporate security and the enjoyment of a general welfare. In the case of most countries this is an unwritten and unconscious arrangement built upon tradition and precedent as in the case of England. However in the United States we have an actual contract, the Constitution. This was ratified by the original states and the subsequent states were formed under it and admitted as full partners to it. Continue reading Freedom From Tyranny Is Our Goal
July 23, 2010
Posted by Michael Crumling in: Attitude, Creative Writing, Entertainment, Environment, Family, General Topics, Life Experiences, Lifestyle, Motivation, Nature/Wildlife, Non-Fiction, Personal Experiences
 I arose from my tent early and found a mess left in the camp. The raccoons had found the cooler. They discovered that our breakfast of eggs could be found inside. Little hand prints were left as evidence of the burglary. The broken egg shells and disarray were not enough. The little marks noted their presence and also their prescience. They had no doubt watched us putting things away, or just somehow knew that they could find goodies in that box. I clean up then go about just sitting alone in my woodsy campsite. The kids are still sleeping, and so are the rest of the adults. You would think that I would be lonely without the company, but I am not. The breeze blows by my ears, my hair gently moving. The chirping of birds and bubbling of running water are comforting; downright relaxing. It seems that you see so much more when you take the time to just sit, put away your generated thought, and watch the world go by you. There are so many insects. Normally, I wouldn’t want them around, but they don’t seem to bother me so much today. Except for the flies, none are “on” me. On a boulder in the distance, I see a cardinal. It flits between rocks and gravel, in search of its’ daily sustenance. The red bird seems oblivious to anything not crawling on or under the dirt. He has identified his area of interest and actively pursues his objective. A few little pecks at the soil, and he flies into a nearby branch. It becomes obvious that he achieved his goal, a little breakfast du jour. Maybe a snack of flies would appeal to him? I suspect that he won’t get that close to me. At least he has had breakfast… Continue reading Wasting Time
July 23, 2010
I haven’t had a real day off since October 2009. That was when I returned by train from Atlanta and spent all my time sleeping or looking at the world roll by. True I had some time off from work at Christmas, but we had a guest who had never celebrated the holiday before. And there have been sick days when I was ill and I slept to recover. Weekends are semi off with re-writing and re-reading books to be published and planning book parties for the summer. My summer time off is already full. I don’t see a real day off in the near future but if I did it would go something like this: Continue reading A Real Day Off
July 21, 2010
The modern politician seems far too caught up in the hurly-burly of the 24-hour news cycle to devote any attention to more productive pursuits. This was not always so and there is an argument that politicians may be more productive and useful if they re-engaged with their inner selves. One such example of this is the art of government poetry which, over the years, has largely been forgotten or overlooked. However, the indisputable fact is that the work of the long-lost government poets is still relevant today. I intend to educate you all.
The question therefore arises, ‘Where did it all start?’ Luckily , I have carried out exhaustive research and can now enlighten them on this fascinating subject. The first poem that can definitely be called government poetry was written in the time of Cleopatra. A local politician, pTeppid, is said to have had enough time on his hands to write a mediocre and short four-line verse that translates as follows:
Cleopatra speaks, bureaucrats act
Translating and amending
Until they see what should have been said
Which is then proclaimed in a manner never-ending Continue reading The Poetry of Government
July 21, 2010
So I’m sitting here in Spicewood Texas at a nice little place. There are plenty of trees, and a magnificent natural swimming hole with waterfalls and springs. My boss was calling and I didn’t want to talk to him, so I didn’t. I emailed him instead. It was a pretty lousy thing to do, but this is my once a year visit with my family, and it is only for a few days. I love my job, and will go back to working my six or seven days a week soon enough. There comes a time when you just have to decide what is most important to you. I chose to enjoy my family. I’ll deal with the consequences later. I did leave a few hours early, but I had tended to the needs of the company. If I had just said nothing, I would have been better off. I could still do the job by phone, and enjoy the time. My absence would hardly go noticed.
So why am I sitting here writing about it? Because this is a pleasure! I am surrounded by my loved ones, in a marvelous natural environment, and just enjoying some personal thoughts. I am sharing a few with you now… because I want to! Continue reading Healing Dose of Happiness
July 21, 2010
No they are not.
The New York Transit Authority cut and slashed and moved and dissolved so many bus and train lines in the City that it is surprising we can get anywhere. Then the weekend comes and the shut down a lot of places to do work so that not only do you have to wait forever to get around but you are never really sure where you are going.
New York has become a great traveling inconvenience if not a nightmare. And they wnat more money!
