Ray Foy's Blog, page 17
July 8, 2012
An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit
While Donna and I were in Mexico (see "Sun May-27-2012 Puerto Vallarta"), I passed the time in flight and waiting in the hospital by reading Daniel Quinn's Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit.
In a word, I love this book. I was enthralled by Quinn's thesis, presented in less than 300 pages in the fictional framework of an intelligent, lowland gorilla teaching a disillusioned writer about the great turning point in Neolithic human history that explains "why things are the way they are." The book grabbed me with it's format of speculative fiction storytelling and socratic dialogue method of teaching an insight hidden in plain sight in historical and mythological texts.
Back home, I read the book a second time, making notes in the margins as I compared it to Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel. Both books are enlightening and together make a good study for understanding the background for why humanity is presently in the fix it is in. And it is in quite a fix, my friends; a real mess. One that is inevitable, and easily predictable when seen in the context of an unbiased study of history. Ishmael is a good place to start that study.
Four concepts in Ishmael really grabbed me:
1. The idea that intelligence develops as a function of awareness or concentration. This is not a major theme in the book, but it is there and supports my own belief that a person's development intellectually, spiritually, and in all ways is heavily dependent on their ability to concentrate. That's why meditation is such a useful tool.
2. The explanation of the spread of civilization in the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. Quinn expresses this concept in Ishmael's interpretation of the story and it is the only interpretation of it that has ever made sense to me.
3. Civilization, as we know it, did not evolve from "tribal" or "hunter-gather" societies, but grew in parallel to them and supplanted them (in fact, is still supplanting them, since there are still some around).
4. We are all living by a "a story." As individuals and as societies, we're following a script that we think is the right way, indeed the only way, to live. Living in the Bible Belt, I see this every day.
I could greatly expand upon each of these concepts, and maybe I will in future journal entries. For now, I offer them to you as teasers to follow in your own studies, if you're so inclined.
Ishmael is a novel that tells of a teacher who places an ad for a student with the stipulation that he or she "Must have an earnest desire to save the world." While I identify with the student that applies in many ways, that is one point where I don't. Ishmael's student had a great desire to save the world in the Sixties, but he became disillusioned. I was disillusioned before I ever saw any hope for change. I'm pessimistic about the world's future and feel like efforts to change things for the better (though I admire the Occupy movement) are futile.
Maybe I'll change my mind eventually. I hope so.
See my review of Ishmael by Daniel Quinn in GoodReads at: www.goodreads.com/review/show/363992525.
In a word, I love this book. I was enthralled by Quinn's thesis, presented in less than 300 pages in the fictional framework of an intelligent, lowland gorilla teaching a disillusioned writer about the great turning point in Neolithic human history that explains "why things are the way they are." The book grabbed me with it's format of speculative fiction storytelling and socratic dialogue method of teaching an insight hidden in plain sight in historical and mythological texts.
Back home, I read the book a second time, making notes in the margins as I compared it to Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel. Both books are enlightening and together make a good study for understanding the background for why humanity is presently in the fix it is in. And it is in quite a fix, my friends; a real mess. One that is inevitable, and easily predictable when seen in the context of an unbiased study of history. Ishmael is a good place to start that study.
Four concepts in Ishmael really grabbed me:
1. The idea that intelligence develops as a function of awareness or concentration. This is not a major theme in the book, but it is there and supports my own belief that a person's development intellectually, spiritually, and in all ways is heavily dependent on their ability to concentrate. That's why meditation is such a useful tool.
2. The explanation of the spread of civilization in the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. Quinn expresses this concept in Ishmael's interpretation of the story and it is the only interpretation of it that has ever made sense to me.
3. Civilization, as we know it, did not evolve from "tribal" or "hunter-gather" societies, but grew in parallel to them and supplanted them (in fact, is still supplanting them, since there are still some around).
4. We are all living by a "a story." As individuals and as societies, we're following a script that we think is the right way, indeed the only way, to live. Living in the Bible Belt, I see this every day.
I could greatly expand upon each of these concepts, and maybe I will in future journal entries. For now, I offer them to you as teasers to follow in your own studies, if you're so inclined.
Ishmael is a novel that tells of a teacher who places an ad for a student with the stipulation that he or she "Must have an earnest desire to save the world." While I identify with the student that applies in many ways, that is one point where I don't. Ishmael's student had a great desire to save the world in the Sixties, but he became disillusioned. I was disillusioned before I ever saw any hope for change. I'm pessimistic about the world's future and feel like efforts to change things for the better (though I admire the Occupy movement) are futile.
Maybe I'll change my mind eventually. I hope so.
See my review of Ishmael by Daniel Quinn in GoodReads at: www.goodreads.com/review/show/363992525.
July 1, 2012
A flickering light in the distance
Carrying on in the face of fear, pushing ahead in spite of doubts because quitting is not an option, is the theme of the short story I just published on Smashwords called, Fire Dance. That hopeful theme is set against the dark landscape of the near-future I envision. It's a contrast that I hope provides a thoughtful level to the tale, while the suspense of a father looking for his lost daughter in a dangerous world provides some entertainment.The story is very Celtic in nature and I took the inspiration for it from an instrumental on Loreena McKinnett's Parallel Dreams album called Beltane Fire Dance. That song begins with deep, mysterious, pagan chants that suggest dark, cold nights filled with mists, the smell of distant fires, and glimmers of jack-o-lanterns. It slowly builds in tempo, backed by a rhythm of sheepskin drums, then adds fiddles and melody until it invites dancing and celebration. I tried to mimic that musical evolution in the scene where my protagonist, Brian, trudges through the woods towards a flicker of bonfires through the trees. It's also a picture of his struggle through fear and doubt towards hope.
Listening to McKinnett's song, it was easy to imagine the ancient Celts dancing around the twin bonfires of their Beltane (May Day) celebration. Old agricultural societies worked hard and coveted their times to take a day off and celebrate anything. I expect they filled tables with the food they grew, and their bellies with the beer they brewed. Their fire dance would seem strange to a foreign visitor, though he would appreciate the celebration, once he were welcomed.
I wrote Fire Dance last year (2011). Besides expressing my Celtic inspiration, I wanted to put out something good in a paying publication with a readership to gain some exposure for my work and see if I could get some kind of feedback. It took me eight months to get through two rejections. That reminded me why I self-published on Smashwords in the first place: the traditional publication process takes too long, and the feed back is too slow, and I'm too old for all that. I think it's better for me to use computer technology and the Internet, while both are viable and available, to directly and quickly reach readers.
So I put Fire Dance on Smashwords this past Tuesday, and downloads began immediately. They've continued steadily since. One person was even kind enough to rate it with four stars and say some good words about it in a review. Others thought enough of it to save links to it in their Smashwords libraries. Such little encouragements prompt me to carry on. They are a flickering light in the distance.
You can download Fire Dance for FREE on Smashwords at: www.smashwords.com/books/view/175950.
You can find Lorenna McKinnett's Parallel Dreams album, including Beltane Fire Dance, at: www.amazon.com/Parallel-Dreams-Loreena-Mckennitt/dp/B000000LXF
May 27, 2012
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is a resort town on the west coast of Mexico some 400 miles northwest of Mexico City, about 1200 miles southwest of Jackson, Mississippi, and light-years from my expectations. It's not that I had bad expectations, I really didn't know what to expect. People had offered warnings about traveling to Mexico and I was anxious about making such a long journey by air in any event. I think mostly, I've just been sitting in one place for too long.Donna and I made the trip to take advantage of the lower cost of healthcare in Mexico (I won't get into that here, but we were seeking a medical procedure managed by doctors rather than insurance companies). Attending to that need was our primary concern (it's OK, we're both fine) followed by a little rest in a tropical, seaside environ.
First, the airline travel was the usual hustling between gates to make flights, with a four hour layover in Houston on the way down that was only mildly annoying. There's a part of me that loves flying, or at least the idea of flying, and a part that fears it. The fearful part tends to disappear once I'm in the air, and it feels like bus travel (though not as comfortable). I get my news through the alternative press, so I don't fear hijackers and terrorists. I'm more nervous about the TSA.
Gatekeepers (like the TSA) seem to dwell in a world of their own, however. Like Mexican Customs. Getting through Customs generally wasn't bad other than having to fill out a form printed in Spanish (they were out of the English versions). We managed to get it filled out, but when we reached a Mexican Customs agent, he seemed really perturbed that our passports were in leather cases. It took me a minute to figure out his insistence that we present "ONLY" our passports. When I did, I tore them from their cases and handed them to him, and he calmed down.
