Google, Blogger, and Thomas Paine

First things first, I was trying to compose this on my iPad, because I had it out and convenient, but after the app crashed three times, I gave up.  Is Google actually going to update the Blogger app, or are they trying to push everyone who doesn't use Android off the platform?  Anyway, rather than continue to get frustrated, I decided to boot up my laptop and see if I could finish what I attempted to start using the rather useless app.

Tonight I had decided to reread or at least review Thomas Paine's "Common Sense."  Of course, I can't get past the first paragraph before I find something pertinent to our current situation:

"...a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom.  But the tumult soon subsides.  Time makes more converts than reason."

If the powers that be continually carp about "Fake News," eventually people begin to believe it is true, because it becomes "custom."  All I can say is that I hope it doesn't take too long for Time to makes its converts, before our country progresses too much further down this road of single (dysfunctional) party rule.

The above quote can actually be interpreted quite a few ways and can be used to argue that the compromise our country has frequently used to govern effectively is wrong, and if you listen to many of those who support the far right Republicans, they do believe that compromise is wrong.  I honestly believe compromise is pretty much baked into the Constitution, but then again I am sure there are some who would accuse me of "a long habit of not thinking."

Letters of Note: Volume 1 tidbits

How could any volume of significant letters be complete without something from Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet."  The first of these letters is featured in this volume:

“Nobody can counsel and help you, nobody. Search for the reason that bids you write; find out whether it is spreading out its roots in the deepest places of your heart, acknowledge to yourself whether you would have to die if it were denied you to write.”

Excerpt From: Shaun Usher. “Letters of Note: Volume 1.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/gAzIX.l

That was an idea I liked when I originally read it in "Letters to a Young Poet" and as I came across it again, I decided to share.  While this blog isn't developing like a diary or even developing anything as coherent as a unifying theme (unless that theme is what currently has caught my attention), I do sort of like the idea of placing all these random bits that I enjoyed from other writers in one place, where I can share, and where maybe someone else will discover the quote, then explore any given author more fully on their own.

Next, we have Dorothy Parker, from a letter written while in the hospital.

“I am practically bursting with health, and the medical world, hitherto white with suspense, is entertaining high hopes—I love that locution—you can just see the high hopes, all dressed up, being taken to the Hippodrome and then to Maillard’s for tea. Or maybe you can’t—the hell with it.”

Excerpt From: Shaun Usher. “Letters of Note: Volume 1.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/gAzIX.l

And that is all I have right now, though in this day "high hopes" would look a bit different.

Trump and LGBTQ stuff

I guess it is touching that Caitlyn Jenner is still naive enough to believe Republicans when it comes to civil rights issues, but I doubt that was the only reason she sided with them.  Any amongst the the GLBTQ spectrum who voted for Trump, I hope you are enjoying what he has done with your trust.  Personally, I think his campaign and presidency has been an embarrassment to this country.  A large percentage of people decided they would really like to forgo the difficulties of compromise and working under the rules laid out by the Constitution and years of precedent, and the treasure the country was received is basically someone upset he can't rule by fiat like he does in his family business.  Kellyanne Conway complained about the ethics requirements for working in the government.  Seriously, if there are people turned off by the ethics requirements of serving in the government, perhaps they shouldn't be in the government.  The administration has surrounded itself with those willing to be abused by Trump (see Jeff Sessions and Sean Spicer) who for some reason believe that abuse is good for the country.  Now Trump is abusing those transgender who serve in the military, because while he never served, he doesn't think they should.  It is acceptable for the military to spend $84 million on Viagra and erectile disfunction, but the $8.4 million for transgender medical care is too much money, at least that is Trump's argument.  I honestly wonder if Trump didn't tweet that transgender and the military crap as a diversionary tactic from the ongoing healthcare debate in the Senate.

Lots of excerpts.

These are bits and pieces I read over the weekend that I liked.  They are from a variety of readings.

The uses of not

Thirty spokes

meet in the hub.

Where the wheel isn’t

is where it’s useful.

Hollowed out,

clay makes a pot.

Where the pot’s not

is where it’s useful.

Cut doors and windows

to make a room.

Where the room isn’t,

there’s room for you.

So the profit in what is

is in the use of what isn’t.

Excerpt From: Ursula K. Le Guin. “Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching.” Shambhala Publications. iBooks. 

This material may be protected by copyright.

I think why I like the Lao Tzu is probably pretty evident.  It has been a long time since I have read the Tao Te Ching, and this is a translation with commentary that I have not read before, so it is nice, and very much like poetry.

On to the next one.  I liked this bit from Rumi too:

Lo, I am with you always means when you look for God,

God is in the look of your eyes,

in the thought of looking, nearer to you than your self,

or things that have happened to you

There’s no need to go outside.

Excerpt From: Barks, Coleman. “The Essential Rumi - reissue.” HarperCollinsPublishers. iBooks. 

This material may be protected by copyright.

Moving towards more modern philosophers, I do like Camus, and this snippet is from his essay "State Terrorism and Irrational Terror": 

“Fascism is an act of contempt, in fact. Inversely, every form of contempt, if it intervenes in politics, prepares the way for, or establishes, Fascism.”

Excerpt From: Camus, Albert. “Albert Camus Collection.” iBooks. 

This material may be protected by copyright.

I think the Camus is highly relevant currently because while Trump obviously has contempt for everyone not him, his opponents need to remember not to hold him in contempt.  Those who ran against him in the elections seem to have held him in contempt, and see where it landed us.

This last bit describes just about anyone who reads.  In the text, it was mystery novels, but for certain readers it really could be anything.

“Whereas his taste in other books was rigorous, demanding to the point of narrow-mindedness, with these works he showed almost no discrimination whatsoever. When he was in the right mood, he had little trouble reading ten or twelve of them in a row. It was a kind of hunger that took hold of him, a craving for a special food, and he would not stop until he had eaten his fill.”

Excerpt From: Auster, Paul. “The New York Trilogy.” Penguin, 2017-04-14T17:03:10Z. iBooks. 

This material may be protected by copyright.

Youthful Frost

First, I am making the assumption that the Library of America edition of Robert Frost is in chronological order, or reasonably so.  Most of their collections at least make that effort, so I am taking it as a safe guess.  "Into My Own" is the first poem in A Boy's Will, and the last stanza caught my attention.  After leaving home, very few folks would encourage friends and family to find them later, with a bit of braggadocio regarding how little he has changed.

The last stanza a Robert Frost's "Into My Own":

They would not find me changed from him they knew--
Only more sure of all I thought was true.

If the above stanza did turn out to be true for him, and that after leaving home he truly only became more sure of what he already knew, then I don't know whether to be happy for him or sad.

Something from Rilke

This comes from Rainier Maria Rilke's "Duino Elegies" and is specifically from the ninth elegy, lines 36-38:

                          ...Is not the secret purpose
of this sly earth, in urging a pair of lovers,
just to make everything leap with ecstasy in them?

Nothing great in my own personal revelation interpretation, but it made me smile, and sometimes smiles are nice.

[This is from the JB Leishman and Stephen Spender translation.]

Inspector Clouseau vs. Donald Trump

With Trump visiting France for Bastille Day, I can't help be think for a better comparison of Trump's six months as President than Inspector Clouseau, since Trump seems to be just as accident prone, and just as determined to do it his way, oblivious of the consequences.  It is this apparent obliviousness that actually bothers me most.  I honestly do not believe that Trump has the best interests of the United States in his mind as he parades himself around the world, so he doesn't look beyond the pictures of him standing with other world leaders.  Seeing that he looks good in those pictures is all that really matters.  I have never received the visceral impression that the United States is so totally isolating itself as I am feeling now, and our world is too complex for that, though I don't think, aside from Twitter, Trump actually lives in today's world.