Continue reading “We are Sorry for the Inconvenience”
July 21, 2010
As you may have seen in the press, we have just released Carolyn Allen’s book ‘Knifing the Famous!’, one chapter of which is about whether her father, John Watson, who was a top plastic surgeon, operated on Lord Lucan a second time just after the murder of Lucan’s children’s nanny, and just before Lord Lucan disappeared seemingly forever, although there have been many claimed sightings.
If you don’t know the story, the Lucan case is a cause célèbre in the UK in that he was a high living, gambling sort of guy – known as ‘Lucky Lucan’ probably, in the English way, because he wasn’t. He had a difficult relationship with his wife and one night their children’s nanny, Sandra Rivett, was found murdered. The speculation was that Lord Lucan murdered her thinking she was his wife.
After that, Lord Lucan simply disappeared and one theory, discussed in Carolyn’s book, is that he went to John Watson who altered his appearance before he fled the country.
Here is an article by Struggling Authors who forwarded us the book for publication – thank you, kind sirs: http://strugglingauthors.blogspot.com/
You can also vote there on whether you think Lord Lucan murdered Sandra Rivett or not (lefthandside). Continue reading The Disappearing Lord
July 19, 2010
Brethren:
My sermon today is about helping one another. Now I know each and every one of you thinks you are a kind soul with a good heart and you help your fellow man. Some of you might even say this sermon is not necessary. You might even say I am preaching to the choir because you know what I mean. But, alas, I don’t think you really understand what I truly mean when I say helping your fellow man. I am not just speaking about the person on the street where you toss a few coins into his or her cup and walk pass thinking ‘I did a good deed’ as you do what Lot’s wife should have done and not look back. Those people’s lives may have been touched by your temporary kindness but Brothers and Sisters, I am talking about those closest to you that you mistreat and ignore in their time of need. I am talking about helping everybody in every way. Continue reading Helping One Another
July 18, 2010
It was a cell phone conversation that made me think of this. A cell phone conversation I heard on the bus on the way to work. I laughed as the young woman, disturbed that her life had taken a wrong turn said: “Of course I left him. I left that s.o.b. in the middle of the night.” The rest of the conversation was full of boring details that I have heard a lot in my adult life so I turned her off and thought about something that came to mind the first time some female friend decided to leave the love of her life in the middle of the night: what does one take when one leaves? Continue reading What to Take When You Leave
July 18, 2010
What Hat to Wear?
by Bob Grant
 I need to go shopping but what hat to wear -
maybe I’ll ask my good friend Pooh Bear?
I might be young – I might be short,
I love to shop – bet on it, sport.
 Been walking, you know, now for a while
No problem with the carpet or with the tile
Got some words that I use as my own
Will have many more when I’m fully grown
 I have my own purse if the truth be told -
pretty good for almost being one year old
But what hat to wear – it’s an unwritten oath -
when one is in doubt – one needs to take both.
July 18, 2010
There may only be two universal rules of history. The first is that the entire wealth of the world will inevitably concentrate into fewer and fewer hands until a revolution takes place. The second is that hardly ever does a conventional army defeat a guerrilla force, so that revolution will indeed take place.
It is yet another example of the inherent cyclicality of nature (thank you, Freddie Nietzsche) – the concentration of power leads to the revolution that overthrows it, typically led by only a few ardent folk who then find power concentrating into their hands instead. And so it goes, as Kurt Vonnegut used to say.
At the moment, all the power in the book publishing industry is in the hands of the major publishing houses whose first intent is profit. However, as Bruce Springsteen and others argued when Sony took over their record label a decade ago, art is about a lot more than money.
Art is first and foremost about self-expression and communication and, if that is what you are after, there is no better time to be a writer – $10-15 and your book is in print globally. Continue reading Brothers in arms – a revolution just for fun
July 17, 2010
As a Professor of History I can understand why most people dismiss History as boring. It is usually presented as a static jumble of dates, names and events that must be memorized, regurgitated and with luck forgotten. I have often marveled at the ability of students who can tell me how many points their favorite athlete scored in a mid-season game ten years ago or how many horsepower their favorite driver had under the hood five seasons back can’t seem to remember the relationship or the difference between the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution.
Instead of this rigid collection of repetitious minutia, History is a dynamic flow of reality that changes every day. Not only is there more of it every day, thus changed by addition, it is also open to new interpretation and comprehension every day, thus changing by multiplication and division. Continue reading Watchmen on the Wall
July 16, 2010
 Sorry, Maybe PWND isn’t in your vocabulary, it means severely beaten in an embarrassing way. That’s what happened at the Apple press conference today concerning the iPhone 4 antenna.