Otherwise, I liked the Mexican people. They were generally friendly and those that knew more than a smattering of English were willing to help this gringo make a order at McDonalds or exchange dollars for pesos. But the language barrier was a real problem for me. Donna speaks Spanish and got by quite well, acting as my interpreter. There were moments, though, when I was by myself and had to face a clerk's greeting that left me dumb, or trying to reply with a Spanish vocabulary of about eight words.
I also came to realize that, among the Mexicans, "speaking" English does not guarantee "hearing" English. Several times, I was pleased to deal with locals who spoke English very well, only to have them go mute and turn to Donna when I spoke more than two sentences in reply. Being in a place where you don't speak the language is isolating, and it showed me the benefit of learning at least the rudiments before you go.
Mostly, however, Donna facilitated our communication without problem and I found a people who were genuinely friendly and without pretensions. They were certainly hard-workers, providing fast and accommodating service in restaurants, excellent healthcare in the hospital we visited, and maintaining a meticulous cleanliness in our hotel.
Case in point: the hotel's restaurant was on the beach and completely open to the elements. There were no walls, just a massive thatched roof. It made for pleasant breakfasts from an excellent buffet amid the Pacific breeze, the briny ambiance, classical music--and birds. Birds filled the place, going after scraps and competing with the customers for the buffet. But I never saw the first dropping. The place was almost constantly being mopped and droppings didn't remain for long.
Because of the medical nature of our visit, we weren't able to do any of the big activities available to visitors. These include mountain hikes, zip-lining, para-sailing, horseback riding, snorkeling, and more. Maybe on the next trip. This time, we settled for walks along the beach and through town, and fighting off time-share salesmen.
I anticipated some hours of long plane flights and waiting on this trip, so I made sure I had some reading material, specifically, the "novel" Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. I was greatly moved by it. In fact, now that I'm back home, I'm rereading it. I'll do a review of it elsewhere, for now I'll just say it's about why modern human society is the way it is. I found the book's theme to be an apt amplification of my contemplations of this trip.
You see, this trip was a major point of passage for Donna and me--new beginnings and some notable firsts. For a couple of weeks life was interesting, even when it was trying, and pleasant for long stretches. We discovered the stark contrast of the vacation's reality to that of the rat-race. But the vacation is no less real. Why does there have to be a difference? Why one life interesting and pleasant, and the other, not?
Many people in my neck of the woods will respond with puritanical, religious zeal that the difference is ordained and that the servant's sacrificial toil is our duty.
But I'm no Puritan. I'll struggle for change, inspired by this brief moment when I was somewhere else.
May 13, 2012
Southward Bound
Donna and I are taking some time off this week and traveling to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for some R&R and to attend to some business. I've never traveled outside the US and am interested in comparing the experience with the trip to Rhode Island we took last year.
Puerto Vallarta is a resort town and a destination for a lot of cruise lines originating in California (re: The Love Boat). We'll be staying at the Krystal, which is a resort hotel that I've read mixed reviews about. Still, their website pictures look nice. Getting around shouldn't be a problem since it's a resort area that caters to English-speakers. Donna speaks Spanish in any case, so we should be all right.
With some four hours flight time each way, I'll have a lot of reading time so I've picked up Ishmael by Daniel Quinn to take along. I've become very interested in this book from reading about it. It's kind of polarized in the reviews with people either loving or hating it. I suspect I'll be in the former category. I'll let you know what I think of it in another journal entry and maybe a Good Reads review.
Donna will have her Nook tablet that she got for Mother's Day. I'm impressed with it. It allows her Internet access as well as ebook reading. I'll probably use it to post journal entries while we're gone and to send emails to family.
We're within a couple of days of our departure now. We'll travel light and try to not have to check any baggage. Our sons are home from college for the summer and will care for the dog and the house, while we head south and get the first stamps on our passports.
Puerto Vallarta is a resort town and a destination for a lot of cruise lines originating in California (re: The Love Boat). We'll be staying at the Krystal, which is a resort hotel that I've read mixed reviews about. Still, their website pictures look nice. Getting around shouldn't be a problem since it's a resort area that caters to English-speakers. Donna speaks Spanish in any case, so we should be all right.
With some four hours flight time each way, I'll have a lot of reading time so I've picked up Ishmael by Daniel Quinn to take along. I've become very interested in this book from reading about it. It's kind of polarized in the reviews with people either loving or hating it. I suspect I'll be in the former category. I'll let you know what I think of it in another journal entry and maybe a Good Reads review.
Donna will have her Nook tablet that she got for Mother's Day. I'm impressed with it. It allows her Internet access as well as ebook reading. I'll probably use it to post journal entries while we're gone and to send emails to family.
We're within a couple of days of our departure now. We'll travel light and try to not have to check any baggage. Our sons are home from college for the summer and will care for the dog and the house, while we head south and get the first stamps on our passports.
April 29, 2012
Second Starts
Maybe it's the lot of a writer trying to express himself (or herself) to end up beating their head against the wall.
I had certainly reached that point trying to write a novelization of Madam President. I struggled with plot, characterizations, theme--and ended up with nothing. At least, not with what I had wanted, or with what I felt the story should be. Though I felt strongly that the story could be a powerful expression of the class warfare that is the base of civilized humanity's problems, I kept running into walls that showed me as being inadequate to tell the story. Walls such as a good understanding of the US election process--as expressed in the mainstream, popular culture, and as as existing in reality. It just wasn't working, and I felt drawn elsewhere.
So, after struggling with creating the Madam President novel for months, I had to acknowledge a wall that was forcing, perhaps, a new direction.
Feeling so directed, I returned to the story that had captured me in years past. One that had spoken to me as an epic tale of the post-apocalypse that I believe will come. The story that I conjured from my angst of the futility of modern life, and my doubt as to humanity's future. I wrapped this dark vision around a storyline required for a correspondence lesson in novel-writing. It had earned commendation from my instructor and inspiration for me.
I've written back-stories, histories, character studies, and ten chapters of draft, to create the story of Zane Landstrom. Set in our future, amongst the fruits of the dark seeds we're sowing now, it is a tale of courage and hope; a story I think I can tell, and that can be the major work that I need.
In a few days, I've made much progress, and feel some hope. I've begun writing the first of my Dentville novels. The journey of its creation should provide fodder for these journal entries. I hope you will follow, and maybe find inspiration for your own second starts.
I had certainly reached that point trying to write a novelization of Madam President. I struggled with plot, characterizations, theme--and ended up with nothing. At least, not with what I had wanted, or with what I felt the story should be. Though I felt strongly that the story could be a powerful expression of the class warfare that is the base of civilized humanity's problems, I kept running into walls that showed me as being inadequate to tell the story. Walls such as a good understanding of the US election process--as expressed in the mainstream, popular culture, and as as existing in reality. It just wasn't working, and I felt drawn elsewhere.
So, after struggling with creating the Madam President novel for months, I had to acknowledge a wall that was forcing, perhaps, a new direction.
Feeling so directed, I returned to the story that had captured me in years past. One that had spoken to me as an epic tale of the post-apocalypse that I believe will come. The story that I conjured from my angst of the futility of modern life, and my doubt as to humanity's future. I wrapped this dark vision around a storyline required for a correspondence lesson in novel-writing. It had earned commendation from my instructor and inspiration for me.
I've written back-stories, histories, character studies, and ten chapters of draft, to create the story of Zane Landstrom. Set in our future, amongst the fruits of the dark seeds we're sowing now, it is a tale of courage and hope; a story I think I can tell, and that can be the major work that I need.
In a few days, I've made much progress, and feel some hope. I've begun writing the first of my Dentville novels. The journey of its creation should provide fodder for these journal entries. I hope you will follow, and maybe find inspiration for your own second starts.
April 8, 2012
Visions of the Future
Donna and I recently saw the movie, The Hunger Games. I've not read the book, but I was very interested in the story based on a review I had read. Donna has read the trilogy and loved it. Well, the movie was great and I hope to read the books at some point. I was most impressed with Suzanne Collins' commentary on current American society expressed in a dystopian story.