On a related note, I do hope the Republicans in Congress realize that dictatorships are made when you choose party over country, consistently overlooking glaringly questionable behavior, but making no effort to enforce accountability.

La Cage aux Folles

The French version "La Cage aux Folles" was released nearly forty years ago, in 1978, and watching it now, I find it interesting that so many of the social foibles that were lampooned then are still such bugaboos today.  I guess I find it interesting, that today, even after marriage is allowed in so many places, that there are government and religious sorts that could still be realistically slotted into the roles of the girls's parents.

Are we really surprised?

This latest from Trump:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/29/business/media/trump-mika-brzezinski-facelift.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

As Americans, can we be truly surprised that our President is issuing such inane and sexist comments?  I do recall telling my mother that I would try to be patient and let things work themselves out, but I lost patience with that when he started nominating his cabinet.  All I can say is that at least the office hasn't changed him, and he is still as infantile as he was prior to being elected.  I really hope that those in my family who voted for him are cringing, because while Twitter is good for venting, this is truly a series of inappropriate tweets from the man who is President.

More for Congressmen?

My brother and I often don't see eye to eye on politics, which is understandable within families.  I am not sure how he voted last year, but I know he really did not want to vote for Trump as of September, so if something happened afterwards that caused him to vote for the Orange Man, then so be it.  I think Chaffetz actually does his party a disfavor in asking for more money, because while paying for two residences can be expensive, it isn't as if it wasn't something that should have been thought about when running for office.  Let's face it, you choose to run for office, maybe more money (a housing stipend) would be a nice thing, but hey, isn't everyone after more money?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/27/politics/jason-chaffetz-congress-housing-stipend-utah-governor/index.html

For this I had to look up "Rogers Group"

John Rogers was an American sculptor of the 19th century who created mass produced sculptures, normally featuring a small number of people in an everyday setting (for the time).

Here is "A Rogers Group" by Robert Frost:

A Rogers Group

How young and unassuming
They waited in the street,
With babies in their arms
And baggage at their fee.

A trolley car they hailed
Went by with clanging gong
Before they guessed the corner
They waited on was wrong.

And no one told them so
By way of traveler's aid,
No one was so far touched
By the Rogers Group they made.


This is one of those I liked, and I don't know if I would be one walking by or giving them advice.  I think it would depend on knowing more.  I have told a few drivers after they have parked in a no parking zone, that they should move their car, pointing the sign out to them, but I am less inclined to put my nose in people's business on the street without them asking first, as I will happily try and give directions if asked.

From the Gnostic Gospel of St. Thomas

If you couldn't tell, I read a lot, and a lot of different things.  Amongst the things currently on my reading list is "The Gnostic Gospels" which are those books expunged from "The Bible" for whatever reason.  Saying 34 from The Gospel of Thomas is:

Yeshua said,
If a blind person leads a blind person,
both will fall in a hole.

For some reason this saying speaks to me of much of the current situation in the United States.  I haven't figured out whether the blind person leading is Trump or Bannon or Trump's "base," but I do know someone isn't leading our country in a fashion appreciated by many.

Even Trump is flip-flopping on his direction, as a few weeks ago he lauded the House healthcare bill, while lately he described it as "mean."  I am not sure if this change was due to some bee in his ear, but it is one of his few policy changes I can agree with.  People shouldn't be punished financially for being born with allergies or anything else, but a healthcare bill that doesn't protect those with "pre-existing conditions" from higher charges is not really fair, especially when they did nothing to cause and can do nothing to cure said condition.

Campaigning Techniques

"It also failed to notice the surge in Labour support, because modern campaigning techniques require ever-narrower targeting of specific voters, and we were not talking to the people who decided to vote for Labour.”  -Nick Timothy 

The above quote is from a long article in Politico.  From this comment, I am reminded of the old saying, "missed the forest for the trees."  

Mannerbund and the alt-right

I have been reading "Gay Berlin," a book detailing gay history in Germany, written by Robert Beachy.  I am only about halfway through the book, but I have already come across Hans Bluher and his Mannerbund theory.  The other day, I was over reading at Slate.com, and came across this article on gays and the alt right which mentioned the Mannerbund.  It is interesting in how the Wandervogel, with their swearing allegiance to their leader (15 years before the Wiemar Republic), seemed to presage the Nationalist political parties doing the same to Hitler.  The Wandervogel was a bit like the Boy Scouts, and they didn't want to admit girls either, and they eventually tossed out their gay members (though they would not have used the word "gay").  I can see how the alt-right, by focusing any given groups fears onto muslims, would be able to co-opt some of those group members into their own ranks, especially if they downplayed the anti-gay or anti-whatever bias.  Hitler had a group of homosexuals working for him (Ernst Rohm, amongst them), at least until he decided to have them murdered on the Night of the Long Knives.

Sorry, this entry is a bit of a mess.  I think what I wanted to do was point out the Slate article and how it was interesting that I had just read about the Mannerbund in a book.  Somehow, I got a bit carried away and began discussing what is better covered in the Slate article.  So read that article, but I would also suggest reading something on the Mannerbund as well, as it is an interesting theory.  [Note: Wikipedia for whatever reason just lists Mannerbund as a secret society, which is not really what Bluher proposed when he created his theory.]  When I was looking for an article to link about the origins of the Mannerbund theory, I kept coming across alt-right web pages that like the theory, except the homosexual part of it, one even going so far as to suggest forming Mannerbunds so the geeky meme writers of the alt-right can meet women.

Ocean Vuong, from "Night Sky with Exit Wounds"

There is a poem earlier in this book ("Night Sky with Exit Wounds"), Torso of Air, that I liked quite a bit, but I am going to send you off to see if you can actually locate it elsewhere, since I wanted to quote from a different poem, Someday I'll Love Ocean Vuong, right now:

... The most beautiful part of your body
is where it's headed. & remember,
loneliness is still time spent
with the world. ...

I did finish up the book tonight, and for whatever reason, that line about loneliness rather struck me.

My reading has been all over the place.  I actually restarted my kindle unlimited subscription since they were offering me another thirty day free trial.  I cancelled it and removed the books I had downloaded, after totally losing interest in three of the four books I had borrowed.  It occurred to me a day or two after reactivating the service that I really didn't want to spend all summer reading on my kindle.

Speaking of reading, and of poetry, I discovered Tommy Pico's newest effort was released back in May, so I ordered it from my local bookstore.  Upon returning home, I noticed, unlike his earlier work, this one was available in electronic format.  While I have poetry in electronic format, I think it is actually something I prefer in paper, so I didn't cancel any orders or even compare pricing.  What struck me as the funniest thing was that I found the book in the Apple iBooks store, but it never really registered, until after I got home from the bookstore, that it was actually available electronically.  My mind thinks small press and that means no electronic versions.  Obviously, I am wrong, and I am glad such works are available in a variety of formats.

Comey testifies and the British Election

Of course these two have nothing to do with each other, except that they occurred on the same day.  Comey seems to have done what was expected, which was raise all sorts of questions about Trump, while the Brits confounded everyone by seemingly depriving the Tories of the majority required to rule without a coalition.  (I said seemingly because not all the results are in just yet.)  If our constitution allowed for snap elections, I am sure someone could sweet-talk Trump into having one. Nothing like telling him that it will erase doubts about Russian meddling and such, play to his vanity and his sense that he needs to "win" without any doubts.