Bottom line Apple said, if you hold the phone in a particular way you get less signal, and then they showed 3 other competitors have the same problem and pointed out the problem was universal to all cell phones. They said if you want a “bumper” case that solves the problem, they’ll give you one for free. If you’re still unhappy they will refund your money cheerfully, no questions asked. There will be no recall, no cover-up, and by the way we’ve sold 3 million so far and only gotten mention of the problem from .55% of the buyers. Returns to the Apple store are so negligible it’s difficult to calculate them.
As much as some technical media outlets believed that they had manufactured the best story of the year, when the principals of the company under attack can use the word “Bullshit” about your story, in public, you’re loosing.
Several media outlets got spanked publicly at 1 pm eastern time. Among them were the New York Times, Bloomberg news service, Engadget and Gizmodo. The Times earned the “bullshit”, Bloomberg’s story about a cover up of “a known problem” earned the title “A Crock” from Steve Jobs himself. Bloomberg has been so far unable to substantiate their story and the Times, oh dear, the Times was making it up again? Damn it guys, go to your room!
As for Engadget and Gizmodo (if you’ve ever heard of them), the first embarrassed themselves through their questioning at the news conference, which was an attempt to pound apple with damming questions about a problem that had already been proven to exist in all cell phones. Gizmodo’s particular lashing came through a Youtube video played at the beginning of the conference http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKIcaejkpD4.
Well worth watching, a short but very good song composed by the “Song a day mann”. As were the expressions on the various media pundit’s faces when it turned out this was not going to be a public apology, or a media flaying, the emperor was fighting back.
I’m not ashamed to say it does my heart good to see the media put in their place, especially lately. So much of what we hear, see and read is manufactured michigas. It all about eyes on the page or screen, let the truth be damned. I’m part of the media, and I wanted to dance to the song!
I’m sure the backlash will be terrific, Apple is probably sharpening their lawyers right now. So far I’ve heard everything from the “Song a day mann” is secretly in Apple’s pocket, to this is the next big stage of the “master cover-up.” Yeah, taking care of your customers is always a sign of a master cover-up.
It was fun to see and will be even more fun to follow in the days to come.
From the iPhone 4 antenna song:
If you don’t want an iPhone 4
Don’t buy it
If you bought one and you don’t like it
Take it back.
Take it back
Take it back
But you know you wont.
Copyright Prentiss Gray 2009
Prentiss Gray is a writer and columnist and currently writes the Domesti-Tech Blog for Gannett. He can be reached through his website at www.prentissgray.com
July 15, 2010
Among the many despicable figures in baseball history, George Steinbrenner stood out as one of the most obnoxious and objectionable. I decry the revisionist obits of Steinbrenner and describe some of his offenses in this eyewitness account of Steinbrenner’s reign of error, posted on The Guardian website.
One topic the article doesn’t cover – not exactly mainstream, particularly for a British publication – is what baseball might have looked like without Steinbrenner setting the trend for the modern economics of the game that have added zeros to baseball salaries, ticket prices, and the rest. Yes, people have been predicting the demise of baseball’s popularity since they made foul balls strikes, but removing both the spontaneity and affordability factors from a visit to the ballpark seems to narrow the game’s potential audience substantially.
At the draw of free agency in the 1970s, Steinbrenner presented the vision of growing revenue faster than salaries. A competing vision came from Oakland Athletics owner Charles O Finley, who wanted to keep costs stable. “Free agent is another word for unemployed,” Finley declared. “Let them all be free agents.” If Finley had won the argument, baseball would look different. Or perhaps Finley did win the argument in places like Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Oakland, which nevertheless share in the expanded revenue stream that Steinbrenner helped create.
Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is author of Hong Kong On Air , a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, financial crisis, and cheap lingerie.
July 14, 2010
There are few reasons why we do not achieve our dreams.
Yes, there are “acts of God.” Philosophically, one might even accept fate or destiny as insurmountable barriers. Yet, aside from those, the immense majority of people living lives of quiet desperation reside there because of what’s going on in their minds more than on our planet. With credit to Walt Kelly, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” We – not others – are more times than not, our worst adversaries.
I mean this not in a condescending, judgmental manner, as one might hear from no-nonsense hyper-achievers, “Just pull yourself up from the bootstraps, suck it in, and get it done. Don’t be such a wimp!” One cannot change years of brain wave patterns in the same manner in which he switches on or off a light. Negative thoughts today – click – positive henceforth. My objective today is also not designed to illustrate how messed up we are; I don’t think that’s true, we’re all doing the best we know how to do.