I also finished reading The Road (by Cormac McCarthy) which is more apocalyptic than dystopian and presents a bleaker future for humanity than The Hunger Games. The Road is brilliant in that it studies humans trying to survive in a state of total loss. It provides a dark alternate view of the post apocalypse than is the dramatic usual.
These stories represent a growing body of works that seem only able to speculate about a future that is politically totalitarian and enviromentally destroyed. I think we're seeing so many such stories because thoughtful people are seeing little hope for the future. I know that when I try to do a serious depiction of the future, I find I can only extrapolate oppression from our rulers and a great degradation of the natural environment. Anything else really is fantasy.
But despite their pessimistic thesis, there is hope in both of these stories. The Hunger Games protagonist and her friends see the evil of the ruling powers and even contemplate rebellion. Even thinking about opposing evil is hope. Indeed, promoting, controlling, and suppressing hope for a better life is a major theme of the story. A large part of our cheering for Catniss in her struggles is our hope of her people opposing and overcoming the totalitarian "Capitol."
The hope in The Road is more subtle. The man and the boy are going south to escape the evil and death that is all around them. Their hope is based only on their desire to get away from their present dangers, rather than any concrete knowledge that the dangers are truly less elsewhere. But the man and boy are together, which is their only consolation, and they act out of love for each other, which is the foundation of their hope. They hang on in the face of near-certain death. Their hope for better in the south is a faith in things not seen.
Which story represents a more likely vision of the future? Well, I expect the truth will fall somewhere in between. I think The Hunger Games is a fair representation of our present, and The Road is a more likely representation of our future.
Both stories are considerations of our futures, though for different dramatic purposes. Both are bleak but with different ideas of where hope lies. The Hunger Games sees hope for our future as being determined by our actions, especially our collective actions. The Road sees hope as limited and based a lot on luck since our supporting environment is destroyed.
What can we learn about hope, or its lack, from these stories? Perhaps we should view them in the context of the season. Today is Easter and I attended an early Mass. The church was full and the service was amply expressive of the Christian hope, which includes faith in a spirituallity that can fill in the gaps left by luck and by the inadequacies of our own actions.
Our hope for facing an uncertain, even threatening, future may well rest on our own resolve, the ability of nature to continue to support us, luck, and faith. I think all will be needed to get humanity through the next century. I hope to express that in drama eventually.
So let's carry on, my friend, into the unknown future. With faith in a sympathetic spiritual realm to guide us, hope for breaks that our human smarts can exploit, and love for one another to sustain us, we'll make our way and reach whatever the other side turns out to be.
I'm hopeful.
***
You can read my review of The Road in Good Reads here: www.goodreads.com/review/show/288309797.
A really good review of The Hunger Games is here: socialistworker.org/2012/04/05/resisting-the-rule-of-capitol.
I also finished reading The Road (by Cormac McCarthy) which is more apocalyptic than dystopian and presents a bleaker future for humanity than The Hunger Games. The Road is brilliant in that it studies humans trying to survive in a state of total loss. It provides a dark alternate view of the post apocalypse than is the dramatic usual.
These stories represent a growing body of works that seem only able to speculate about a future that is politically totalitarian and enviromentally destroyed. I think we're seeing so many such stories because thoughtful people are seeing little hope for the future. I know that when I try to do a serious depiction of the future, I find I can only extrapolate oppression from our rulers and a great degradation of the natural environment. Anything else really is fantasy.
But despite their pessimistic thesis, there is hope in both of these stories. The Hunger Games protagonist and her friends see the evil of the ruling powers and even contemplate rebellion. Even thinking about opposing evil is hope. Indeed, promoting, controlling, and suppressing hope for a better life is a major theme of the story. A large part of our cheering for Catniss in her struggles is our hope of her people opposing and overcoming the totalitarian "Capitol."
The hope in The Road is more subtle. The man and the boy are going south to escape the evil and death that is all around them. Their hope is based only on their desire to get away from their present dangers, rather than any concrete knowledge that the dangers are truly less elsewhere. But the man and boy are together, which is their only consolation, and they act out of love for each other, which is the foundation of their hope. They hang on in the face of near-certain death. Their hope for better in the south is a faith in things not seen.
Which story represents a more likely vision of the future? Well, I expect the truth will fall somewhere in between. I think The Hunger Games is a fair representation of our present, and The Road is a more likely representation of our future.
Both stories are considerations of our futures, though for different dramatic purposes. Both are bleak but with different ideas of where hope lies. The Hunger Games sees hope for our future as being determined by our actions, especially our collective actions. The Road sees hope as limited and based a lot on luck since our supporting environment is destroyed.
What can we learn about hope, or its lack, from these stories? Perhaps we should view them in the context of the season. Today is Easter and I attended an early Mass. The church was full and the service was amply expressive of the Christian hope, which includes faith in a spirituallity that can fill in the gaps left by luck and by the inadequacies of our own actions.
Our hope for facing an uncertain, even threatening, future may well rest on our own resolve, the ability of nature to continue to support us, luck, and faith. I think all will be needed to get humanity through the next century. I hope to express that in drama eventually.
So let's carry on, my friend, into the unknown future. With faith in a sympathetic spiritual realm to guide us, hope for breaks that our human smarts can exploit, and love for one another to sustain us, we'll make our way and reach whatever the other side turns out to be.
I'm hopeful.
***
You can read my review of The Road in Good Reads here: www.goodreads.com/review/show/288309797.
A really good review of The Hunger Games is here: socialistworker.org/2012/04/05/resisting-the-rule-of-capitol.
April 1, 2012
John Carter of Mars
I read The Barsoom Omnibus a couple of years ago. It contains the first three of the eleven books in Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars series. I so enjoyed the story of the Civil War veteran that became the Warlord of Mars that I searched the Internet to see what movies had been made from it. I was surprised to find that a movie was then in production and due to be released in 2012. After a long wait, I finally saw it recently with my wife and sons.
Though the story has influenced other productions, been made into comic books, and at least considered as an animated feature in the 1930's, it has never had a decent movie made of it (the 2009 HBO production was low-budget and badly acted). Though "purist" fans may not agree, I think Andrew Stanton's film has finally done the books justice.
The movie is probably a guilty pleasure for many critics. I get the impression from the reviews I've read, that the reviewers liked it, but feel they must criticize it as trivial, or too much like other movies, or lame in plot, or shallow in the acting. Star Wars was criticized in much the same way, and I suspect this movie will be similarly popular with audiences and spawn a sequel or two.
Burroughs wrote action-adventure and that's what his John Carter books deliver (as do his Tarzan books). He wrote the first book in 1911 and uses a lot of 19th century plot devices--a noble main character with indistinct origins (Carter is basically immortal), lots of mysteries introduced but never resolved (at least not in the first three books), characters with agendas that are never fully explained (the therns), women as rescue objects, and plot frames. His prose is less eloquent than the 19th century standard, but is still more so than most current novels and is easy to follow. The books are a good read, but don't look for deep themes in them. Burroughs wasn't trying to be Mark Twain.
Andrew Stanton's movie does a good job of bringing out the ambiance of the books. Barsoom is a big, red, rocky desert with enclaves of vegetation and flowing water, but no oceans (except for one underground, but that's in the books). The Barsoomian technology is based the explotation of the properties of specific levels of light waves ("rays") that power their great flying crafts. Stanton brings this to life with airborne vessels that are a cross between tall sailing ships and dirigibles with wings. His vision of indigenous Barsoomian life is a fair representation of Burroughs' vision. The basic animal form is with six limbs as seen in the Tharks, the dog-like Woola, and the white apes. The fluid coordination of the Thark's four arms is a triumph of digital effects.
What I found most compelling in the books is the plot frame (or frames, depending on how you look at it). The widest is that of Edgar Rice Burroughs (writing himself into his story--another device from 19th century novels) telling his "uncle" John Carter's story from a manuscript penned by Carter himself. Carter's manuscript includes a frame of his prospecting in the old west and being chased by Apaches to his apparent death in the cave. He is later restored to his body in the cave and similar processes send him to Mars and back throughout the books. So there is the frame of Burroughs' care of Carter's body on earth and storytelling, and the frame of Carter's life on earth, trying to get back to Mars. Stanton depicts these frames in the movie to good effect. He actually expands on them to the point that the first minutes of the movie are basically a western that morphs into a space fantasy.
The movie has also garnered some criticisms of the lead actors.