The one big surprise for today, from the Trump camp, was what appears to be a lack of Twittering during the testimony.  From the sound of it, his team did manage to get him off Twitter long enough to meet with some Christians (Faith and Freedom Coalition).

Presidential Stupidity

I have to say, I was embarrassed for this country when Donald Trump was elected President.  Now I can say that I am truly horrified that people expect me to recognize such an ignoramus as Head of State.  I can't imagine how Pope Francis  felt meeting him.  The Saudis and Israelis both give him the some notion that he is actually liked, but goodness knows if they mean it in any sort of true fashion.  Trump's obvious delight in ceremony and photo ops is the easiest way to get on his good side.  Hey Mr. Trump, we have a good photo op over here, just stand there and smile.  Being blinded by the light of the flash, he doesn't actually notice flash is all there is to what he has accomplished this trip.  The truly embarrassing event happened after he returned home and decided he though pulling out of the Paris Environmental Accords was a good idea.  How is it that after the pollution from the 70's, pollution that many of those who voted for Trump dealt with, is so quickly forgotten?  Too bad I can actually claim knowing folks who thought it was a good idea to vote for him, which is even worse when you actually consider they have a college education (degree in History anyone) and still voted for him.  Hopefully he won't destroy our country any further.  Trump's America First logic is actually destroying what was our pre-eminent spot in the world order.

Trump and Comey

While I will not be the first to question James Comey's neutrality during the last election, and I will not be the first to question Trump's recent removal of him from his position, I do wonder why?  The common though is that Comey was a tool of the right, but I am beginning to think that while Comey may have been a tool, he did not appreciate the degree to which he was being used.  Whether or not his comments prior to the election actually swayed the result, many believe they did, so this is an irrelevant line of thought.  What actually occurs to me now is that Trump hasn't been able to get the media off the Russia trail, and, as such, can't bring the media into focus on Trump's agenda.  The flip side is that by firing Comey, Trump has diverted media attention from something else, but at this juncture, I am not sure what Trump is avoiding.  Many Americans already perceive that the recently passed (in the House) replacement for medical care is a farce, and no one is sure that with hospitals, insurance companies, and doctors against it who actually benefits from it (except maybe the wealthy).  Even this got sidetracked this last week with the firing, and, whether accurate or not, the comparisons to Nixon when he didn't get his way will tar Trump.  If there was truly nothing with Russia, then he should have let the investigations go along and finish their course, rather than adding fuel to the fire.  Trump wants the media to give him praise and accolades, but he doesn't really know how to do it from under the microscope that is the Presidency.

Perhaps Amazon needs to tweak its algorithms

Like everyone, I use Amazon, and while I was actually looking for some books for my niece, I found that Amazon was recommending this as a children's book:

If you do a bit of investigating, this is part of an adult MM romance series, and most definitely not appropriate for children.

What a week.

While our President managed not to start any new firestorms, it doesn't seem like he has been able to douse the old ones quite yet.  His wiretapping allegations seem to be going nowhere, as he has yet to be able to provide any proof, and his proposed budget helps little more than the military.  That said and done, I will likely wrap up.  I have been keeping abreast of the world, but there is so much media out there that if I don't have a personal spin on it, I don't see much reason to rehash it here, though I have been doing a bit of that on FB.

Speaking of FB, I seem to have managed to get someone's attention by posting a picture of a tin that contained "Jesus Saves" jellybeans.  I thought it a bit bizarre which is why I posted it, but for some reason my post with a comment that said little more than I found it with all the jellybeans gone was taken as something derogatory to Christianity.  My reply was that jellybeans had as little to do with the crucifixion as Christmas trees have to do with the birth of Christ was not commented upon.

Facebook and the internet

As the opening credits of the Holy Grail scroll by, moose and all, I am writing this.  It took me some time to make the decision that this movie was one that would only moderately distract me as I tried to write my blog post.  That said, coconuts blaring, I will continue on with this morning's thoughts.  Actually, they are more of yesterdays, but after percolating a bit, they get written today, and as such become today's posting.  That said, it occurred to me today how Facebook has become the sharing medium of choice.  People jot down their thoughts, post their pictures, and share news stories there, while blogs have become something a bit more focused in regards to theme.  People decide their blog will be about "something" like their exercise regimen or cooking experiments, and focus the blog on those.  Mine is still a sort of hodgepodge, with really old posts showing drawings, while the newer ones mention poetry, and throughout it all there has been a bit of my opinion on the news of the day.  I have posted many photos of art over on FB that did not get shared here, and I know people tend to post family all over the place there, as well as news articles they find interesting.  Facebook has in a way taken the place of the half-filled, periodic blogs that people otherwise busy might once have had.  In addition, with the share feature offered by so many news sites, there is a fair amount of news there as well, so people really don't need to venture away from there.  It is as if Facebook has become the new AOL with the walled garden being decided upon by their friends rather than a corporation.  If you have a limited amount of time in a day, all you need to do now is log into FB, check your feed, and then you think "you know what you need to know" for the day.  The newsfeed on FB has become the web, though factor in a few favorites as well, and people don't really explore past that.

With the spate of "fake" news everywhere, and the fact that people don't seem to be able to differentiate between fake, satire, and unfavorable is a sad reflection of our society.  The fact that FB hasn't traditionally cared if "fake" news fills the newsfeed or not reflects the short-sightedness of its managers, and the naïveté of the same, in thinking that people aren't influenced by what they see online.

Eventually I think folks will repeat the past when they broke away from AOL and invigorated all those sites that didn't try to "curate" the web for you.  Perhaps they will discover that in allowing their friends to be the curators they have missed out on too much.

John Donne's "The Message"

The Message

SEND home my long stray’d eyes to me, 
Which, O! too long have dwelt on thee; 
Yet since there they have learn’d such ill,   
   Such forced fashions,
   And false passions, 
     That they be
     Made by thee 
Fit for no good sight, keep them still. 

Send home my harmless heart again, 
Which no unworthy thought could stain; 
Which if it be taught by thine
   To make jestings
   Of protestings,
     And break both
     Word and oath, 
Keep it, for then ’tis none of mine. 

Yet send me back my heart and eyes, 
That I may know, and see thy lies, 
And may laugh and joy, when thou
   Art in anguish
   And dost languish
     For some one
     That will none, 
Or prove as false as thou art now.

                                -Donne, John (2012-09-14). Delphi Complete Poetical Works of John Donne
                                   (Kindle Locations 710-717). Delphi Classics. Kindle Edition.

I came across this over the weekend, and decided it was something I wanted to share, though I don't think spurning a lover is a poet is a good thing, since poems like this are the result.

Trump is at it again

The pattern has gotten incredibly obvious, though I am sure some will still refuse to see it.  While Trump had a moment of good press early in the week, by Friday his administration was mired in more Russian controversy, and Saturday Trump sent a flurry of tweets (Twitterstorm?) seeking to deflect attention away from his administration.  In this case, he got it into his mind that Obama had ordered wiretaps against him, and to judge by the headlines I have read so far, Obama is planning a coup or some such thing.  With luck, by Monday the news will be refocused on Russia, because at least one news story I saw also linked Trump's son-in-law into some of these meetings.  Maybe Trump really didn't know everyone around him was dealing with the Russians, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.  Trump is muckraking in order to deflect attention, and I really think Americans should have learned better by now.  One thing that the digital age does sort of ruin is the old ability of printed newspapers of burying stories inside the paper or even below the fold if they actually seem to merit attention, but not all the attention.  Since Trump tweeted it, the story will get attention, but the real story is not wiretaps, but the campaign contacts with Russia, and, with luck, the focus will return there quickly.  Bad press distresses Trump, so this really needs to keep moving forward.  There is a chance that Monday will bring more real news, but even then, the story with the Russians needs to play out and be investigated.  I don't even care if nothing is found, but there are enough questions to propriety that the truth is obfuscated, so a non-partisan investigation needs to be carried out.