With appropriate disclaimers admitted, if we accept that we are standing in our own way, it begs the question, “Why would we do that?” Why do we NOT reach further, dream larger, and believe better? Continue reading What is Fear of Success?
July 14, 2010
Today is my husband’s birthday. He requires no special fanfare for the event but we like to think it’s a special day. So the daughters, who usually don’t bake, are baking him a cake. God bless them and help us all. And friends are coming in town to join in his celebration on Saturday night. Just a few of the boys hanging out together. But for a wife of almost 35 years it is a special time.
Continue reading A Special Birthday
July 13, 2010
The other day something interesting came across my email. The strangest sights in Google Earth. This is the one that caught my attention.
This is the link to see it on google maps That’s a better way to look at it because you can zoom in and out, plus move around. Continue reading Ok, Mystery time!
July 13, 2010
Oily Hole
Seventy-eight days and counting
since a certain hole goes unplugged
and the planet is threatened with
destruction and mass panic and
flight of humans since the birds
are drenched in oil and jobs are lost
and the people can’t eat oily food
and the unemployment numbers
go up and up
and the people lose their businesses
and livelihoods and their homes
and while hopes go down and down
but not down enough to reach
a leaky little hole, not even in
a manned craft with spidery arms
that can hold one solitary man,
(maybe he’s another scrawny Russian man)
chewing bubble gum and armed
with a wrench, a screwdriver, and duct tape
who can get his little craft close enough to
the hole and using its spidery arms
and his wrench and duct tape
he attempts to plug the hole
and upon realizing that the duct tape
will not hold against the oil,
he pauses to ponder the situation
…
and then he gets out of his tiny
one manned craft, with its spidery arms,
and sans a swimsuit or oxygen tank
(because they would have been too many
items to include in his tiny craft with him)
he makes his way to the leak
pulls wrench free from a spidery arm,
extracts gum from mouth,
dives in head first into the spewing oil,
some light clanging noise is heard
before the oil leak ceases,
man smiles and gives the thumbs up
into camera near the leak,
man is seen getting back into craft,
craft rises to surface,
man steps out of tiny craft,
with its spidery arms,
shakes hand of the president of the united states,
ignores the representatives from the oil company
and then shouts in their faces,
I TOLD YOU, PLUG THE DAMN HOLE ALREADY!
before being led away by the police and secret service.
Forgive me. I am not a proponent of duct tape and bubble gum to repair
everything, nor am I making light of this disaster in the Gulf and which
is threatening coastal beaches and shorelines and people’s lives. It
just seems to me that certainly, by now, a craft of some sort should
have been built and a small crew ( maybe as small as one person) could
get down there and plug the hole. This is not rocket science people.
Also, there is a call-out to others who want to write their own poems
or prose about the Gulf Coast and this oil spill disaster (nightmare)
and wish to contribute those pieces to a site being set up for online
publishing. Please send your poems/submissions to:
chicagopoetry@chicagopoetry.com.
I hope that those of you that read my piece enjoyed it and that it
motivates you to write.
July 11, 2010
In the summer I don’t work on Fridays. If I wake up early enough I still fall into the rush hour pattern and take the subway to parts of the city to do some shopping for home and self. I like the early morning since most people are going to work. New Yorkers tend to do half days work on Friday so by the time they are escaping the office I am already at home, sitting on the deck eating lunch and talking with my family.
So why would someone try to pick me up at 9:30 on a hot Friday morning? Hey it’s New York and I guess he felt he had to try. Continue reading Subway Story: No Conversation
July 10, 2010
In a Bible passage so powerful even those who don’t believe the Bible unknowingly quote it an arrogant young ruler is so enamored with his exalted position he thinks he can disregard the traditions of his predecessors with impunity. In the midst of a celebration of his greatness the proud young man calls for the sacred vessels captured when his father conquered Judah so that he can drink toasts to himself. Suddenly before a stunned king and his smug courtiers a hand appears in mid-air writing on the wall of his palatial palace. Never having seen a teleprompter the king had no idea these words would come to define his reign. He called for the wisest man in his kingdom to tell him what they meant.