Taylor Kitsch is said to be too dull and monotone in his portrayal of John Carter, but I didn't get that at all. He's physically right for the part and he expresses himself in a low-key way, as you might expect from a model warrior. And he was believeable as a cowboy and as a Martian warlord. He even showed some vulnerability that's missing from the books.
Lynn Collins has been criticised as "too serious" in playing Dejah Thoris. I thought she did a great job at adding a cerebreal depth to a character that might be played simply as a space babe.
All I can say about Willem Dafoe's performance as Tars Tarkus is that it worked. This animated character was taken beyond just being a "creature" by his conflicts between duty and fatherly love--in the books as well as the movie. The blending of animated characters with live actors has gotten so good, that I didn't even think about it in this movie.
As for the meat of the story (books and movie), it's about warrioring. Mars is the red planet named for the classical god of war and Burroughs makes it the setting of unending war. Outside of the frames, the story is countless scenes of groups fighting with swords and guns from thoat-back, from airborne ships, and from waterborne crafts. Carter is constantly falling into traps that he must fight his way out of. And fight he does, as the consumate warrior, taking the defense of his adopted city of Helium and its princess as his cause. He is noble, with a sense of justice, and totally loyal and devoted to Dejah Thoris and their family. Even so, it's obvious that John Carter's prime motivation for fighting, is the love of it.
And so, while I enjoyed the fun of this movie and the books, there is still the part of me that doesn't like the glorization of warfare. Even in drama, the line is fine between the warrior and the brute. The difference is usually based on the motivation for fighting. Defense of home and family is admirable and, at times, necessary. Conquest for the sake of empire, is always wrong, and is simply murder.
John Carter touches these mitigating themes only lightly, if at all. But I think they're implicit in any work that deals with war and the way of the warrior. Burroughs' story doesn't go that deep. It wasn't meant to, but it remains a classic in the action-adventure genre. Keeping that in mind, I highly recommend the books and Andrew Stanton's movie.
Though the story has influenced other productions, been made into comic books, and at least considered as an animated feature in the 1930's, it has never had a decent movie made of it (the 2009 HBO production was low-budget and badly acted). Though "purist" fans may not agree, I think Andrew Stanton's film has finally done the books justice.
The movie is probably a guilty pleasure for many critics. I get the impression from the reviews I've read, that the reviewers liked it, but feel they must criticize it as trivial, or too much like other movies, or lame in plot, or shallow in the acting. Star Wars was criticized in much the same way, and I suspect this movie will be similarly popular with audiences and spawn a sequel or two.
Burroughs wrote action-adventure and that's what his John Carter books deliver (as do his Tarzan books). He wrote the first book in 1911 and uses a lot of 19th century plot devices--a noble main character with indistinct origins (Carter is basically immortal), lots of mysteries introduced but never resolved (at least not in the first three books), characters with agendas that are never fully explained (the therns), women as rescue objects, and plot frames. His prose is less eloquent than the 19th century standard, but is still more so than most current novels and is easy to follow. The books are a good read, but don't look for deep themes in them. Burroughs wasn't trying to be Mark Twain.
Andrew Stanton's movie does a good job of bringing out the ambiance of the books. Barsoom is a big, red, rocky desert with enclaves of vegetation and flowing water, but no oceans (except for one underground, but that's in the books). The Barsoomian technology is based the explotation of the properties of specific levels of light waves ("rays") that power their great flying crafts. Stanton brings this to life with airborne vessels that are a cross between tall sailing ships and dirigibles with wings. His vision of indigenous Barsoomian life is a fair representation of Burroughs' vision. The basic animal form is with six limbs as seen in the Tharks, the dog-like Woola, and the white apes. The fluid coordination of the Thark's four arms is a triumph of digital effects.
What I found most compelling in the books is the plot frame (or frames, depending on how you look at it). The widest is that of Edgar Rice Burroughs (writing himself into his story--another device from 19th century novels) telling his "uncle" John Carter's story from a manuscript penned by Carter himself. Carter's manuscript includes a frame of his prospecting in the old west and being chased by Apaches to his apparent death in the cave. He is later restored to his body in the cave and similar processes send him to Mars and back throughout the books. So there is the frame of Burroughs' care of Carter's body on earth and storytelling, and the frame of Carter's life on earth, trying to get back to Mars. Stanton depicts these frames in the movie to good effect. He actually expands on them to the point that the first minutes of the movie are basically a western that morphs into a space fantasy.
The movie has also garnered some criticisms of the lead actors.
Taylor Kitsch is said to be too dull and monotone in his portrayal of John Carter, but I didn't get that at all. He's physically right for the part and he expresses himself in a low-key way, as you might expect from a model warrior. And he was believeable as a cowboy and as a Martian warlord. He even showed some vulnerability that's missing from the books.
Lynn Collins has been criticised as "too serious" in playing Dejah Thoris. I thought she did a great job at adding a cerebreal depth to a character that might be played simply as a space babe.
All I can say about Willem Dafoe's performance as Tars Tarkus is that it worked. This animated character was taken beyond just being a "creature" by his conflicts between duty and fatherly love--in the books as well as the movie. The blending of animated characters with live actors has gotten so good, that I didn't even think about it in this movie.
As for the meat of the story (books and movie), it's about warrioring. Mars is the red planet named for the classical god of war and Burroughs makes it the setting of unending war. Outside of the frames, the story is countless scenes of groups fighting with swords and guns from thoat-back, from airborne ships, and from waterborne crafts. Carter is constantly falling into traps that he must fight his way out of. And fight he does, as the consumate warrior, taking the defense of his adopted city of Helium and its princess as his cause. He is noble, with a sense of justice, and totally loyal and devoted to Dejah Thoris and their family. Even so, it's obvious that John Carter's prime motivation for fighting, is the love of it.
And so, while I enjoyed the fun of this movie and the books, there is still the part of me that doesn't like the glorization of warfare. Even in drama, the line is fine between the warrior and the brute. The difference is usually based on the motivation for fighting. Defense of home and family is admirable and, at times, necessary. Conquest for the sake of empire, is always wrong, and is simply murder.
John Carter touches these mitigating themes only lightly, if at all. But I think they're implicit in any work that deals with war and the way of the warrior. Burroughs' story doesn't go that deep. It wasn't meant to, but it remains a classic in the action-adventure genre. Keeping that in mind, I highly recommend the books and Andrew Stanton's movie.
February 26, 2012
Fits and Starts
"Fits and Starts" describes my writing process--at least recently. I start working on my next novel, Madam President, get stuck, throw a fit, and start again. I think this is the way of the creative process, and it leads to artists being considered, "temperamental." I can't explain it. I just have to work through it.
That work is the process I've (more or less) pulled together over the years for creating a story. I play with my idea, working it into a plot until I have a narrative, or "working synopsis," that tells the story to me. I then work up characterisations, develop the plot some more, research, then compile a storyboard. The storyboard is my compilation of scenes (the basic unit of drama) and is basically the same sort of construct as used in movie-making. It's the template the writer (or movie-maker) follows to build the screenplay or manuscript.
I thought I was getting close to having my working synopsis for Madam President complete, when Donna showed me where it wasn't ready. Ah, my good wife. You're right. The story is there within all the work I've done--characterisations, conflict table, location descriptions, research notes, and working synopsis--I just have to find the optimal way to tell that story.
When I did computer programming, this was the same point at which I was "engineering" the program and it was usually expressed as a flowchart of the program logic. I worked out the logical problems at this point. Only when I was happy with the flowchart, would I start coding the program. I found there were fewer bugs in the program when I followed this process.
The same is true for writing, at least for me. Working out the story's logical problems at the "engineering level" (characterisations, conflict table, synopsis, etc) makes it much easier to draft prose (relatively "easier," it's still hard work).
So that's where I am with Madam President, which I need to be the best thing I've ever written. Yes, there's some pressure there.
In recent weeks, I've written a couple of book reviews that I think came out quite well and I hope you'll check them out on Good Reads. One is for an anthology that I contributed to. They are here:
Witch of Hebron by James Howard Kunstler
While the Morning Stars Sing edited by Lyndon Perry
Now in my last Journal entry, I made some predictions for 2012. Most of them, I still stand by, but I realize I've missed (thankfully) on one. It looks like Michele Bachman will NOT be the first woman US President. In my defense, I was more making a point than a prediction. That point was that absolutely ANYBODY can be put in the office of President of the US with NO change on policy or the working of the Federal government. This is because all they do is act as agents for the elite (the 1 percent). The same policies will be followed whether the next president is Bachman, Romney, or Obama. No one who doesn't represent the 1 percent (like Ron Paul) will be allowed to reach that office (no, I am not a Ron Paul supporter).