Trigger Warnings

This topic is mostly because of a review I read for the book was Stolen Ink, but I don't recall if the review was on Amazon or Goodreads.  My understanding of a trigger warning is that you would normally put it in place if there is something traumatic that happens in a story, like rape, incest, domestic violence, abuse of some sort (drug, alcohol, or any of the physical that would fall under domestic violence), so that people sensitive to those issues know to avoid or are at least prepared when they read the work.  I have also seen authors specifically mention if something features intimate MM situations.

At the risk of sounding totally insensitive, and sometimes I am a bit blind to things, I am wondering if I am wrong with regards to what should be listed by an author as a trigger.  The review I am speaking of complains that the author of a MM urban fantasy/paranormal romance did not list as potential triggers the use of the phrase "spirit animal" and that two characters met in a bar and then went home together and had sex.  Neither of which seem to me to be something that would merit "trigger warnings" in my opinion because neither seem inherently likely to be traumatic.  The review mentions that the latter is just something she/he doesn't like, and she finds the former (the use of the phrase "spirit animal") to be offensive to native americans/first peoples, and that even though they are not used in reference to those people (it is used in reference to an elf's tattoo "companion"), she doesn't like the phrase, since it is appropriated from First Peoples' culture (and the writer gives no indication of being from that culture).  Is the reviewer just being sloppy in her terminology, am I being too literal?  I may have taken it too seriously, but I also think this is how something useful becomes something onerous.  I appreciate a warning that drug abuse or rape or something similarly unpleasant is in the storyline, but if such warnings are expected to cover everything potentially offensive to someone (rather than traumatic), then the blurb will be bloated to incomprehensibility, and the warnings will mean almost nothing.  Everyone has different dislikes, and perhaps a rephrasing of the review would be simplest, but I am just curious if I have totally misinterpreted what Trigger Warnings are actually for.  I mean if you are reading a book that is considered MM romance, and you don't like guys meeting and hooking up immediately after meeting at a bar, then it is probably the wrong genre to read anyway, at least in my experience.

Let me know if I am being insensitive, if the reviewer just chose the wrong phrase, if I have the proper concept of Trigger Warnings (or not).

[Cultural appropriation is a different matter altogether, but I think when artists and authors do it respectfully and it is something that fuels their growth or is an important part of a book, then it should be accepted.  Monet was inspired by Japanese woodcuts and Picasso by African tribal masks, and neither hid that inspiration.]

After all those words, my biggest issue is that I don't want something as potentially useful as those warnings to become just a list of what people have taken issue with because I think there is a chance it will limit an author's ability to be creative.  For the elf in question, his spirit animal was mentioned as a link to his people, so I don't see why the author should need to make up some new term for it, if such an understanding is already inherent in one available (and if the author had chosen "totem" as an alternative choice meaning much the same thing, but in my opinion a much more loaded word, then the reviewer would still have had an issue).  It is not a perfect correlation, but then it is urban fantasy, so that shouldn't be expected.  I guess I think authors, like artists (which authors are), deserve a great amount of freedom, and that readers should couch their expectations based on genre.  Many blurbs do mention common triggers, whether it be a reminder that it is an explicit MM tale or something a bit more serious like drug abuse or domestic violence, and I like that status quo, and I hope that my concept of what triggers are isn't totally fouled up.

Stopping now, before I write another several hundred words circling the same subject without making it any clearer.

Such a mess... sad!

I made mention over on FB about what is either Trump's latest disconnect with reality or else just his latest distraction.  Truly, only a bit of time will tell what this salvo, against Obama rather than the media, will actually reveal whatever the motivations.  If there is a good thing about it, then it would be that this is an interview and not a leak.  Mr. Trump has had more than enough leaks, though I look forward to each additional leak, and how it shows light on the workings (or malfunctions) of his administration.  I have always thought Donald Trump was little more than a showman in the PT Barnum model, and he has yet to prove me wrong.  At this point, his decision to pull out of the Press Dinner (due to his thin skin and dislike of their gall in actually reporting news unflattering to him) is likely a smart one, and John Oliver of The Daily Show commented that it was the best thing he has done since the inauguration.

The short film «Bald Guy» / «Skallamann»

Because sometimes you just need a smile.  Whether this version has subtitles or not is pretty irrelevant, as this is song and dance for no other reason but to have a good time, I mean they are singing about a guy making out with a bald guy.

Dorothy Parker and other things

Prior to sending my niece my old copy of "The Portable Dorothy Parker," I found some used books online and ordered them for myself.  Both came wrapped in plastic like comic books at a comic shop, and while I have already opened and read a few from the poetry book, I also look forward to exploring her short stories anew once I break into that one.  I currently have so much going on book-wise that I fear I will never make it through everything.

Farce President Trump is really making me hope that he can find some legal ground to deport me so I no longer am required to identify as an American.  The man is a terror to our allies and a blessing to our enemies.  If ISIS needs a recruiting tool, then Farce President Trump will step up and make himself and his hateful rhetoric available.  ISIS has never had a better spokesman than Trump.  Oh Allah's faithful, listen to the words of Trump, surely such a bigot will inspire you.

I need to start writing other things again.  These updates where I am nothing but a bit upset with things must be getting as boring to read as they are uninspiring to write.

ReHash of FB (Enemy of the People)

Oh man, I so want to keep using the phrase "Enemy of the People" just over and over ad nauseam, because really what else is there to do as a blogger, revel in the "Enemy of the People" status that Trump has bestowed upon you, and just keep going.  Truth or not, "Enemy of the People" is indeed the newest thing from Trump, and I will need to venture over to CafePress to get myself the appropriately marked coffee mug.

Trump and his "Enemy of the People" were actually not my intention today, but after a few beers, it seemed a perfectly adequate topic.  As I said on FB, for a country that was founded by illegal immigrants, we seem to take a dim view on them today, which can even be construed in a worse fashion when you consider that Thanksgiving is supposed to be a holiday where we recognize those of the first peoples who lost so much when they showed the newcomers from across the see a bit of basic kindness.  Kindness you have to wonder if they are regretting when you consider the treaties broken and then the fact we want to shove the Dakota Access Pipeline onto them.  It really must be nice to be a caucasian who actually doesn't give a shit, and maybe someday I will become one of them, but it isn't now.

"Life Itself", the biopic

I am not sure how many people have seen the "Life Itself" biography currently playing on Netflix, but I would highly recommend it.  The film is fun and it gives a remarkable progression of how Roger Ebert changed as a man, and as he grew, both older and wiser.  For some of us, who remember the PBS series, don't always remember that he was unable to speak in his last years, and for someone known for both his written and spoken word, that couldn't have been easy.  One thing that constantly catches me off guard in the documentary is that you can see thru Roger's jaw, and that the surgeons basically left the jaw flap for nothing but aesthetic purposes.

I forgot

Since it seems President Trump approves of blogs as journalism (see those allowed into press conferences), then I guess, since I seldom approve or say nice things about him, I may have been elevated to an "enemy of the people" which seems to be his defacto term for the who publish unfavorable things about him.  I find it interesting that if Fox News isn't careful, they will be tarred with that brush as well.  It also sounds like Breitbart found one of its editors in trouble recently.  Considering how unpalatable I consider Milo, if he really is for that sort of thing, he really deserves to lose his publishing contract.  He likes to inflame people and he doesn't consider how he does it until it is too late.  The hit to the bank account may make him a bit more thoughtful, whether he really believes the crap he spews or not.