When Daniel arrived he told the haughty king, “The writing reads: ‘Mene, Mene, Tekel and Parsin.’ The meaning of the words is this: Mene: God has measured your sovereignty and put an end to it; Tekel: you have been weighed in the balance and found wanting; Parsin: your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.” That same night through an unperceived chink left by neglect in their previously impregnable defenses Babylon was conquered, the king was overthrown, and the rest is history. Continue reading The Handwriting is on the Wall
July 10, 2010
Posted by paul perry poet in: Advice, Creative Writing, Life Experiences, Marriage, Men's Issues, Mental Health, Nature/Wildlife, Personal Experiences, Philosophical Genres, Poetry, Relationships, Sex, The Writer's Corner, Uncategorized
they’re all nuts
and they wanna drive us nuts
and they do,
some of us lose it bad
some of lose it good. Continue reading with or without them
July 8, 2010
 from www.techdigest.tv It’s all very nice to have kids who are into the latest gadget, hip children who navigate Facebook, Instant Messenger and Twitter like dedicated computer scientists and actually get something out of this marvelous technology to help them in their daily lives. But it’s quite another thing to get used to it all. The changes we are all going through are staggering.
The handwritten note is fast fading to a museum quality relic. Getting my kids to write thank you notes gets harder and harder every year. I may have to finally settle for thank you emails (sigh).
Text much?
Just communicating with my children is becoming more and more complex. I used to just call them on their cells, and I knew where they were and when I could expect them home. But the phone call is starting to fade in popularity. A long, dedicated conversation with another person on the phone is rapidly being replaced by short bursts of information delivered on the phone in text. Continue reading The New Society
July 7, 2010
I didn’t plan to write here today. I planned to spend my free time researching my next novel. But in my research I ran across a poem that brought tears to my eyes. It was written by the esteemed African American poet of the Harlem Renaissance Countee Cullen. When you get a chance look it up on Google. It is entitled Simon the Cyrenian Speaks and it spoke to me about race. Continue reading Why We Must Forget About Race
July 6, 2010
You may not be aware of this but shortly after 9/11 a movie was to be released called “Rats!”. It was about that yucky vermin taking over New York city. Someone brightly and bravely decided that the movie should not be shown for a long time. Didn’t matter though, NYC has a ton of rats. More rats than people. But some idiot somewhere in Albany decided to cut back on extermination efforts in the city. That movie, which I never saw, may soon become a reality. Continue reading Budget Cuts and Rats!
July 6, 2010
Posted by Bob Grant - Editor in: Books, Communications, Creative Writing, Fiction, Freelance Author, Journalism, Literature, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories, The Writer's Corner
Our site has viewers from all over the world. As I have in the past – I invite all writers, from all countries and languages, to become contributors to our site. It does not matter where you reside – or in what language you want to use to communicate – our purpose for having this site remains the same:
“Speak Without Interruption is a site where writers can post their thoughts, ideas, opinions, and beliefs regarding any topic or category that interests them. Our site is a completely impartial place where writers can interact with other writers, and viewers, in an atmosphere of free speech and openness. We welcome all people who want to interact with other people and truly Speak Without Interruption.”
There are places – such as Google Translate http://translate.google.com/# – where readers can translate what you write. Perhaps it does not translate “exactly” but I feel the overall meaning of your writings can be understood. This site is open to literally “everyone who wants a place to speak” – if you have an interest please contact me directly:
Bob Grant, Editor SpeakWithoutInterruption@gmail.com
July 6, 2010
Posted by timbryce in: Fiction
 JULY 6, 2010 – Today I release my new eBook, “Tin Heads.” Unlike my editorials and management papers, “Tin Heads,” is a work of fiction. The chapters are much longer than my other papers but this will be a fun read which I hope you will find entertaining.
As a prelude to the book, I am enclosing the Foreword and Introduction below. You can read sections of the new eBook exclusively at my web site:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm
I hope you will enjoy it.
FOREWORD
The Tin Head concept as described herein came to me several years ago after making one too many business trips. Air transportation had transformed itself from being a fun and exciting experience to an expensive and laborious proposition. I don’t think anyone relishes the idea of traveling by airplane anymore. You’re prodded through long security lines like cattle, strip searched by people who do not speak your language, squeezed into uncomfortable seats, flights are seldom on time, the meals are horrible, and you’re nickel/dimed to death by the airlines. Regardless what class you’re traveling, passengers are treated like galley slaves. I can hear the sound of the monotonous drum beat now: boom-boom-boom-boom… Best of all, you get to pay exorbitant prices for this privilege. Continue reading TIN HEADS – INTRODUCTION
July 5, 2010
While in Singapore for the grand opening of the Marina Bay Sands casino resort, I had an evening out with Dennis Foo, CEO of Saint James Holdings and Singapore’s leading nightlife impresario. We started at Saint James Power Station, a ten club complex that Foo created inside a decommissioned electric generating plant. The different room feature entertainment from Canto pop to hard rock to Paraguayan acoustic, and, even on a Wednesday night during World Cup, the place was hopping.
