Sandy Graham's Blog, page 3

Society Cycle

Time and time again over the past 3,000 years, societies have blossomed into physical and mental prosperity, sometimes achieving the title of Golden Age. Including the word “age” provides a clue to the fact that they all came to an end. What goes wrong?

Sometimes envy of neighbors leads to invasion and destruction if they become vulnerable, as in the case of the Roman Empire. More insidious is destruction from within that usually starts with leaders finding themselves better off than the public at large. Wealth breeds greed, conscious or subconscious, that in time transitions to a relatively small select group bleeding off the public wealth. Why doesn’t the majority realize what’s happening and rein it in? They know their personal economy is deteriorating, their standard of living declining.

The exploiters’ method of choice is to create a myth that both hides what’s happening and promises a future salvation. One way is to warp what otherwise might be a useful religion by convincing subjects that the suffering they experience in this life will be rewarded in a fictious next life. We die, our bodies rot or are burned, so there’s no way of proving them wrong. Of course, as years accumulate, many want to believe there’s a thing called a soul that carries their entity on beyond the grave. Fine. But it doesn’t excuse the exploitation of people of all ages. To be fair, not all church leaders are making themselves or their church obscenely rich at the public expense.

The same charity cannot be shown the second approach. It involves creation of a propaganda machine with two main goals: shift the blame for economic woes onto a scapegoat (Jews, Muslims, illegal immigrants, etc.) and convince the general population that better days are coming. Building this two-pronged myth takes a heavily funded media campaign which is usually a drop in the wealthy buckets. (One hundred million dollars is one percent to someone with ten billion.) The campaign also takes a ranting egomaniac set up on a pedestal to churn emotions and bring out our basest animal characteristics (Hitler, Mussolini, Milošević, Trump, etc.).

So what brings these dark eras in turn to an end. War from external forces (Germany, Italy, Japan), revolution (France, Russia, Hungary, America), national break-up (USSR, …America?) or somewhat peaceful political upheaval (India, UK, …America?). This last most desirable alternative can only happen if the public can realistically vote for change. That realism dwindles in the face of overwhelming finances. Fortunately, in the United States there is still reasonable resources on the other side and a media generally covering both sides.

However, it takes more than money to break the myth that clouds so many eyes like cataracts. The lenses must be cleared to let in reality. Continually debunking the pedagogue’s lies, conspiracies and false attacks helps. People who enjoy public respect can help by speaking out. I happen to think a message cloaked in entertaining fiction, whether it be a movie or a novel, can also help. That conviction drove me to speak out through “Eclipse of Our Soul” …. bet you didn’t think this was a commercial

“Eclipse of Our Soul” Published

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This novel is now available in
print and eBook format. Please visit www.SandysPen.com
for more information.

Like most of my books, assigning
it a specific genre is difficult, however YA fiction comes closest. A musical
extrovert and deaf introvert come together during school years and as young
adults begin a promising family career. He can’t resist getting involved in the
2016 political scene with tragic consequences.

For the few who read “Ickee
Mushta”, this may sound familiar—with good reason. The first third was lifted
from that book, condensed somewhat and used again here, with all reference to
the “Ickee” name removed. Part 3 on extends the story and makes the novel
complete with out suffering the impact of subsequent events which I feel rendered
“Ickee Mushta” obsolete. Significant meat, conflict and emotion is added.

Since the book deals with the
sinister issues facing American democracy during the dark 2016-2020 era, it
will inevitably be considered political. People leaning toward progressive will
enjoy it. Trumpers will find it sorely tests their ability to keep an open
mind. While it deals with the American experience, in a world where pressures
to move toward an authoritarian government pop up all over the place, it
provides useful perspective globally.

To Okotoks and Back

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1,800 miles in the Tesla we
fondly call Becket and never once did we run out of gas! Seriously, we chose
the route for its scenic content and good golf courses, as well as an abundance
of charging stations. A typical day involved driving in the morning to the next
destination (shown by large circles on the map) and letting Becket graze while
we ate lunch. Only once did we stay with the car at a charging station for more
than a few minutes and that was because we got into an interesting conversation
with two other couples there at the same time.

We played golf in Kamloops,
Golden and Okotoks and were rained out at Revelstoke and Kelowna. The goal was
to visit and play golf with great friends from our Arizona days. That was a
very pleasant success. All in all, a wonderful get-away and proof that an exceptionally
enjoyable to drive electric car is no real limitation on long trips.

My choice of enroute accommodations came under scrutiny after the first night spent in Yale at The Johnny Ward House. Yes, it was a B&B, however it was built in 1860 during the Fraser River gold rush and remains furnished as in that era. An electric light bulb hangs in each room now and it has indoor plumbing but other than that we were living in the 1860’s. And trains roared by not 40 feet from the house every hour or so. Still it and the adjoining museum provided an interesting and memorable experience (not recommended for multiple day stays). The brand-new hotel in Kamloops made it feel like we traveled 160 years in one day.

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To Publish or Not

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400 pages of young adult
fiction covering one couple’s battle against destruction of American society in
the Trump era. The first third draws heavily on an earlier novel which events
overtook. The remainder carries on with John and Emma’s struggle against
administration incited violence they suffer.