Before too many days go pass

I feel as if I don't get some sort of update here, then I will end up neglecting what so far is a pleasantly revitalized blog.  Anyway, this weekend at work, aside from work, I did manage to start Ocean Vuong's Night Sky with Exit Wounds, which is a book of poetry, rather than a novel.  While I haven't found something easy to share, I can say that it is powerful.  The poems in it so far don't seem good for me to take extracts from, but I refuse to try and copy whole pages, especially when I have to manually type them.

On a less esoteric scale, I also read Wolfmanny by Julia Talbot, of which I can say it was pleasant with an overdose of cute.  I really should have expected the cute, considering it dealt with a shifter manny taking care of five kids.  More than anything, if she plans to expand the series, then she set a good solid base, and hopefully there will be a bit less cute as things progress.  Not a bad mm romance, but one beset with the trials of child players stealing the scene.

I still need to get the John Donne posted over here, but that isn't for just now, and I am sure Mr. Donne did not mean polyamory when he wrote it, though in this day and age, it is something that can be read into the piece.

When Half the Poem is by a different Poet

I don't know if I am just slow, lazy, or moody about when I read the book, but I am still working on Carlos Pintado's Nine Coins/Nueve monedas.  Amongst those read today included "Portico":

I know that in my life's last moment,

that line of Walt Whitman's will come to me:

And whoever walks a furlong without sympathy

walks to his own funeral . . . 

Considering how many entries I have made regarding Whitman, it only seemed sensible to share this as well.

Just sneaking in a posting for today

Happy Valentine's Day, for those who enjoy the holiday.  I have been so perpetually single, that I no longer worry about it, and tend to forget about it.  No hard feelings with the holiday, just not something I have spent any time enjoying for a very long while.

I did do laundry today, which is what I consider my accomplishment for the day.  Clean clothing is a nice valentine to myself, and my co-workers will be pleased that my clothes don't bear that need to be cleaned stench (though I have a desk job, so that really isn't an issue).

That is pretty much it.  I seem to think the futility of posts like this is probably why this blog keeps going dormant.  If not the reason, it was probably a contributing factor, since I am sometimes one of those annoying all or nothing sorts.

Reminded of Neruda (and other thoughts)

In the February 6, 2017 issue of The New Yorker, I found a poem by Charles Simic that reminded me a great deal of Neruda's The Book of Questions.  I know I have quoted some of the Neruda poetry in the past, so I will spare myself more exercises in transcribing, since those poems are in a physical book for me, rather than electronic.  I think the fifth line of Simic's poem, "Does the sound of the surf remind it of itself?" is probably what the parallel most strongly to mind.

Aside from feeling vaguely unsettled, likely due to a lack of exercise in my daily regimen, there is little to report.  I spent the weekend at work, reading a bit of this and that as I had time.  I will say, electronic readers are great for allowing that, with John Donne (I am reminded there is a poem I wanted to share, but that will be another entry), John Milton, TE Lawrence, and Walt Whitman all authors that I read bits and pieces from.  I also did some browsing of the news, looking for anything I might have missed during the week.  From the latter, I did find this interesting piece in Slate in which the author talks about how the Trump administration is using calls of "Fake News" as a the equivalent of a schoolyard taunt to distract the media and put them on the defensive.

Synchronicity in Reading

Not long ago I read Donald Platt's poem "The Main Event," which is about a boxing match from 1962 between Benny "Kid" Paret and Emile Griffith.  The match is a grizzly affair with the referee stopping the match, a bit belatedly, as Paret is hung on the ropes and beaten ferociously.  Paret eventually dies.  I highly recommend the poem, and it can be found in The Best American Poetry 2015, though it was originally published in Southwest Review.

Shortly after reading this, as I was reading Tales of Beatnik Glory by Ed Sanders, I came across a chapter/short story that mentioned the same fight, "The AEC Sit-In."  The fight was used in a different way in the story, but I found it interesting that I read two unrelated works that just happened to mention the same unfortunate boxing match.

I guess the more you read, the more you discover these things, and I guess if i wanted to be properly clever I could compare and contrast the authors' use of the fight, but I don't care to be properly clever right now, as it is Monday morning, and I am winding down from work, and not mentally up for such an exercise after working all night.

I feel like I need to post

Oddly, I want to add something to the blog, but after waking up far too late today, I don't have that much to add, since I spent the day playing Elder Scrolls Online.  I thought I had gone to bed early enough last night, so that I would wake up at noon-ish or thereabouts, but instead, slept well until closer to 3p.  I need to renew my work ID and I thought if I were up at noon, then I could do it, without getting stuck in traffic and all that rot.  Now, regardless of snow or whatever, snow being why I did not renew it this past Monday morning, I will need to head over to the badging office Monday morning to take care of things.  The place isn't open on weekends, and it closes well before my start time on Fridays.  That is my vent on my over-sleeping, because I can't very well blame it on anything other than me not setting an alarm.

There might be something later when I have moved from checking out the day's news (yay! the courts upheld the stay) to reading the various books and magazines sitting around the house.  I still need to finish January's "Poetry" and have February's issue waiting in the wings.  There is also "Nine Coins" and the latest "Juxtapoz," not to mention Whitman, Ashberry, and the Library of America volume on Art in America.  So much to read, and I haven't even ventured into the fiction.

A link to a poem and thoughts (on what, I am not sure)

I found this great poem by Jameson Fitzpatrick in January's "Poetry" magazine, and I think you should give it a read.  I decided it would be too difficult to just take a section of it and post, so that is why I linked the whole thing.  Considering how things in this blog have progressed, linking it is likely political.

I was looking, but couldn't find it quickly, so I will either forget about it or search later for the line of Whitman I was seeking, one where he sees no difference in the young men sent to war by either side during the Civil War.  It will probably haunt me until I can find it and share it.

Speaking of Whitman, "Long, Too Long America" is one I transcribed onto my FB feed.  I got several likes, and then of course someone decided to make the poem political, and said the screaming was from liberals or some such thing.  After a calm comment from me about one beauty of poetry was that people could interpret it as they will, especially when the author is long gone.  This earned another response of some sort, and I eventually said:

The fact you immediately jumped to something derogatory and negative in your interpretation of the poem, while I was basically using it as a reminder that this country has been divided before, and that we made it through once, and will again, means we really don't see the world in the same way, and our perspectives aren't likely to jibe often. Whitman's war poetry is filled with the blood of young soldiers, and the horrors daily seen, and so there are lamentations also included, but there is also the hope that we will come out whole as a country, and this hope is what carries the poems.  

After that, there was little more to be said, and he did sort of apologize.  Perhaps we are so polarized because we not everyone is willing to compromise on their vision for this country, a country that has historically and consistently demonized immigrants, but has somehow managed to keep accepting them.  We are a country of immigrants, and to deny that is to deny history, and to claim that immigrants have always been openly accepted is also to deny history, since just prior to WWII the US refused to allow a ship of Jewish refugees to disembark.  History is dark and sometimes unpleasant, and though they claim it is written by the winners, we all lose if the other voices are completely silenced.  With the current methods terrorists seem to enjoy, I think a thorough vetting of immigrants is fair and just, and that vetting got even more thorough when it was discovered some were allowed into the country, only to have them attempt to send money to terrorist organizations.  Slowing the process down and increasing the scrutiny was a valid answer, banning people outright fleeing from countries at war is not a measured answer, it is a panic answer that does no good, but does manage to alienate our allies, and make life infinitely more difficult for those fleeing their homes.