After giving me the tour, Foo suggested we check out Shanghai Dolly. As in most Foo’s clubs, live entertainment is big part of the Shanghai Dolly experience. There are about 20 Shanghai Dollies, including some male Dollies, singing mainly in Mandarin and dancing in the vast downstairs bar area with tables and a dance floor. In the best tradition of modern Singapore, the show is sexy but not sleazy. Upstairs, there’s a restaurant that serves food until 3:30am, and a piano lounge, where a Dolly tickles the ivories and sings alone with a partner. A fellow patron assured me that I could request songs in English. Continue reading Singapore keeps experimenting
July 4, 2010
In America, individualism is a kind of philosophical almost theological ideal upon which our society was founded. This foundation birthed a society of free individuals who entered into a social contract wherein they surrendered some authority and power to government to gain enough security and peace to enjoy their rights while retaining their inherent freedom and inviolable personal independence.
That man was conceived of by our founders as a created being is attested to in the Declaration of Independence when it says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These rights the Creator endowed us with fall into two broad categories. Continue reading July Fourth 2010: The State Versus the Individual
July 4, 2010
“The Orator, with his Flood of Words….”
It’s been a long time since I debated John Kerry’s Liberal Party at Yale. (We, the Conservative Party, whopped ‘em good.) Even longer since I debated in high school. Having listened to and analyzed President Obama’s speech on immigration, I’m more convinced than ever that Obama is a one-trick pony, an increasingly unsuccessful one.
The war in Afghanistan is in trouble, and the Talban might snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Therefore, Obama gives a speech. The American economy is in trouble and high unemployment persists. Obama gives a speech. Spewing oil in the Gulf is unchecked. Obama gives a speech. Drugs and criminals are running across the border into Arizona. Obama gives a speech. You get the idea.
When he gives a speech, he sounds like he is addressing the subject at hand. But that is only an illusion, an illusion that even his former supporters are beginning to recognize for what it is. Continue reading “The Orator, with his Flood of Words….”
July 3, 2010
This is the Fourth of July, Independence Day, weekend in the United States. It is a time for cookouts and overeating. While we are dealing with all types of weight problems and health concerns here we need to remember something as we sat down to red, white and blue plates heaped with grilled food. Potato salad is not a green vegetable. Continue reading It Isn’t Really Salad
July 2, 2010
The elevator smelled powerfully of urine, no doubt magnified by the August heat; the acrid smell burned my nostrils immediately as the doors opened. Stepping in I noticed the carpet in the back corners was more than damp; the floor itself was littered with cigarette butts, fast-food wrappers and a couple of spent cans of Colt .45. The doors slid shut; I was the single passenger, but felt my hand instinctively rest on the bulge in my pocket, a spring-loaded knife, its blade barely legal. I shook my head: Stupid—if jumped I’d never get the damn thing out of my pocket in time to do any good.
A fly buzzed around my head and landed on my face. I swatted it, missed, but thought I felt tiny wet spots on my cheek, imprints from the insect’s feet. I thought of the damp corners and shuddered. Naturally, the elevator moved painfully slowly, squeaking and rattling its way up to the third floor; cables dry as the Nazca lines, in desperate need of grease. So this is what it’s like to reside in an outhouse, I thought… Continue reading Demons in the Corners
July 2, 2010
Visits
4,726
% of Site Total: 100.00%
|
- Pages/Visit
- The average number of pages viewed during a visit to your site. Repeated views of a single page are counted.
Pages/Visit
1.72
Site Avg: 1.72 (0.00%)
|
- Avg. Time on Site
- The average duration of a visit to your site.
Avg. Time on Site
00:01:50
Site Avg: 00:01:50 (0.00%)
|
- % New Visits
- The percentage of visits by people who had never visited your site before.
% New Visits
77.74%
Site Avg: 77.74% (0.00%)
|
- Bounce Rate
- The percentage of single-page visits (i.e. visits in which the person left your site from the entrance page).