I’m rather proud of the book,
think it has a lasting value as a reflection of these times, and could influence
votes and voting volume in 2020. Of course, influence would only come with
exposure and, based on the history of previous books, only one or two votes
might be impacted. Still, in the right hands it could spark interest.

Unfortunately, in the wrong
hands, it could spark copycat violence. To the point where I’m afraid to
release it. Until recently, the risk seemed minimal, especially given my lack
of marketing interest. But lately, rabid cult followers feel more enabled by
Trump, more willing to chance being shot in exchange, more willing to wound and
kill innocent strangers. They are today’s version of Hitler’s brown shirts.

I ask myself, do I want to expose my wife, myself and our property in this environment? Is there really any risk given the likely volume of sales? And if it does get exposure, does its potential influence make the risk worthwhile? Sadly, I’m leaning toward sitting on it. In today’s internet search world, publishing anonymously doesn’t appear to be an alternative. Using proof copies to solicit second opinions seems the only alternative at present. As the orange moron would say, SAD.

Author Rape

Of millions of authors who
have slaved over one or more books, only a minute percentage receive any
significant financial reward. After reviewing books that appeared appealing yet
proved not to be, it’s easy to conclude that a large percentage deserve to
languish in obscurity. But there are also many, many deserving books that never
obtain public awareness. I feel for those authors when they count on royalties
for a living.

To see why, consider a book
that sells for $10.00 and is published using on-demand printing. Printing cost
would be $3.85, less than 40% of the selling price. A royalty of about $2.15
might be expected so the publisher pockets what’s left: $4.00 or 40%. Of
course, he will claim overhead and often marketing expenses. But seldom is
anything spent on marketing the book in question and the author must pay for
any publicity effort. It’s not like the old days when publishers had to risk
being stuck with a large inventory after a print run.

Publishing today leaves an
author with options such as hiring a publicity agency, flooding social media,
seeking book-signing opportunities, or soliciting reviews with giveaway copies.
Personally, I would love to see my books reach a wider audience though sales
are not a financial necessity. Of these various options, I’ve only used
giveaways in search of reviews. Receiving one review for every ten copies seems
to be the average. I think I’ve discovered one reason why,

After seven years, used copies of my first book are still offered for sale even though a very limited number were printed before I dumped a poor publisher choice by revising and re-titling the book. Concerned about the possibility of piracy and counterfeiting, which Amazon tends to turn a blind eye on until confronted with evidence, I ordered a couple of these books. Here’s the shocking result:

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The other copy had this page
torn out, so it probably was a similar situation. Bottom line—I purchased the
copy at the author price and paid to ship it to the “reviewer” who may have
read it or not before selling it to a re-seller.

That brings me to my final complaint (thankfully, you say). Re-sellers distribute books without paying royalties which, if nothing else, eats into the author’s market. And Amazon happily advertises them—they get a cut from the resale.

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This is a book out of print
for seven years, however it is equally true of live books. Author rape
complete.

Fossilless – Step 4

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Linda’s new car has gone 350
miles on a quart of gas. Well over 200 miles per gallon but the gage tops out
there.

It’s a Honda Clarity plug-in
hybrid that provides 47 miles on pure electric before kicking into the hybrid
mode for the rest of its 340-mile range with a mere seven-gallon gas tank. She
has yet to reach 47 miles in a given day.

Step 1:         Solar panels that provide more electricity than we use.

Step 2:         Tesla Model 3.

Step 3:         Electric tankless water heaters to reduce gas usage.

Step 4:         Honda Clarity

Step 5:         Heat pump coming in July relegates gas to power-out use only.

After replacing our worn out
weed eater with a battery one (which performs better), the last remaining gas
guzzler is our lawn tractor. We need it for a while at least so that I can
periodically drive up to a gas pump in the Tesla and watch the quizzical
stares.

We’ll have to live another ten
plus years to break even but damn, it’s satisfying!

The Good Narcissist

Narcissist – one who pursues gratification from vanity or egotistic admiration of one’s idealized self-image and attributes.

They cover a wide spectrum from slightly self-centered to egotistic to empathetic to covertly non-empathetic (outwardly charismatic while secretly getting rid of non-adulators) to overt non-empathetic to irrational non-empathetic to irrational sociopathic and trumping them all, delusional unintelligent irrational sociopathic. In other words, good all the way to a menace to civilization.

One thing they seem to have in common is a charisma or ability to lure followers, no matter the degree of narcery (Spell Checker, you can underline it all you want—I’m using it). At the far end, they can call war heroes cowards, make fun of cripples, promote violence, make pokahontic slurs, and so on without alienating their tribal followers. Oddly, they seem to label their perceived enemies with their own attributes, such as Lying Ted or Crooked Hiliary.

Four breeding grounds for narcery (look, SC, you don’t have a problem with adultery, so back off) narcery exist; namely corporations, sports, entertainment and politics. Of course, there are good corporate leaders along with those who destroy a hundred year old pillar of industry for personal gain or feel sufficiently immune from censure to display their penis on social media. The “bottom line” mentality that permeates the current corporate world indicates the scales are tilted in the bad direction. Sports (“I am the greatest!”) and entertainment (“Elvis has left the building!”) lean in the good direction.