Ironically, VP Pence is staunchly pro-life, but a dead three year old boy lying on a beach deserves nothing because he is muslim?  Something tells me that VP Pence is only pro-life if there is a chance the child will be brought up as a good Christian.

Gilli again... but it should be the end of it, until he publishes a new book

Gillibran Brown, houseboy and sub to two remarkably patient men.  I finished all of his published works this past weekend, though I have yet to completely read all of his website diaries.  The boy is an incredible mass of emotions fighting through his traditional upbringing to make themselves known.  While I don't actually expect a pleasant tome, the next book of his memoirs should be interesting as it will deal with his mother's passing and how he dealt with her request to sing her father's favorite song at her funeral.  Both of these were foreshadowed in the last two volumes, as well as how he deal with the box of memories she gifted him on her last Christmas.  All of that creates an emotional minefield for someone whose emotions carry on at a heightened level anyway, so I am curious as to how him and his men handled the situation.  Either he has removed the actual events from his blog, or he never reported them there, but I am curious.

A friend of mine mentioned that over on Goodreads there is a group of folk who discuss whether Gillibran Brown is actually a real person, and to them I have no solid reply, but instead think that it doesn't really matter.  While Gore Vidal meant the comment as a slight to Anais Nin, I do think that if Gillibran Brown doesn't exist exactly as he portrays himself in his memoirs, then his memoirs are indeed his greatest bit of fiction.  The Gilli portrayed has so many qualms and tends to be straight-forward with the reader as to what is going on in his mind, that even if everything is not as presented, everything was certainly as interesting as presented.  A good friend of mine has the ability to present the most everyday sort of story in such a fashion that you laugh out loud, so Gilli having the same ability wouldn't surprise me.

The last full book, dealing with Christmas at Leo's, I really thought showed a side of Gilli we haven't seen much.  I really enjoyed the interaction with Pat, who for lack of a better description could be termed an aging or aged queen.  Gilli reached out, Pat reached back, and I hope Pat shows up as a support in the next book, though, if based on real life, there is no telling if that will happen.  Pat has the experience and respect of the others so that when he defends Gilli, they actually listen.  While Gilli can be over the top, Pat being a sympathetic ear, and someone who I think Gilli connected with was a nice change, since Gilli does seem to have issues with so many people, and, even more remarkable, was that Gilli reached out even when he thought he had been dismissed by Pat.  While I hope to read more about how Gilli dealt with all the impending horrible events in his life, I hope for a respite from all of that with Pat showing some support for him.  Anyway, that is how I want things to play out, but life isn't always like that, so who know how his memoir will play out until he releases it.

A bit from "Paradise Lost"

As I was reading the news this past weekend, I came across this rather striking image.  Is it overblown or a premonition?  Only time will tell, but I also happened to be reading a bit more of "Paradise Lost" this weekend as well, and came across this near the end of book 1 in Milton's poem:

He spake: and to confirm his words, out-flew 
Millions of flaming swords, drawn from the thighs 
Of mighty Cherubim; the sudden blaze   
Far round illumin’d hell: highly they rag’d 
Against the Highest, and fierce with grasped arms 
Clash’d on thir sounding 
Shields the din of war, 
Hurling defiance toward the vault of Heav’n.

          -Milton, John (2012-10-13). Delphi Complete Works of John Milton (Illustrated) (Kindle Locations 3025-3028). Delphi Classics. Kindle Edition.

This cover, in addition to how Trump has behaved towards the judiciary this past week, as well as his treatment of the press, and his general disregard for the US Constitution, I think compelled my brain to draw that comparison with Mammon.

Gradual Discovery

Over on FB, there is someone I went to high school with, and he is on the opposite side of the political spectrum, which isn't an uncommon occurrence, especially considering I went to high school in Southern Indiana.  Regardless, he posted some story about Tom Brady being threatened with a public flogging if he didn't recant his friendship with Donald Trump.  I asked if he was serious about such a story, and then said that Tom Brady, like any entertainer, is allowed to speak his political views, and the fallout from them is between him and his fans, like it would be any entertainer.  The comment back was something about it being from the left, and he was confused.  I am not quite sure what happened, as I was there supporting someone's right to an opinion, and if they choose to be vocal about that opinion, then they should accept the fallout, and I didn't care whether the opinion was from the left or right.  I am not going to follow up comments on that chain because it really seems that even when I agree with this person, in this case allowing an entertainer the right to their opinion, I am somehow in the wrong by not condemning those who disagree with it?  I know my English isn't that bad, but for some reason I think we are speaking different languages.

[I do consider professional athletes entertainers, since they use their talents to entertain via sport.]

More Whitman

His Civil War poetry seems to strike a chord with me currently.  Here is another:

LONG, TOO LONG AMERICA.

Long, too long America,Traveling roads all even and peaceful you learn'd from joys and prosperity only,But now, ah now, to learn from crises of anguish, advancing, grappling with direst fate and recoiling not,And now to conceive and show to the world what your children en-masse really are,(For who except myself has yet conceiv'd what your children en-masse really are?)

- Whitman, Walt; Gilchrist, Anne (2014-02-20). The Complete Walt Whitman: Drum-Taps, Leaves of Grass, Patriotic Poems, Complete Prose Works, The Wound Dresser, Letters (Kindle Locations 1384-1393). Bybliotech. Kindle Edition.

I found something from "Paradise Lost" I intend to share as well, but since I had already posted this to FB, I figured it would make more sense to do this one today, with the other used at a later date. One nice thing about poetry is that it allows us to remember that what we face today is little but a different aspect of what has been faced in the past, no less pernicious, and no less unpleasant, but not something completely new.

Edit: I attempted to correct formatting on this but I didn't succeed. Rather than fuss with it forever, I am just going to leave it.

Walt's words work well

YEAR THAT TREMBLED AND REEL'D BENEATH ME.   

Year that trembled and reel'd beneath me! 
Your summer wind was warm enough, yet the air I breathed froze me, 
A thick gloom fell through the sunshine and darken'd me, 
Must I change my triumphant songs? said I to myself, 
Must I indeed learn to chant the cold dirges of the baffled? 
And sullen hymns of defeat?

          --Whitman, Walt; The Complete Walt Whitman: Drum-Taps, Leaves of Grass, Patriotic Poems, Complete Prose Works, The Wound Dresser, Letters (Kindle Locations 1292-1298). Bybliotech. Kindle Edition.

I came across this poem yesterday, and liked it, and thought it terribly apropos of the current situation.

Gilliflowers, again.

I still have 25% of the book to finish, but one thing I do like about this book is how Gilli portrays his own fight against acceptance of his epilepsy and his partners' acceptance and work on mitigating and minimizing its impact.  I doubt anyone wants to admit they have a condition as potentially debilitating as epilepsy is becoming more active rather than less as they grow older, so I can't fault Gilli in his single minded pursuit that it isn't that big a deal.  Personally, I wouldn't like the fuss over it either, so I genuinely get his point.  One thing about this book is that it takes place over a short period of time, and, since I haven't finished it, I have yet to find out how that plays out.  What I do appreciate about this memoir is how he portrays his denial of the condition while his lover impose ever more restrictive conditions to try and minimize it.  He isn't on board and he is in denial, but he wants the relationship and he respects his partners enough to make a go of it, and while not always pleasant, his attempts give the reader some insight into what is in his mind.  No one wants to be an epileptic, and no one wants to be seen as a medical condition rather than a person, so I am really hoping Gilli makes peace at some point before the end of this book, though from friends, and from a bit of HS English Lit (can we say foreshadowing), I am guessing he will have more than just his epilepsy to work through before the end.