Bounce Rate
72.79%
Site Avg: 72.79% (0.00%)
|
| 1. |
|
3,476 |
1.79 |
00:02:04 |
75.00% |
71.32% |
| 2. |
|
222 |
1.74 |
00:01:42 |
64.41% |
59.91% |
| 3. |
|
192 |
1.55 |
00:01:38 |
83.33% |
71.35% |
| 4. |
|
129 |
1.50 |
00:00:56 |
94.57% |
78.29% |
| 5. |
|
50 |
1.04 |
00:00:11 |
98.00% |
96.00% |
| 6. |
|
43 |
1.30 |
00:01:06 |
93.02% |
74.42% |
| 7. |
|
40 |
1.30 |
00:00:34 |
92.50% |
77.50% |
| 8. |
|
37 |
2.59 |
00:02:17 |
83.78% |
83.78% |
| 9. |
|
34 |
1.59 |
00:00:56 |
94.12% |
70.59% |
| 10. |
|
28 |
1.36 |
00:01:08 |
75.00% |
78.57% |
| 11. |
|
24 |
1.04 |
00:00:06 |
100.00% |
95.83% |
| 12. |
|
22 |
1.32 |
00:01:12 |
100.00% |
86.36% |
| 13. |
|
20 |
1.05 |
00:00:51 |
45.00% |
95.00% |
| 14. |
|
18 |
1.17 |
00:00:42 |
77.78% |
83.33% |
| 15. |
|
17 |
1.18 |
00:00:21 |
94.12% |
82.35% |
| 16. |
|
17 |
1.76 |
00:04:22 |
52.94% |
64.71% |
| 17. |
|
15 |
1.00 |
00:00:00 |
80.00% |
100.00% |
| 18. |
|
15 |
1.60 |
00:01:22 |
93.33% |
73.33% |
| 19. |
|
15 |
1.47 |
00:00:18 |
100.00% |
86.67% |
| 20. |
|
July 2, 2010
Pageviews
8,131
% of Site Total: 100.00%
|
- Unique Pageviews
- The number of visits during which one or more of these pages was viewed.
Unique Pageviews
6,645
% of Site Total: 100.00%
|
- Avg. Time on Page
- The average amount of time visitors spent viewing this set of pages or page.
Avg. Time on Page
00:02:33
Site Avg: 00:02:33 (0.00%)
|
- Bounce Rate
- The percentage of single page visits resulting from this set of pages or page.
Bounce Rate
72.79%
Site Avg: 72.79% (0.00%)
|
- % Exit
- The percentage of site exits that occurred from this set of pages or page.
% Exit
58.12%
Site Avg: 58.12% (0.00%)
|
- $ Index
- The average value of this page or set of pages. $Index is (Ecommerce revenue + Total Goal Value) divided by Pageviews for the page(s).
$ Index
$0.00
Site Avg: $0.00 (0.00%)
|
| 1. |
|
1,302 |
780 |
00:02:06 |
29.63% |
32.03% |
$0.00 |
| 2. |
|
367 |
291 |
00:02:55 |
68.86% |
56.95% |
$0.00 |
| 3. |
|
302 |
287 |
00:04:50 |
90.94% |
88.41% |
$0.00 |
| 4. |
|
186 |
129 |
00:01:27 |
54.69% |
67.74% |
$0.00 |
| 5. |
|
158 |
140 |
00:04:33 |
84.80% |
77.85% |
$0.00 |
| 6. |
|
121 |
113 |
00:05:00 |
92.92% |
91.74% |
$0.00 |
| 7. |
|
116 |
98 |
00:06:43 |
66.13% |
60.34% |
$0.00 |
| 8. |
|
108 |
90 |
00:02:35 |
81.11% |
82.41% |
$0.00 |
| 9. |
|
106 |
99 |
00:01:43 |
91.92% |
92.45% |
$0.00 |
| 10. |
|
103 |
87 |
00:03:15 |
83.53% |
83.50% |
$0.00 |
| 11. |
|
86 |
71 |
00:01:07 |
69.57% |
72.09% |
$0.00 |
| 12. |
|
80 |
76 |
00:03:27 |
94.59% |
95.00% |
$0.00 |
| 13. |
|
80 |
53 |
00:01:01 |
21.88% |
21.25% |
$0.00 |
| 14. |
|
72 |
63 |
00:02:41 |
93.10% |
80.56% |
$0.00 |
| 15. |
|
69 |
47 |
00:00:11 |
65.96% |
68.12% |
$0.00 |
| 16. |
|
60 |
54 |
00:02:02 |
92.59% |
88.33% |
$0.00 |
| 17. |
|
53 |
36 |
00:00:35 |
50.00% |
28.30% |
$0.00 |
| 18. |
|
52 |
50 |
00:04:03 |
93.88% |
94.23% |
$0.00 |
| 19. |
|
50 |
44 |
00:02:02 |
66.67% |
54.00% |
$0.00 |
| 20. |
|
July 2, 2010
 We’re going to be celebrating Independence Day again this weekend and to commemorate the event, I went back and reread the Declaration of Independence. I first read it when I was in elementary school in Connecticut, along with the U.S. Constitution. However, due to the convoluted political times we now live in, I thought it might be wise to revisit this important American landmark.