Politics presents the entire spectrum, thanks in large part to corporate funding. But rather than devote words to the unblinking lizard that rules the Senate, I want to turn to the good side of narcery (damn it, SC, it may not be an actual word, but you allow “politically correct” non-words every day). A racist acquaintance called Obama a narcissist just after he was elected. Probably true, but anyone who saw him kneel to talk to a little girl, tear up talking about a mass shooting or giving a speech of closure at the Nagasaki war memorial, knows any narcery is grounded in empathy.

I once watched Liberace enter a hotel in Edmonton and as he glided to the front desk his narcissism was on full display. You didn’t need to watch his performance to recognize it. You see, he didn’t wear the usual winter coat, he wore a cloak. A good narcissist loves praise and clamors for recognition, then turns around and helps others to succeed or enjoy life. They can laugh at themselves. They are harmless and they often contribute greatly to society. They are driven to make a name for themselves in a good way and we are better for their existence.

Himbergeist?

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Fifty-four years ago, five of us built this Thunderbird (Osprey, #444). Since all of us were engineers, the boat had a number of innovations and unfortunately a 500 pound penalty associated with its sturdy construction. The added weight prevented us from winning a race over the first few years and it looked as though we never would.

One of our group, Max Turner, took a field service assignment in Germany. He sent us a bottle of Himbergeist (ghost of the raspberry or more literally, raspberry spirit) to celebrate our first victory, if it ever occurred. Ray Overlie kept the bottle ready for over a year until, lo and behold, we won a race!

Four of us met at Ray and Marge’s house and broke open the bottle to celebrate. We drank over half of it and progressed from drunk to sick. We all had splitting headaches the next day and Ray buried the half-empty bottle in his back yard. We marveled at its potency and didn’t think kindly toward Max and his gift.

Last night (half a century later) I got a call from Peter Morton, the third member of our group (Pete Wheeler is the remaining one). Peter was attending a conference  back east and had sat next to a German lady at dinner. They got talking about sailing and Peter recounted the story about Himbergeist.

“Himbergeist?” she said in a dismissive Germanic accent. “You don’t drink Himbergeist, you cook with it.”

A Quiet Rampage

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A Quiet Rampage is on the loose!

Only 144 pages, this memoir of my life is easy to read. It aims to entertain rather than bore with a litany of positions held and adulation received (well, it might have included the latter if there was any). It responds to questions like “What the hell did you do all those years at the Lazy B?”

In a more serious vein, it endeavors to paint a picture of who I am, what I stand for, and what makes me tick. To some, it may seem like my true personality is coming out of the closet but really, the closet door has been relatively transparent for those with a discerning eye.

Oddly enough, ever since I released it a flood of additional memories which could have found their way into the book have popped up. Some people, events and phases have gotten short shrift. It’s hard to know where to draw the line and adding too much might run the risk of boredom. So it is what it is. Perhaps I’ll come up with a second edition at age ninety, if still around and in possession of some semblance of a cognitive memory (two big “if’s”). In other words, don’t wait for the second edition. Let your curiosity get the better of you now and visit my website.

 

80.0

Today is my 80th birthday. It comes on the darkest day of the year but for me it’s not. I still think I look like the picture on the left while others see the one on the right.

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Perhaps it’s telling that the first is black and white. Aches and illnesses take longer to heal but they still do. And the latter picture hides a fun-loving interior. My daughter praised my sense of humor in words that warmed the cockles of my heart.

“Cockles of the heart”? Certainly not “cockles and muscles, all alive o”. Turns out the origin is controversial. After wasting a lot of time in research, the most logical explanation is that the cockles of your heart are the ventricles and thus, by extension, the innermost depths of one’s heart or emotions. The word comes from the Latin phrase cochleae cordis, meaning “ventricles of the heart”.

Yes, you could care less, but this is the kind of thing that octogenarian minds feast on, if they eat at all.

(Interruption here – my smartphone timer went off signalling it’s time to punch down the dough for the loaf of bread I’m baking. This birthday is full of excitement!)

I’m not the only one born on the darkest day of the year. The list of notables includes Joseph Stalin (appropriate), Jane Fonda, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evert and Ray Romano. I didn’t make the list again this year.

As both of you who read this blog know, this year included construction of a detached workshop. After the torture trench laid me low, the weather has turned wet and cold so refinement of the inside will languish until Spring. Instead, more time is being devoted to writing. I’ve completed a memoir, not because imminent death is sensed, but rather that a friend wants to pass bits of it to an author writing books about Boeing plane development programs. Probably precious few bits will make the grade. Anyway, if one final reading of a proof copy suggests publication is worthwhile, I will release it in January.

A more important venture is now re-vitalized; namely the “From Revolution Born” novel. Re-reading the first half after a long hiatus has inspired me to get back into it again. So, there is much to look forward to in the coming year, along with the joys of everyday living. I hope you can say the same and follow up a fun-filled holiday with a wonderful new year.