For the record, I did go over to Smashwords and pick up the rest of his books, since his website mentions them first, rather than Amazon.

Charlie Cochet's "Thick & Thin"

I really should have mentioned this yesterday before chatting about Gilli.  Anyway, in Ms Cochet's latest THIRDS novella she does a nice job of wrapping things up prior to the next book, which is focused on a couple other than Dex & Sloane, who have been the main concern for most of the series,  though others have occasionally taken the spotlight.  I believe she mentioned something about wanting to separate this out so it didn't distract from that storyline, and I am glad she did.  If you have forgotten some of the details my friend Cheryl assures me that Ms Cochet does a nice job in recapping them for you.  I didn't have the same continuity issues, so I will say that Ms Cochet's recap did not distract from the story at hand.  This is a novella that plays out events that happened at the end of book 7, and sets up the next book to be relatively tidy, rather than distracting from that story with the revelations detailed here, because this book combined with the next would do nothing but distract from those details.  If I were cynical I could say it is a play for money, but I am not quite that bad, and I do think what happens in this story would seriously distract from whatever story she has set up for Seb & Hudson, and I think she was correct in her decision to make this its own story, however unconventional the storyline.  I would also advise that if you haven't read any of this series, then this is not the book to start with.  Start with book 1, "Hell & High Water" and if you like it, continue on, as this isn't a series that, as yet, I haven't seen quality issues with.  With the exception of two books, the series focuses on two main characters and is constantly developing the secondary characters, such as the aforementioned Seb & Hudson.  The books require a suspension of disbelief into Ms Cochet's scientific logic for shifters, and they also require you not to be squeamish when gay sex is described, but overall, for this sort of genre fiction, I think she does a marvelous job, and this novella does exactly what she expected, which is wrap up consequences from book 7 while prepping readers for book 9.  Due to the emotional rollercoaster these characters experience, I also don't see any issue breaking this out, because by doing so, Ms Cochet allowed the emotional requirements at the end of book 7 to shine as they needed, and not be lost in an epilogue.

So this isn't exactly a book review, but I did read it, and enjoy it, and would suggest it to others who have enjoyed the series.

Venting a little...

OK, let's get some ugliness off my chest.  First off, I do not think that everything President Obama did was wonderful.  Contrary to the Republicans though, I do not think his entire agenda was wrong and should be undone as quickly as possible.  Starting with medical care, do we live in a country that actually believes everyone doesn't deserve affordable medical care?  By affordable, I don't mean that getting cancer leaves you a choice of treatment which will bankrupt you, or choosing no treatment, because it will leave your family in better financial position.  I recall reading that "for profit" medical centers have a higher issue of welfare fraud than "non profit," and if this is true, perhaps the government is wrong in just looking at insurance as a solution.  (This link isn't the article I had in mind, which was read a bit ago, but shows the various medical frauds from 2015, both of the insurance industry and medicare.  It also doesn't say which are for profit or non profit.  Regardless, the amount of fraud is staggering.)  Since all the fraud mentioned in that article wasn't just against medicare, but also against insurance companies, it isn't something that can simply be put to government incompetence, as private industry has a problem with it as well.

Back to my original point, do we really want to live in a country that can't or won't provide basic medical care to people.  Broken bones happen, but for fast food workers or retail employees, if they don't happen at work, prior to the Affordable Care Act, they didn't make the money to pay for treatment without going into significant debt.  I know a lot of people bitch and moan about the minimum wage, but if you are working for it, there isn't much chance that you are saving anything, after rent, utilities, and food, and if you are saving for something, an accident will put you back at nothing, whether that money was for school, a vacation, or, ironically, helping out family with medical bills.  Republicans began to really get an earful after the election, and while they are still going to try and dismantle the programs, their voters at least have them doing it with a bit more thought and a bit less glee.  They care about the vote, not the voter, which is to say they don't really care.

Another gross example of not caring is Trump executive order on immigration.  He did not vet this with the agencies involved and he did not think about how it would impact our allies, or those living, working, and studying in this country.  He didn't care and just made his proclamation, with the fallout damaging pretty much everything.  Follow that up with his conversation with the Australian PM, in which he argued about a refugee agreement Obama had made.  The agreement, according to the Australian PM, was for 1250 refugees to be accepted in the US after proper vetting.  Trump was arguing 2000, which is a significant overstatement.  Trump does have a way of exaggerating things.  While the women's march was a scheduled event, last weekend's spontaneous airport protests were brought on by Trump's callous handling of immigration regulations.

Government has almost always been accused of being cold and faceless, insisting on the regulations, regardless of if they made sense.  Trump is giving his face to this ugly bureaucracy by showing no care whatsoever for his actions or their consequences.  He has a steep learning curve, and he is still carping about Schwarzenegger and his "The Apprentice" ratings.

I guess that is it for now, though I may try to write something a bit later about something other than politics.  In my opinion, since private industry was unable to affordable insure all Americans, then the government does have the obligation to step in.  We are not a pure capitalist society, because if we were the robber barons and monopolists from the nineteenth & early twentieth century would still have their mini empires; instead, we are a mixed system, capitalist principles tempered by government restrictions, lest we live in a  polluted world working 80 hours weeks for below a living wage.  Americans are better than that, and our government needs to be as well.

Couldn't sleep (so I got out of bed and read)

I was having one of those nights, where I wanted to go to bed early, and if you work nights, 2:30am is early, but then couldn't sleep, and after an hour or so, I got up.  Chamomile tea seemed in order.  I did have a bit of it, and am on my second mug now, and I do think I will sleep fine once I finish it, and this entry.  Being all Trumped out, I opted not to focus my reading on current events, and instead picked up a semi-humorous memoir, "Gilliflowers," instead.  Gillibran Brown website can be found here.  Gilli is very effective at translating his smart mouth to the page, and as he calls out his more obvious exaggerations, it does serve as a device to make you wonder about the rest.  Anyway, being out of the UK and writing the books via blog means there are always new phrases I am not accustomed to, and he is kind enough to explain them.  There is also the fun of seeing words on the page that I haven't seen many recent writers use, during today's reading "slattern" caught my attention, and gave me a giggle.  Of course, what would comments about a book be without something political, and here is Gilli's view:

"I hate talking politics, especially with business people. The business class tends to view politics as something that should only relate to their personal profit margins, as opposed to something that should benefit mankind in general."

             - Brown, Gillibran (2012-09-19). Gilliflowers, Bonds of Affection, Memoirs of a Houseboy 2008 (p. 113). Houseboy Works/Gillibran Brown. Kindle Edition. 

Actually the author recently had a kerfuffle with readers when he voiced his displeasure with both Brexit and Trump -- just because he writes fiction, does not mean he isn't allowed his opinion, though some of his readers didn't appreciate him sharing that opinion.  Chiming in here, I am glad he expressed his opinion, as much as anything else because as a writer, writing is safe form of venting, so he doesn't keep all that frustration and feeling of impotence locked up.  It is why I share any number of articles regularly on Facebook & Google+, because it is a way to share my concerns.  His readers don't need to agree with him politically, just like you don't need to like the political beliefs of any actor or musician.  You might wish they would keep their trap shut, but don't call them names because they were sharing their views.

I think I will have to face that if I am actually going to write here regularly, this will be about what I am reading, whether poetry, gay fiction, or to some degree the news, though I will try to push that off to other social media.

Wow...