On a lighter note, Donna and I spent yesterday in Oxford, visiting our sons at the University of Mississippi. It was Donna's birthday and we had cake and celebrated at a local Asian restaurant. The food was great and (upon my sons' advice because they've spent time in China) I ordered a Tsingtao (pronounced "ching dow") beer to go with the meal. Actually, I ordered two.
Tsingtao is the beer capitol of China and apparently with reason. The light beer was of medium body and very flavorable, not waterly like American lights.
I carried my second bottle with me as we left (it was LIGHT beer, besides, Donna was driving) and the Chinese lady hostess was adament about warning me to not be seen by the police with an open bottle of beer in the car. That was thoughtful, and probably right, though I'm enough of a revolutionary to believe I have a Constitutional right to ride in the PASSENGER side of a car with an open bottle of beer! Still, I finished it quickly and then hid the bottle in the glove compartment.
Oh well, gotta finish my scotch and work on Madam President. Happy Birthday, Sweetie!
That work is the process I've (more or less) pulled together over the years for creating a story. I play with my idea, working it into a plot until I have a narrative, or "working synopsis," that tells the story to me. I then work up characterisations, develop the plot some more, research, then compile a storyboard. The storyboard is my compilation of scenes (the basic unit of drama) and is basically the same sort of construct as used in movie-making. It's the template the writer (or movie-maker) follows to build the screenplay or manuscript.
I thought I was getting close to having my working synopsis for Madam President complete, when Donna showed me where it wasn't ready. Ah, my good wife. You're right. The story is there within all the work I've done--characterisations, conflict table, location descriptions, research notes, and working synopsis--I just have to find the optimal way to tell that story.
When I did computer programming, this was the same point at which I was "engineering" the program and it was usually expressed as a flowchart of the program logic. I worked out the logical problems at this point. Only when I was happy with the flowchart, would I start coding the program. I found there were fewer bugs in the program when I followed this process.
The same is true for writing, at least for me. Working out the story's logical problems at the "engineering level" (characterisations, conflict table, synopsis, etc) makes it much easier to draft prose (relatively "easier," it's still hard work).
So that's where I am with Madam President, which I need to be the best thing I've ever written. Yes, there's some pressure there.
In recent weeks, I've written a couple of book reviews that I think came out quite well and I hope you'll check them out on Good Reads. One is for an anthology that I contributed to. They are here:
Witch of Hebron by James Howard Kunstler
While the Morning Stars Sing edited by Lyndon Perry
Now in my last Journal entry, I made some predictions for 2012. Most of them, I still stand by, but I realize I've missed (thankfully) on one. It looks like Michele Bachman will NOT be the first woman US President. In my defense, I was more making a point than a prediction. That point was that absolutely ANYBODY can be put in the office of President of the US with NO change on policy or the working of the Federal government. This is because all they do is act as agents for the elite (the 1 percent). The same policies will be followed whether the next president is Bachman, Romney, or Obama. No one who doesn't represent the 1 percent (like Ron Paul) will be allowed to reach that office (no, I am not a Ron Paul supporter).
On a lighter note, Donna and I spent yesterday in Oxford, visiting our sons at the University of Mississippi. It was Donna's birthday and we had cake and celebrated at a local Asian restaurant. The food was great and (upon my sons' advice because they've spent time in China) I ordered a Tsingtao (pronounced "ching dow") beer to go with the meal. Actually, I ordered two.
Tsingtao is the beer capitol of China and apparently with reason. The light beer was of medium body and very flavorable, not waterly like American lights.
I carried my second bottle with me as we left (it was LIGHT beer, besides, Donna was driving) and the Chinese lady hostess was adament about warning me to not be seen by the police with an open bottle of beer in the car. That was thoughtful, and probably right, though I'm enough of a revolutionary to believe I have a Constitutional right to ride in the PASSENGER side of a car with an open bottle of beer! Still, I finished it quickly and then hid the bottle in the glove compartment.
Oh well, gotta finish my scotch and work on Madam President. Happy Birthday, Sweetie!
January 1, 2012
Predictions 2012
Every ending is followed by a new beginning. There's much hope expressed in that concept as well as a desire to know what's going to happen; what's coming at us. I expect that's why so many columnists, commentators, and bloggers at the end of the year have their recaps and predictions essays. I tend to feel that way too, so here's mine.
2011 was a transition year in many respects. In the wider world, it saw the further implementation of the empire's plans begun under Bush II that continued under Obama. This included the vilification of Russia and China as well as their encirclement with military bases and missles, the conquest of Libya, covert operations in Syria and Iran, and especially the propaganda onslaught on Iran to pave the way for the much-desired military onslaught. All of this supported, uncritically, by the mainstream media.
In the US, presidential campaigning took off in earnest with the fielding of a bevy of extreme-right Republicans debating how best to serve the 1%, while Obama continued to serve them in office.
Climate change continued with record droughts in some areas (including the American southwest) and record rainfalls in others (southeastern China and Australia). Glaciers melted at an alarming rate while methane escaped from melted permafrost, at levels astounding to scientists, and so added to the atmosphere's greenhouse effect. And the mainstream media ignored or trivialized it all while western capitalists blocked any effective efforts to control climate change in order to protect their profits from fossil fuel use.
But 2011 was also the year of rebellion. It began with the occupation of the capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin. The occupiers were protesters decrying the introduction of a union-busting bill, pushed by the Governor, in the State Legislature. Many of the protesters were teachers, since their union was a main target of the bill, but in truth they were all teachers, showing the rest of us how to strike a nonviolent blow for what's right.
Perhaps some spark was ignited in Wisconsin because that action was followed by protests around the world advocating (real) democracy and the inclusion of the excluded. Among these were the"Arab Spring" protests in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya (though all were co-opted or suppressed to one degree or other, especially Libya). In Europe, the tatic of the occupation of public spaces was borrowed from the Arab protests and used to great effect in Spain, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, and Britain.
And then there was the Occupy movement in the United States. It began in September with the occupation of Zuccotti Park in New York, just blocks from the financial center on Wall Street. Dubbed, "Occupy Wall Street," it grew into a leaderless movement that protested the oppressive actions of the 1% owners of the nation's wealth against the 99% from whom that wealth was taken. Wall Street was the movement's representation of that oppression and of the resulting disparity in wealth distribution that left a tiny few to prosper and most to suffer.
These were the items that drew my attention during the year, even as I sought to further my own work. And I made some progress there.
I created this website with its literary-social theme to support the fiction I've published on Smashwords.com. It's my small contribution to the literary community of the 99% that I express as the Arbordin Literary Society. I wrote a young adult novel (A Single Step) that I published as an e-book on Smashwords (free to my newsletter subscribers). I revised my Christmas Fantasy novella, The Spark, and created a supporting newsletter for it that I sent to subscribers of the Arbordin Literary Society Newsletter (ALSN). I also created one for A Single Step.
I joined the GoodReads website as an author. I haven't done much with it yet, but it does have my books in its catalog (pulled from Barnes and Noble, I think) and is another place where readers can review and recommend my work.
All this represents a literary foundation (the beginnings of my "platform") that I hope to build upon in the coming year.
My Reads in 2011
I have been so busy with my website, writing, and the day-job, that I haven't been able to read as much as I wished this year. Still, I managed to read a few things:
Game of Thrones (George R Martin): I read this novel on my e-reader as I followed the series on HBO. It was a joy and only the lack of leisure time kept me from reading the other Song of Fire and Ice books. I can see why George Martin has been called "the American Tolkien." I think these books are The Lord of the Rings for our day.
The Windup Girl (Paolo Bacigalupi): I reviewed this book in my Dec 04, 2011 journal entry. It is a very good story, with its main strength being its depiction of the near future as it results from current trends, especially trends regarding the food supply. It is "realistic" in having few barely-sympathetic characters, which is thought-provoking if you can hang with it.
