Steven M. Moore's Blog, page 197
August 14, 2012
Irish Stew #12…
Item: Post mortem of the Olympic Games. A) In spite of Romney’s gaffes, perceived or real, I think the Brits did a damn good job on the Olympics. They had a good share of the medals too, although I think counting medals is stupid. The international press makes the Games into a competition between countries when they are really a competition between teams and individuals trying to dominate their sports. It should always be just good, healthy fun. Of course, China is an even worse offender: bea...
August 10, 2012
News and Notices from the Writing Trenches #32…
#183: Welcome Brits! The newsletter “Publishing Poynters” pointed to the following stat: eBooks are outselling pBooks now at Amazon/UK! I have noticed an uptick in interest among Brits for my eBooks. That’s understandable. Many of my books are international in flavor. Perhaps I should say, “Welcome international readers!” Although I’m partial to Jameson’s and other fine Irish whiskeys, I think the whole UK rocks. In fact, all of Europe rocks. I have fond memories of my sojourns there. It’s na...
August 9, 2012
Raping Gaia–will She recover?
There are many important issues in the never-ending battle between the 99% v. 1%. One such issue is likely to affect the 1% just as much as the 99%–the environment human beings live in. Worldwide, many of the 99% live in poverty, experiencing war, famine, and filth without shelter and clean water. This could be the future of the 1% too—when Gaia suffers, we all suffer. Gaia, Mother Earth, or whatever you call Her, is currently being violently gang-raped by the 1% for power and profit. Her sil...
August 7, 2012
The eternal Crusades…
Religious belief has been a double-edged sword throughout the centuries. Humanity seems to be mired in perpetual Crusades where one group of believers wants to beat the crap out of another group, and vice versa. Warring crusaders are bad enough, but it’s even worse when those crusaders are using religion simply to take what others have by force and use the difference in beliefs as an excuse. SOP: Declare your enemies to be heretics in order to justify your butchering conquests. Over the years...
August 2, 2012
Offshore banks and overseas incorporation…
A nail in the coffin for the U.S. in the future is the ubiquitous use of offshore bank accounts by the 1%. It’s not just banking for the rich elites either, as many companies like General Electric incorporate overseas. The common goal is to avoid paying U.S. taxes. It’s a similar goal for European companies that want to avoid paying taxes to the E.U. (GE avoids them both). Whether companies or individuals, the effect is the same: to keep a country’s infrastructure running and the worker bees...
July 31, 2012
Irish Stew #11…
Item: Security in the Olympics? What’s happening to the calm and organized Brits? First, some idiots hire a private security firm that can’t deliver enough security guards and those who show up don’t know what they’re doing. Second, in reaction to this fiasco, the government brings in twice the number of troops to London than it sent to Afghanistan. Third, local pickpockets and muggers are having a field day and all the government can do is blame foreigners. Next thing we know, they’ll be cal...
July 27, 2012
News and Notices from the Writing Trenches #31…
#176: Review. For those readers who didn’t read my review of Carolyn J. Rose’s Through a Yellow Wood, you should. It’s the sequel to her Hemlock Lake. I’ve added her book to the “Steve’s Bookshelf” page on my website. In my review, I nitpicked the title. Let me officially apologize to Carolyn here. Poetry is not my forte. She informed me that the title is similar to a line from Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.” Frost’s poem considers choices in life and is therefore appropriate for this ex...
July 26, 2012
The ineffective U.N….
The recent vote on censure against Syria torpedoed by China and Russia only emphasizes how ineffective the U.N. has become. The last U.S. president to ask the U.N. to get behind him when going to war was Papa Bush (the Gulf War). For Iraq, Baby Bush even changed a long standing U.S. tradition and launched a preemptive strike without allies’ or U.N. permission. For Libya, Obama turned to NATO, not the U.N.
What’s happening in Syria is similar to but not the same as what happened in Libya before...
July 24, 2012
Review of Carolyn J. Rose’s Through a Yellow Wood…
(Carolyn J. Rose, Through a Yellow Wood, ASIN B008HU0RMG)
This mystery is the sequel to the author’s Hemlock Lake. I also reviewed the latter for Bookpleasures. You might also want to read that review (you’ll also find it in the category “Book Reviews”). Sequels are often compared to the first book in a series—this one is longer, just as well written and entertaining, and a bit more profound. I recommend it. Moreover, if you didn’t read Hemlock Lake, read them both. They are great stories from...
July 19, 2012
Mr. Obama, Mr. Liberal or Mr. Avenger?
I’m frustrated with the continued painting of progressive liberals as wimpy peaceniks. This whitewashing has two sources. The first comes from the peaceniks themselves who are generally wimpy, provincial iconoclasts more worried about whales and seals than geopolitics. The second is conservative Republicans who have put themselves on the pedestal of defending America’s honor for years. Every liberal to them is weak on national defense, a hand-wringing cry baby. The primary ghoul in this chara...