I am constantly amazed at how people view the world, or perhaps I should say view the world via the political/religious lens.  Facebook today took me into that uncomfortable territory where when I compared the fundamentalist sects of Christianity and Islam, I was told that is was basically irrelevant because a lot of Christian sects have reached out GLBTQ folks.  I am doing what I can to keep an open mind and argue reasonably, specifically mentioning that I said "fundamentalist" rather than referring to either as a whole, but it didn't seem to do any good, because the person I was conversing with thought I was stretching the fundamentalist aspect.  ISIL/ISIS is a fundamental sect of Islam, and comparing them to similar hate filled sects of Christianity is only proper.   Neither is accurately reflecting their faith, and both deserve to be discussed because of that.

I don't consider Mom's Methodist Church to be fundamentalist at all, so don't take my condemnation of that group as to being relevant to her or her faith.

Any ideas?

I have not spoken with Mom or my step-father since Thanksgiving.  Actually, I haven't spoken with my step-father since September, but Mom expressed her dismay at one of my FB posts, so we spoke, and though she didn't directly ask me, I did delete said message.  The message was one urging her to make sure her GLBTQ congregation members understood that regardless of the election, the Methodist church, and her parish in particular still valued them and wanted to be inclusive.  My step-father has a tendency to belabor a point, to such an extent the those at the other end find it uncomfortable, and this he did with some lesbian members of my mother's church.  She mentioned that they also brought up their points, but she also implied they were left in tears, and in such as state as they actually screamed at her when she tried to call and placate them after the election.  Truly, this is all a mess, since I never picked my step-father for one who would vote for someone he described as an "idiot" for president, most likely because he believed Hillary was "crooked."  Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?

All of this said, I may actually get another call from Mom expressing discontent over this post, but this time, I don't really care.  While I have seen the Pope actually call out the recent refugee executive order as being un-Christian, I have not seen the leaders of her church do the same.  Perhaps if she wants to link me that, I will change my mind, but as I pointed out on someone's post, American Christianity is not about Christ helping the world, but it is about Christ helping me.



EDIT - I just went to the Methodist Church homepage, and they don't agree with Trump.  Here is a link.

For those visiting from the Ranch

I recently cross posted a link to my blog into a forum where I am a member.  The forum strives to be apolitical, since it can not be assumed that all reader of an MM forum have the same political beliefs. I respect the owners of the forum and enjoy their work enough that I have no issues with this.  If you are from the ranch and you want to avoid any of the posts here that may be political, then find the labels with Poetry, and you will be generally safe, as those either highlight my own poems or poetry that I have been reading.  On the other hand, if you don't mind my political leanings, then feel free to explore and comment as you will, and I will just hope that Google, the corporate overlord here, doesn't make that too onerous.  My Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ feeds are pretty much nothing but politics with the occasional breath of something else, so only follow me there if you won't be disturbed by links that illustrate my worldview.

Just before bed

I should probably not be writing this, just before bed,
because just before bed is when your brain
isn't quite thinking brainly sort of thoughts.

Just before bed your brain isn't thinking brainly thoughts,
because just before bed, it is already thinking
about the morrow, and what it holds,

Because we all, just before bed
Think about to-do lists and errands,
and how to make tomorrow better than today

Because we all, just before bed
Think about the day gone by
and wonder if it was a success?

Just before bed, because we all like that time
Just before bed.  Curl up with a book or
Cuddle with a spouse, just before bed.

Congress and Appeasement

I just posted something to my Twitter account about how Congress should recall Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement when they deal with Trump.  I really mean Congress as a whole, not just the Democrats.  McConnell ran a thorough policy of disruption during Obama's administration, and it is unfortunate that he did so, as I do think if the Republicans had been willing to work with Obama, then good things could have been accomplished, much like the Republican Congress worked with President Clinton and left the budget in good order when his term ended.  So far nothing that Trump has presented us with in the way of Executive Orders are actually appealing, and I am beginning to wonder if he thinks just because he issues them if they are valid.  For example, his wall order will come to naught if Congress never provides funding.  We should be glad of the line item veto has never passed constitutional muster.

Villanelle for Today, 25 January 2017

Something urges the writer to write
Meter, verse, free form or whatever,
To do such a thing, like a blight

Something urges the writer to write
Beyond hope of publishing ever,
To do such a thing, with such might

Something urges the writer to write
Mediocrity calling, verging on Palaver,
To do such a thing, it is his right

Something urges the writer to write
No Eternity summoned, now or forever
To do such a thing, beyond his sight

Something urges the writer to write
Diving muse or something less clever
To do such a thing, the writer's plight

Something urges the writer to write
Notes spastic, but truth, at least his, forever
To do such a thing, it is his right
To do such a thing, beyond his sight.

[The edit was because I had one stanza too few for a villanelle, so I had to add another.]

Did I Doom this?

I mentioned on Facebook that I have recently been active on my blog, for those who may still have the link.  I purposefully did not include a link, and I commented that I hoped my mention of the blog being active again would not curse me into inactivity.  If I had found something worthwhile in the translation, I would post something from Marcel Broodthaers' "My Ogre Book," but in truth it seemed a bit to disjointed and of a piece that removing a section didn't seem quite right, because they would have made even less sense out of context.  Anyway, his "Shadow Theater" is now on my reading list, and, after seeing Ocean Vuong's "Night Sky With Exit Wounds" on many year end lists, I did pick up a copy of my local bookstore (not Amazon), so, it too, is now on my reading list.

I have matching chairs in my living room, one is for me, and one is for my books, and I have to say, if I don't get busy, the one for my books won't have space for anything new.  I could get it all electronically, but I do rather like holding a book, and flipping pages, that old-fashioned sort of nonsense which would likely get me nowhere if I ever have to look for a new job.

If I give my prose line breaks, does it become poetry?

The Arts

It is truly unfortunate, that as a whole, Americans don't see a value in The Arts.  Yes, I capitalized it, and I meant everything from Fine Arts (painting, sculpture, etc) to Performing Arts (Dance, Opera, and Theatre) to Musical Arts to Literary Arts (poetry, short stories, etc), and no doubt there is something I am missing, but my intentions likely include it as well.  Our new administration, both legislative and executive branches, have every intention of cutting off all federal funding for these organizations.

In the case of the executive branch, it is most likely because a good business case could not be made for them.  I am sure Mr. Trump liked "Hamilton" before Mr. Pence attended and the audience booed him, but Trump liked it because he was supposed to like it, it was talked about, it was sold out, and the tickets were hard to get, so how better to show how important you are than to go to the hottest ticket show in town, and I don't doubt that Mr. Trump provided Mr. Pence the tickets just to show his influence.  The fact that a fair number of artists don't like Mr. Trump and as showed during the "Hamilton" episode, neither do the audiences, but Mr. Trump has no desire to support anyone who won't flatter him.  If Narcissus wasn't already the origin figure for the word narcissist, then you would find Mr. Trump's photo in the dictionary, illustrating the definition.  Mr. Trump doesn't really see the value of the arts, how they expose people to new ideas, how they have the potential to expand horizons.  I will be the first to say that sometimes they get a bit too esoteric, but that doesn't make them bad (in truth, it tends to make me avoid certain poets or artists that I don't get), because what doesn't speak to me is very likely to speak to someone else, with a different background and with a different set experiences prior to experiencing the artwork in question.

For the Legislative Branch, I don't have quite so much sympathy.  The legislative branch wants to cut funding because they are a bunch of bitter folks who still want to fund nothing that President Obama found useful.  They don't like that NPR doesn't cover them with fawning praises, and they don't like art that challenges them; therefore, neither the NEA or NEH deserve any funding.  Stupid idiots.  I didn't like Ayn Rand when I tried reading "The Fountainhead" years ago, and I have even less desire to read any of her books knowing that Paul Ryan is a big fan.  Ugh... he will happily strip health care from his parents and then laugh while they drown in debt from big medical.