Dr. Faustus (Christopher Marlowe): This classic work, written by a Shakespeare contemporary, is the definitive (in my opinion) telling of the selling-your-soul-to-the-Devil folk legend. I read it this year for about the third time as research for the novelization of my short story, Madam President. The language is poetry, the themes classic, and the writing ranging from comic to profound to tragic, but always inspiring.
A Single Step (Ray Foy): This is my young adult novel that I've reviewed in its accompanying newsletter (for ALSN subscribers). I wrote it this year and include it in this list because I spent so much time on it. It's my statement of the clues that a young person should follow to find fulfillment in his or her life. It's on Smashwords for $5.99, but ALSN subscribers can get it for FREE.
Predictions 2012
All right. Let's talk about what's coming up in the new year. My guesses concerning the wider world are based on my readings in the alternative press (Common Dreams, Global Research, Truthout, etc; see links below) and gut feelings, while my guesses about local government and my own work are more experientially based.
So the following would be better called, "probabilities," based on my assessment of trends I perceive from my studies.
Middle East
Protests begun in the "Arab Spring" of 2011 will continue, especially in Egypt, even as tactics to put them down become more brutal. Uprisings may occur in Saudi Arabia that are pro-democracy and Islamic in character. They will be more brutally suppressed than any to date.
Agreements will be made with the new government in Libya that will turn over the country's oil reserves to transnational corporations, and so drain off all its wealth to Western interests.
As the US military presence is reduced in (NOT removed from) Iraq and Afghanistan, it will be increased along all the borders of Iran. The US press will vilify Iran increasingly, using data that is obsolete, debunked elsewhere, or completely fabricated. The "evidence" to justify war will be accepted in the United States and rejected everywhere else. The pressure of this conflict will increase until some sort of "Gulf of Tonkin" incident happens that the Republican administration defines as another "Pearl Harbor" event and then attacks Iran.
This war with Iran is my most frightening prediction and I pray that I am wrong. There are forces in the US government that seem to be opposing this war, but I fear they will be overcome because the Power Elites (Bilderberger Group, et al) and the Military-Industrial Complex seem to want it.
If war is declared against Iran, vast crowds will join the Occupy groups in the streets around the world in protest. They will be brutally suppressed in some places, ignored in others. In any event, they will not stop the war.
Economy
The conflict with Iran, if it erupts into all out war, will lead to the closing of the Straights of Hormuz and the cost of a barrel of oil will double.
The European Union will collapse, or move significantly in that direction. European countries will default (Greece, Italy, Ireland, Iceland) and the Euro will be replaced with local currencies.
China and India will not be able to provide markets for the West's goods since their economies will be weakened by the oil shortage. This is especially true of Russia, which has apparently peaked in its oil and gas production.
Consequently, gasoline prices will rise by at 1/3, maybe 1/2 (and maybe more) in the US. There will be spot shortages of everything and power "brown-outs." Food prices will greatly increase as the droughts and floods of last year "reach the market" this spring. The shelves will be sparser at Wal-Mart.
Mississippi Government
Yes, I live in Mississippi so I have some insight here. A new governor, Phil Bryant, will take office in January. He is being hailed as the nation's first "Tea Party" governor. The charge appears to be true, judging from his cowboy boots and the local (non-mainstream) press reports of a major shift to the right in his rhetoric since his days as Lieutenant Governor for the outgoing Haley Barbour.
So, with a Republican governor and Republican majorities in the State House and Senate, the people of Mississippi will experience the full brunt of Neoliberal austerity beginning in 2012: privatization, outsourcing, public-job cutting, and reductions in social services. Most of this will be hailed as a welcome implementation of conservative values. Even the laid-off middle-class will blame their losses on "bad luck" or "too much government." The truth might creep upon them when they can't find a job that pays a living wage, and when there is no government help for them.
Presidential Election
The next president will be a Republican, and probably a woman. Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry will self-destruct. Mitt Romney is probably electable, but I believe the Power Elites will want to recreate the illusion of change by having a woman elected president. The 2000 and 2004 elections prove they can rig a presidental election. Therefore, Madam President will be Michele Bachmann.
Occupy Movement
The Occupy movement will continue to evolve and confound the efforts of the 1% to contain it. There is so much "fed up with the status quo" energy behind it, that I don't see it going away. Indeed, I believe many more of the 99% will join the core groups in the streets as the affluence of the Middle Class deteriorates and their oppression by the 1% becomes more transparent.
I realize I've painted a pretty negative picture for the coming year, but it's hard not to do that. By any measure, 2012 will be a tough year, and I don't see how things can get any better without getting considerably worse. But while we are affected by events that transpire on a global scale, we live locally. So let me turn to a more personal forecast.
My Work
I will continue keeping up this website and make it a point of departure for those interested in my work. It will evolve for the better, the more successful I am with my writing projects.
I will produce a major novel called Madam President, based on the short story I currently have on Smashwords, which is based on the Faust legend. The novel will be a supernatural-political-thriller, and published as a Print-On-Demand (POD) and ebook. I will do everything I can to promote it and its success, or not, will pretty much tell the tale for me as a writer.
2012
December 21, 2012 has become a symbol of apocalypse in the modern imagination. This is based on interpretations of the Mayan calendar that see it as stopping at that date, and associated prophecies of doom. Movies and books have exploited this popular concept.
The truth seems to be that the Mayan calendar was organized into cycles of very long duration, and the time of the 2012 winter solstice is the end of one of these (see the links section below). Astronomically speaking, there is some credence for this as the Great Dreams website points out:
On the winter solstice of 2012, the noonday Sun exactly conjuncts
the crossing point of the sun's ecliptic with the galactic plane,
while also closely conjuncting the exact the center of the galaxy.
Whether these conjunctions have any physical effect on the earth remains to be seen. My hunch is they won't, and that the only physical effects will be those resulting from climate change accelerated by global warming. But world events seem to be shaping in directions that may very well climax in 2012, for good and bad.
The Mayan calendar marks 2012 as the end of a great cycle, and so the beginning of the next. I think that's true enough, astronomically and pretty much however you want to measure things. Politically, spritually, emotionally, biologically, climatologically--we're moving into a future that will be fundamentally different from our past. That difference will entail much pain, but it could be the pain of birth into a simpler, more local existence.
And it could be better, or at least better for us, than what we have now.
Links for more information
The empire's plans: www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf
The Iran war:
www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=28369 and www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=28412
Record methane release from melting permafrost: www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jan/14/arctic-permafrost-methane
Climate summit failure: socialistworker.org/2011/11/28/another-climate-summit-failure
The Occupy Wall Street People's Library: newsfeed.time.com/2011/10/25/from-chomsky-to-the-onion-whats-on-the-shelves-at-occupy-wall-streets-library/
My GoodReads.com author's page: www.goodreads.com/author/show/4465658.Ray_Foy
Info on 2012 and the Mayan calendar: www.greatdreams.com/2012.htm
A Single Step on Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/books/view/81356
2011 was a transition year in many respects. In the wider world, it saw the further implementation of the empire's plans begun under Bush II that continued under Obama. This included the vilification of Russia and China as well as their encirclement with military bases and missles, the conquest of Libya, covert operations in Syria and Iran, and especially the propaganda onslaught on Iran to pave the way for the much-desired military onslaught. All of this supported, uncritically, by the mainstream media.
In the US, presidential campaigning took off in earnest with the fielding of a bevy of extreme-right Republicans debating how best to serve the 1%, while Obama continued to serve them in office.
Climate change continued with record droughts in some areas (including the American southwest) and record rainfalls in others (southeastern China and Australia). Glaciers melted at an alarming rate while methane escaped from melted permafrost, at levels astounding to scientists, and so added to the atmosphere's greenhouse effect. And the mainstream media ignored or trivialized it all while western capitalists blocked any effective efforts to control climate change in order to protect their profits from fossil fuel use.
But 2011 was also the year of rebellion. It began with the occupation of the capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin. The occupiers were protesters decrying the introduction of a union-busting bill, pushed by the Governor, in the State Legislature. Many of the protesters were teachers, since their union was a main target of the bill, but in truth they were all teachers, showing the rest of us how to strike a nonviolent blow for what's right.
Perhaps some spark was ignited in Wisconsin because that action was followed by protests around the world advocating (real) democracy and the inclusion of the excluded. Among these were the"Arab Spring" protests in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya (though all were co-opted or suppressed to one degree or other, especially Libya). In Europe, the tatic of the occupation of public spaces was borrowed from the Arab protests and used to great effect in Spain, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, and Britain.