A lot of the verbiage in the Declaration always seemed rather prosaic to me: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In other words, I was always impressed with the choice of words, sentence structure and the overall organization of the document. Simply beautiful.
Even though war had broken out one year earlier, the Declaration is still a bold document in that it was an attempt to publicly rationalize the necessity of independence not only to the people of our fledgling country but the world as well. To draft the document, Congress appointed a “Committee of Five,” consisting of the best minds of the day including John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut. Jefferson, of course, is best remembered as the principal author. Continue reading INDEPENDENCE DAY
July 1, 2010
I saw her here,
I saw her there,
I saw her hair right down to there,
Her lips of wine,
Her scent divine,
God, I want to make her mine. Continue reading I saw her there…
July 1, 2010
by: Paul Finnerty | 03 April 2009
printed in: Edition 51 | section: Sport
 Photo by Caitlin Murray
When you think of Argentina and its sporting tradition, you think football, Maradona and the hand of God. You may also wonder how the country managed to churn out such good polo teams. You are rather mystified at being told that the national sport is pato, which used to be played with an actual duck’s head.
However, something new is emerging on the Argentine horizon. The Shankees have come to town, and brought with them that famous old US sport, baseball.
“In November 2008, I figured that I wanted to put a baseball team together. And then abracadabra, the rest is history,” says Paul Perry, founder and coach of the team.
“It was easy to get started. It was serendipity. You have to move on an idea quick. I had already tried putting a football team together called the Wild Turkeys and I even bought a turkey suit. It’s harder to get footballers though, because its rougher and you can get injured.”
It seems that Paul has reignited a lot of the players’ enthusiasm for baseball. The majority played in the US, some of them picking up their gloves for the first time since their Little League days.
The team is mostly made up of Americans. The exception is an Argentine, Rodrigo Castelli, a 34-year-old managing director from Villa Urquiza. “It’s good to be accepted by the guys,” he reveals. “When I was ten I went to the US. I played baseball for seven years, but then didn’t play for a further 15.”
The truth is that Rodrigo is quite an exception to the rule. There are several established teams on the Argentine baseball circuit, but it is a long way from being professional. It is difficult to generate interest in the sport, especially amongst the fans. Continue reading The Shankees have come to town
July 1, 2010
skinny guy,
plump girl,
riding on a two stroke dirt bike.
he’s scruffy
and she’s….well…I can’t tell
because he’s given her the better helmet.
full face.
they dart through traffic Continue reading Cycle of Love
July 1, 2010
no love story
“Looking out the window on a gray day, I see two pigeons on the ledge of the old house across the street. One pigeon seems to be pecking at the other pigeon which sits cuddled by its side. Perhaps the one pigeon is being dear to the other pigeon, and I wish someone would be dear to me. Suddenly, the one pigeon that was doing the pecking bobbles away to the other side of the ledge, and eventually flies away. Perhaps they misunderstood each other. I wish someone understood me.”
There was a knock on the door. Jimmy Burns was sitting at a small table by the window. Ants crawled along the floor. “Maybe they’ll share something,” he thought. Jimmy could see footsteps through the crack under the door. There was a second knock. Jimmy sat silently still, only moving to lift the cigarette to his mouth.
“I know you’re in there you bastard, open the door!” came the voice from outside.
Jimmy didn’t budge. He was unemployed. Down. Out. Nowhere to go, nothing to do. Whoever it was knocking knew that. There was a third knock. Continue reading no love story
|
Books by SWI Contributors
|
Farmer Judd worked in the mud to keep his garden pure,
For days on end Old Judd would bend to keep his seeds in sync,
As time went on, and seeds he spun, Judd hated what he saw,
The Little Site that thought they could,
Writers came and writers went,
Doubts are none for what’s been done,
The Town Hall Revolt, One Year Later
Why write in rhyme instead of prose,
The same holds true for me I guess,
I write for reason – I write for fun -
His Island in the New York Stream
The bus was about to turn into 135th Street from Broadway when all the traffic was stopped by cops working on a movie set. Whatever the shot was going to be it required booms and cameras and trucks being moved back and forth. While we passengers waited patiently I looked out of the window to my left and saw a man sweeping the crosswalk part of what New York calls “malls’, those areas decorated with flowers and shrubbery in the middle of major thoroughfares. At first I thought he was part of the movie. Then I realized he was cleaning his home. Continue reading His Island in the New York Stream