And then there was the Occupy movement in the United States. It began in September with the occupation of Zuccotti Park in New York, just blocks from the financial center on Wall Street. Dubbed, "Occupy Wall Street," it grew into a leaderless movement that protested the oppressive actions of the 1% owners of the nation's wealth against the 99% from whom that wealth was taken. Wall Street was the movement's representation of that oppression and of the resulting disparity in wealth distribution that left a tiny few to prosper and most to suffer.
These were the items that drew my attention during the year, even as I sought to further my own work. And I made some progress there.
I created this website with its literary-social theme to support the fiction I've published on Smashwords.com. It's my small contribution to the literary community of the 99% that I express as the Arbordin Literary Society. I wrote a young adult novel (A Single Step) that I published as an e-book on Smashwords (free to my newsletter subscribers). I revised my Christmas Fantasy novella, The Spark, and created a supporting newsletter for it that I sent to subscribers of the Arbordin Literary Society Newsletter (ALSN). I also created one for A Single Step.
I joined the GoodReads website as an author. I haven't done much with it yet, but it does have my books in its catalog (pulled from Barnes and Noble, I think) and is another place where readers can review and recommend my work.
All this represents a literary foundation (the beginnings of my "platform") that I hope to build upon in the coming year.
My Reads in 2011
I have been so busy with my website, writing, and the day-job, that I haven't been able to read as much as I wished this year. Still, I managed to read a few things:
Game of Thrones (George R Martin): I read this novel on my e-reader as I followed the series on HBO. It was a joy and only the lack of leisure time kept me from reading the other Song of Fire and Ice books. I can see why George Martin has been called "the American Tolkien." I think these books are The Lord of the Rings for our day.
The Windup Girl (Paolo Bacigalupi): I reviewed this book in my Dec 04, 2011 journal entry. It is a very good story, with its main strength being its depiction of the near future as it results from current trends, especially trends regarding the food supply. It is "realistic" in having few barely-sympathetic characters, which is thought-provoking if you can hang with it.
Dr. Faustus (Christopher Marlowe): This classic work, written by a Shakespeare contemporary, is the definitive (in my opinion) telling of the selling-your-soul-to-the-Devil folk legend. I read it this year for about the third time as research for the novelization of my short story, Madam President. The language is poetry, the themes classic, and the writing ranging from comic to profound to tragic, but always inspiring.
A Single Step (Ray Foy): This is my young adult novel that I've reviewed in its accompanying newsletter (for ALSN subscribers). I wrote it this year and include it in this list because I spent so much time on it. It's my statement of the clues that a young person should follow to find fulfillment in his or her life. It's on Smashwords for $5.99, but ALSN subscribers can get it for FREE.
Predictions 2012
All right. Let's talk about what's coming up in the new year. My guesses concerning the wider world are based on my readings in the alternative press (Common Dreams, Global Research, Truthout, etc; see links below) and gut feelings, while my guesses about local government and my own work are more experientially based.
So the following would be better called, "probabilities," based on my assessment of trends I perceive from my studies.
Middle East
Protests begun in the "Arab Spring" of 2011 will continue, especially in Egypt, even as tactics to put them down become more brutal. Uprisings may occur in Saudi Arabia that are pro-democracy and Islamic in character. They will be more brutally suppressed than any to date.
Agreements will be made with the new government in Libya that will turn over the country's oil reserves to transnational corporations, and so drain off all its wealth to Western interests.
As the US military presence is reduced in (NOT removed from) Iraq and Afghanistan, it will be increased along all the borders of Iran. The US press will vilify Iran increasingly, using data that is obsolete, debunked elsewhere, or completely fabricated. The "evidence" to justify war will be accepted in the United States and rejected everywhere else. The pressure of this conflict will increase until some sort of "Gulf of Tonkin" incident happens that the Republican administration defines as another "Pearl Harbor" event and then attacks Iran.
This war with Iran is my most frightening prediction and I pray that I am wrong. There are forces in the US government that seem to be opposing this war, but I fear they will be overcome because the Power Elites (Bilderberger Group, et al) and the Military-Industrial Complex seem to want it.
If war is declared against Iran, vast crowds will join the Occupy groups in the streets around the world in protest. They will be brutally suppressed in some places, ignored in others. In any event, they will not stop the war.
Economy
The conflict with Iran, if it erupts into all out war, will lead to the closing of the Straights of Hormuz and the cost of a barrel of oil will double.
The European Union will collapse, or move significantly in that direction. European countries will default (Greece, Italy, Ireland, Iceland) and the Euro will be replaced with local currencies.
China and India will not be able to provide markets for the West's goods since their economies will be weakened by the oil shortage. This is especially true of Russia, which has apparently peaked in its oil and gas production.
Consequently, gasoline prices will rise by at 1/3, maybe 1/2 (and maybe more) in the US. There will be spot shortages of everything and power "brown-outs." Food prices will greatly increase as the droughts and floods of last year "reach the market" this spring. The shelves will be sparser at Wal-Mart.
Mississippi Government
Yes, I live in Mississippi so I have some insight here. A new governor, Phil Bryant, will take office in January. He is being hailed as the nation's first "Tea Party" governor. The charge appears to be true, judging from his cowboy boots and the local (non-mainstream) press reports of a major shift to the right in his rhetoric since his days as Lieutenant Governor for the outgoing Haley Barbour.
So, with a Republican governor and Republican majorities in the State House and Senate, the people of Mississippi will experience the full brunt of Neoliberal austerity beginning in 2012: privatization, outsourcing, public-job cutting, and reductions in social services. Most of this will be hailed as a welcome implementation of conservative values. Even the laid-off middle-class will blame their losses on "bad luck" or "too much government." The truth might creep upon them when they can't find a job that pays a living wage, and when there is no government help for them.
Presidential Election
The next president will be a Republican, and probably a woman. Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry will self-destruct. Mitt Romney is probably electable, but I believe the Power Elites will want to recreate the illusion of change by having a woman elected president. The 2000 and 2004 elections prove they can rig a presidental election. Therefore, Madam President will be Michele Bachmann.
Occupy Movement
The Occupy movement will continue to evolve and confound the efforts of the 1% to contain it. There is so much "fed up with the status quo" energy behind it, that I don't see it going away. Indeed, I believe many more of the 99% will join the core groups in the streets as the affluence of the Middle Class deteriorates and their oppression by the 1% becomes more transparent.
I realize I've painted a pretty negative picture for the coming year, but it's hard not to do that. By any measure, 2012 will be a tough year, and I don't see how things can get any better without getting considerably worse. But while we are affected by events that transpire on a global scale, we live locally. So let me turn to a more personal forecast.
My Work
I will continue keeping up this website and make it a point of departure for those interested in my work. It will evolve for the better, the more successful I am with my writing projects.
I will produce a major novel called Madam President, based on the short story I currently have on Smashwords, which is based on the Faust legend. The novel will be a supernatural-political-thriller, and published as a Print-On-Demand (POD) and ebook. I will do everything I can to promote it and its success, or not, will pretty much tell the tale for me as a writer.
2012
December 21, 2012 has become a symbol of apocalypse in the modern imagination. This is based on interpretations of the Mayan calendar that see it as stopping at that date, and associated prophecies of doom. Movies and books have exploited this popular concept.
The truth seems to be that the Mayan calendar was organized into cycles of very long duration, and the time of the 2012 winter solstice is the end of one of these (see the links section below). Astronomically speaking, there is some credence for this as the Great Dreams website points out:
On the winter solstice of 2012, the noonday Sun exactly conjuncts
the crossing point of the sun's ecliptic with the galactic plane,
while also closely conjuncting the exact the center of the galaxy.
Whether these conjunctions have any physical effect on the earth remains to be seen. My hunch is they won't, and that the only physical effects will be those resulting from climate change accelerated by global warming. But world events seem to be shaping in directions that may very well climax in 2012, for good and bad.
The Mayan calendar marks 2012 as the end of a great cycle, and so the beginning of the next. I think that's true enough, astronomically and pretty much however you want to measure things. Politically, spritually, emotionally, biologically, climatologically--we're moving into a future that will be fundamentally different from our past. That difference will entail much pain, but it could be the pain of birth into a simpler, more local existence.
And it could be better, or at least better for us, than what we have now.
Links for more information
The empire's plans: www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf
The Iran war:
www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=28369 and www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=28412
Record methane release from melting permafrost: www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jan/14/arctic-permafrost-methane
Climate summit failure: socialistworker.org/2011/11/28/another-climate-summit-failure
The Occupy Wall Street People's Library: newsfeed.time.com/2011/10/25/from-chomsky-to-the-onion-whats-on-the-shelves-at-occupy-wall-streets-library/
My GoodReads.com author's page: www.goodreads.com/author/show/4465658.Ray_Foy
Info on 2012 and the Mayan calendar: www.greatdreams.com/2012.htm
A Single Step on Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/books/view/81356
December 15, 2011
Where's Christmas?
There has always been the concern among many people, at least in modern times, that the spirit of Christmas is being lost to sheer commercialization. It's a theme used in many classic holiday tales: the Charlie Brown TV special of the 1960s', Miracle on 34th Street, It's a Wonderful Life, and even Dicken's A Christmas Carol. It's also a major plot driver in my own novella, The Spark, and my short story, My Christmas Carol.
I believe this is a valid concern, and this year, the commercialization is at its worse.
When I was growing up, Christmas was different. Sure, there were the Christmas-slanted advertisements for merchandise, but there were also feelings of celebration, goodwill, and a spirituality that ecllipsed the mere selling of stuff. In most neighborhoods, few houses passed the holidays undecorated. Most Christmas trees were bought live or cut from the woods and so homes smelled of evergreen. Even city buildings were decorated and lights were strung at intervals across municipal streets. There were Christmas parades, Christmas office parties, and every television series had it's Christmas show.
Now, driving to work every day, I see few decorated houses and no outside city decorations. The building where I work has done only token decorating compared to what it's done in the past. Even WalMart's "decorations" are only those to be sold. There's no appreciation for the holiday's annual "specialness." No festivity.
I drive through a city that is largely dark and gray, with only a few lights strung here and there in a perfunctory acknowledgement of the Season.
Even nature is affected. The dry, cold, nippings of Jack Frost that we resist with a cozy hearth, are replaced by waves of damp, warm, and stormy air. And when the warmth clears out and the temparture does drop, we lose the icy twinkling of winter stars behind greasy streams of chemtrails stretching horizon-to-horizon.
So where's it all gone? Where's Christmas?
There's no shortage of the plastic imitation of Christmas. Plenty of commercials, direct mailers, and Internet spam push gift-buying for everything from snuggies (with a hood, they'd look like a monk's robe) to super-wide flat screen TVs (to watch snuggie commercials on).
But, to me, the most perverse expression of the plastic Christmas is the Nissan commercial where a singer intones in a weak Andy Williams imitation: "It's the most wonderful sale of the year."
What? Grrrr. We've gone from holly-and-mistletoe Williams family Christmas specials to pretend Christmas sales of overpriced-to-begin-with car imports.
This is Christmas the way the one percent want it to be--an orgy of buying the latest and most expensive of anything to put us deeper into debt, and to finance their multi-millions in bonuses.
The rest of us stand, destitute, on the edge of a neighborhood of foreclosed houses and look down a dark street at a distant red light, and strain to believe it's a Christmas decoration.
As part of their machinations against us, from their total control of the media and business, the power elites have taken our biggest, holiest (among Christians), holiday and sucked all the spirit out of it; because they can't conceive of spiritual things--only buying and selling and profits.
Where does that leave those not enticed by new-car smells, corporate hype, or aspirations to work hard so they can work harder for less?
Maybe we walk down the dark street towards that single red light. Moving on faith alone, we reach it and find the light is from an electric Christmas star, strung long ago, forgotten, and dangling from rusty cabling in the cold wind. Still, it's connected to a power source and pulls enough electricity to shine as a symbol of hope in a world that's traded hope for corporate gratification.
Maybe, inspired, we move on and find others that have been disillusioned and abandoned. Then we form our own community and infuse it with mutual respect, love, and values beyond the physical. Values like the appreciation of beauty with a reverence for life, expressed through our Christmas celebration.
There is power in such a confluence of honest, searching energies. Enough to build a community that doesn't exploit its members, but rather, supports them, and provides tinder that just needs a spark of the divine to blaze.
I think we won't find Christmas in the corporate world and, right now, the corporate world pervades everything. It has commodified and put a price on everything. It has priced the plastic Christmas, but not the real one.
And it's the real Christmas that the rest of us celebrate. The one that avers hope for a second chance in a fallen world; that strives for peace and sees strength in sharing for the common good. It's a shared Christmas that's the most meaningful, and corporations don't share, they only sell.
But people can share, and that's our clue. Wherever we find people sharing love and hope, and encouraging one another, is where we'll find Christmas.
I believe this is a valid concern, and this year, the commercialization is at its worse.
When I was growing up, Christmas was different. Sure, there were the Christmas-slanted advertisements for merchandise, but there were also feelings of celebration, goodwill, and a spirituality that ecllipsed the mere selling of stuff. In most neighborhoods, few houses passed the holidays undecorated. Most Christmas trees were bought live or cut from the woods and so homes smelled of evergreen. Even city buildings were decorated and lights were strung at intervals across municipal streets. There were Christmas parades, Christmas office parties, and every television series had it's Christmas show.
Now, driving to work every day, I see few decorated houses and no outside city decorations. The building where I work has done only token decorating compared to what it's done in the past. Even WalMart's "decorations" are only those to be sold. There's no appreciation for the holiday's annual "specialness." No festivity.
I drive through a city that is largely dark and gray, with only a few lights strung here and there in a perfunctory acknowledgement of the Season.
Even nature is affected. The dry, cold, nippings of Jack Frost that we resist with a cozy hearth, are replaced by waves of damp, warm, and stormy air. And when the warmth clears out and the temparture does drop, we lose the icy twinkling of winter stars behind greasy streams of chemtrails stretching horizon-to-horizon.
So where's it all gone? Where's Christmas?
There's no shortage of the plastic imitation of Christmas. Plenty of commercials, direct mailers, and Internet spam push gift-buying for everything from snuggies (with a hood, they'd look like a monk's robe) to super-wide flat screen TVs (to watch snuggie commercials on).
But, to me, the most perverse expression of the plastic Christmas is the Nissan commercial where a singer intones in a weak Andy Williams imitation: "It's the most wonderful sale of the year."
What? Grrrr. We've gone from holly-and-mistletoe Williams family Christmas specials to pretend Christmas sales of overpriced-to-begin-with car imports.
This is Christmas the way the one percent want it to be--an orgy of buying the latest and most expensive of anything to put us deeper into debt, and to finance their multi-millions in bonuses.
The rest of us stand, destitute, on the edge of a neighborhood of foreclosed houses and look down a dark street at a distant red light, and strain to believe it's a Christmas decoration.
As part of their machinations against us, from their total control of the media and business, the power elites have taken our biggest, holiest (among Christians), holiday and sucked all the spirit out of it; because they can't conceive of spiritual things--only buying and selling and profits.
Where does that leave those not enticed by new-car smells, corporate hype, or aspirations to work hard so they can work harder for less?
Maybe we walk down the dark street towards that single red light. Moving on faith alone, we reach it and find the light is from an electric Christmas star, strung long ago, forgotten, and dangling from rusty cabling in the cold wind. Still, it's connected to a power source and pulls enough electricity to shine as a symbol of hope in a world that's traded hope for corporate gratification.
Maybe, inspired, we move on and find others that have been disillusioned and abandoned. Then we form our own community and infuse it with mutual respect, love, and values beyond the physical. Values like the appreciation of beauty with a reverence for life, expressed through our Christmas celebration.
There is power in such a confluence of honest, searching energies. Enough to build a community that doesn't exploit its members, but rather, supports them, and provides tinder that just needs a spark of the divine to blaze.
I think we won't find Christmas in the corporate world and, right now, the corporate world pervades everything. It has commodified and put a price on everything. It has priced the plastic Christmas, but not the real one.
And it's the real Christmas that the rest of us celebrate. The one that avers hope for a second chance in a fallen world; that strives for peace and sees strength in sharing for the common good. It's a shared Christmas that's the most meaningful, and corporations don't share, they only sell.
But people can share, and that's our clue. Wherever we find people sharing love and hope, and encouraging one another, is where we'll find Christmas.
